I love doing listicles, and one of my most favorite listicles around the bookish blogosphere is the Top Ten Tuesday originally created by The Broke And The Bookish (now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl). Recently though, I stumbled upon Meeghan’s Top 5 Tuesday prompts, and I am super stoked to dive in.
Top 5 Tuesday, now hosted by Meeghan from Meeghan Reads, was originally created by The Bionic Bookworm. Meeghan has come up with tons of exciting fun prompts for the month of April to June, and me being the foodie that I am, I had to write a post about this week’s prompt: top 5 snacks for reading.
Before I start, let me clarify something: I love eating just as much as I love reading, but rarely do I take snacks with me while I read. Since I have terrible coordination, I am always scared of dropping crumbs or pieces on my precious books. It has happened more often than I’d like to admit.
Exhibit A: Me ruining my brand new copy of The Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo while eating a delicious red velvet cupcake.
However, over the years though I did learn there are some safe snacks to have while you read. Here are my top 5 favorite snacks:
1. Dark Chocolate
Since I help my mom run a bakery, chocolate is a quick snack that is always readily available when I am feeling the munchies. And it’s a perfect snack to eat while reading too, cause you don’t have to worry about crumbs or stains!
Personally, I prefer dark chocolate while reading, cause not only does it make me feel a bit more awake and energized but dark chocolate also helps me concentrate and read faster. It’s the perfect fuel for doing any quick readathon.
2. Mixed Nuts And Raisins
My mom calls these “brain food” and always has them ready whenever my sister and I are working late at night. But a small bowl of cashews, almonds, and raisins mixed together is also a great snack when you are just cozying up in your bed and reading a really good book! Sometimes, my mom will also throw in bits of dried apricots and delicious dates in the mix just for a little extra ooomph.
3. Aloo Bokhara
A deliciously tangy and sweet pickle made of red plums, aloo bukhara is a mouthwatering snack that is a must-have side dish traditionally served with biriyani or polao in Bangladesh and other South Asian countries. My mom and I however often like to snack on a few pieces of aloo bukhara whenever we are in the mood for something light but tangy. It’s a very healthy snack that you can easily take with you when you are reading too.
4. Dumplings
If there is one food I could eat forever, that would be dumplings. I am not quite sure if it counts as a snack, but I definitely like to have dumplings at any time of the day, including when I am reading.
5. Cheesy Spicy Ramen
Okay so this one is definitely not a snack, it’s a full meal! But one of my favorite ways to unwind on a Thursday night is to make myself a nice big bowl of spicy, cheesy Samyang ramen, and cozy up with my cats and a good book. Of course, there’s always the risk of dropping ramen sauce on the pages, but what can I say, sometimes you just gotta live life on the edge! 😂
So that’s my wrap up of this week’s top 5 Tuesday prompt! What’s your favorite, go-to snack for reading? Let me know in the comments below.
Hi Tanaz!! Welcome to top 5 Tuesday!! My mother in law introduced me to aloo bukhara and they are so delicious!! I also think I now want dumplings for dinner… 😅 This list is so delicious!! I hope you had fun with this week’s topic 🤤💕
Hey Meeghan! I absolutely loved this week’s prompts, as well as the ones you have planned till June. This was so much fun to write <3
And yes dumplings and aloo bukhara are the best! I can never get tired of them. 😂
Hah, the dark chocolate helping with concentration & read faster is interessing.. I must try that! I also like to munch on a nice chocolate bar when the feel for chocolates come- but I usually prefer milk chocolate 😅
Ouuf it’s been so long since I’ve had ramen or dumplings.. that would be amazing right now 👀
I also quite like the sweet & salty mix of nuts, however for some reason I don’t buy any? 😂 I just have some granola bars that I LOVE so much.
Granola bars are delicious! Great snack for reading too.
I can’t have too much milk chocolate cause it’s triggers a migraine attack, but dark chocolate on the other hand really helps with headaches and clearing my head. Also I don’t really have much of a sweet tooth, so I really like the slight bitterness of dark chocolate :p
Ohh I see.. that’s good to know. Might need to try poping some dark chocolate next time my head hurts ahah! Yeah, I definately can eat dark chocolate, but opposite the milk chocolate, I can’t eat more than half the thing ahah just- too much cocoa 😅
Oh no, I love to mess on my own books! Adds character and preserves the memory better! Aloo Bokhara sounds great as I love plums 🤩 my fave nuts are technically all of them but definitely macadamias first.
Hahaha I do agree stains and what not adds character, but I still feel a bit iffy about it. Aloo Bokhara is great, you can find it at any Asian isle in your local grocery store.