Sunday, April 30, 2017

Food in Film: Zagnut

Blogging from A to Z Challenge

A food addict and connoisseur of tasteful films reviews Food in Film, starring...

… Zagnut

The crunchy peanut butter and coconut candy bar was a delicious treat when I was a kid. I haven't eaten one in years, but I can still imagine the taste.

In The Great Outdoors (1988), Chet (John Candy) wants a bonding father/son moment with his youngest son. He drives to a garbage dump where the bears are known to forage, but the boy seems unimpressed. So... Chet tosses Zagnut bars to the bears, then places one on the hood of their vehicle. The bears get closer alright.


I would never entice a bear closer. I read the "Bear Etiquette" pamphlet given to us while camping in The Grand Teton National Park. The instructions included:
  • Never approach a bear. Okay. I have no problem with that rule. 
  • Never allow a bear to get human food. If approached while eating, put food away and retreat to a safe distance. Sorry, but if I'm approached while eating, I am not taking time to put the food away!!
  • Never abandon food because of an approaching bear. Always take it with you. Yeah, right. This is too much like the previous one. Let's see... a bear approaches me because I have yummy food, how does taking said yummy food with me solve anything? 
  • Never throw your pack or food at a bear in an attempt to distract it.  Sorry again, but I'm all for throwing anything (except a family member) at a bear if it will take its attention off me!
So go ahead, Chet, throw the Zagnuts to attract the bears... I will be running the opposite direction while you distract them.


From Apples to Zagnut, that's a wrap on my Food in Film theme, and the 2017 A to Z Challenge.

25 comments:

  1. LOL I agree with all of your comments about the bears. If the bears coming my way, I won't have to play dead. Loved John Candy. Find me here. LINK

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I miss John Candy. He was featured in three of my A to Z posts (O for Old 96er, P for Pancakes, and now Z for Zagnut).

      It was a fun A to Z theme and I appreciate your comments! Thank you.

      Delete
  2. I could not agree more with you. I can't 'bear' the thought of wasting good food. Well, we made it to Z. Thanks for your entetaining posts, and your visits to Amble Bay.

    Z - It's farewell to Amble Bay!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha! Love the wit... "can't 'bear' the thought." I'm glad you enjoyed the posts. Thank you for your comments throughout the challenge. I'll be visiting Amble Bay again soon!

      Delete
  3. Hi Trudy - never heard of a Zagnut ... but those early remembrances of kid's food - so good ... and not easy to forget. This is a crazy thought ... attracting a bear .. but great Z - well done and lovely to see you finish Food in Film ... cheers Hilary

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/z-is-for-zebra-zoo-and-zedland.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It does feel good to finish the challenge, but I will miss it, too. I'm already planning for next year!

      Thank you for your comments!

      Delete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank goodness we don't have to worry about bears over here in the UK - the occasional squirrel maybe and today I actually had a robin by my feet in the cafe - he'd come through the open door and was quite happy hoovering up any crumbs! Congratulations on completing the Challenge :)
      http://pempispalace.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/z-is-for-zola-zenith.html

      Delete
    2. There aren't any bears in the UK? I got a chuckle out of your robin "hovering" up crumbs. Good description.

      Thank you for stopping by during the challenge, and for your comments!

      Delete
  5. Zagnut. I remember those. Do they still make them? Your comments about bears are funny. I sure hope they don't follow the deer and move down here from upstate Michigan. Congratulations on finishing the challenge. I enjoyed reading your posts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not certain if Zagnuts are still available at the grocery store, but out of curiosity I checked Amazon and found them.

      We made it through the challenge! I enjoyed reading your posts (and photos!) too. Thank you for your frequent visits, and for your comments.

      Delete
  6. I've never seen a zagnut... and clearly neither has my web browser that wants to autocorrect it to magnet!

    Fun A-Z - nice work finding all the film clips.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Your comment about autocorrect made me laugh. I had the same problem, initially.

      Thanks for stopping by and commenting during the challenge!

      Delete
  7. Several years ago I had a tremendous craving for a Zagnut bar and went on a quest to find one, but to no avail. I'm not sure that they make them anymore. Such a shame because they were good when you didn't want chocolate (which I don't like as much chocolate in the summertime).

    You had a great A to Z series--original and well executed. Thanks for being part of the 2017 Challenge.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found Zagnuts on Amazon, but I wonder if they are fresh!

      Thank you for your comments and kind words! It was a fun theme to work with, and fun to be a part of the 2017 challenge (my 3rd).

      Delete
  8. Well at least I'm safe from bears - I don't like peanut butter or coconut, so unless a potato chip loving bear is on my tail, I'm okay :) Great doing the AtoZ with you and I hope we keep in touch x
    Leanne | cresting the hill

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes! Beware of the potato chip loving bears!

      So wonderful to connect with you through the A to Z challenge... let's keep in touch, for sure!

      Delete
  9. Trudy,

    I was fond of Zagnut candy bars as a kid, too and I had forgotten about that scene in "The Great Outdoors". The Smoky Mountains are a short drive away and we can be found often there on day trips but all the "Do Nots" do not cover everything which reminds me of a story my DH shared. It seems a former co-worker and his wife were in the Smoky's years ago. They were inside their car having a picnic lunch when a black bear approached. It must have been a bad year for food because that animal wanted their sandwiches and although the windows were up, that beast managed to get its claws under the weather stripping and some how snagged the man's scalp...do I need to say more? Luckily they escaped driving straight to the emergency room. I have to problem respecting and staying far away from wild animals. They are not to be messed with and shouldn't be encouraged to take human food. If the person feeding isn't injured then the next person will get it. Thanks for visiting, Art Sketching Through the Alphabet “Z” and congrats on crossing the A2Z finish line with me!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I live near the Rocky Mountains now, but oh how I miss the Smokies. We lived in Eastern TN for over 13 years and I loved to drive to Clingman's Dome in the spring when the Dogwood trees were in bloom, and again in the autumn. Beautiful.

      Delete
  10. The Great Outdoors is one of those movies my husband watches EVERY TIME it comes on TV. So I've sen sections of it 1,000 times, but I haven't seen the whole movie since the 80s. It was one of the movies playing when I worked at the movie theater as a teen...the boy I had a crush on came in with a date, so I always think of that when I think of this movie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. When I was a teen, I thought working in a movie theater would be a fun job, but the town I lived in didn't have one. Just as well... I never considered what it would feel like to see a crush there with a date. Bummer!

      Delete
  11. I'm with you in that if a bear got close not sure I'd be taking the time to pack up my food and keep it with me. Seems like that would just encourage the bear to follow me. Although since the 2nd and 3rd tips are so redundant maybe I ought to listen. WeekendsInMaine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Even though I read the safety guidelines, I think my instincts would still take over and I would do everything wrong if I met a bear... throw my food and run.

      Delete
  12. I've never heard about zagnut... But I meet once a bear, in Canada! Later, a friend asked me why I didn't take a picture. Are you kidding?

    Congratulations on finishing the challenge. I learned a lot through your posts, but I must also say that sometimes they made me hungry... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh my goodness yes... take a picture of an approaching bear... are you kidding? That made me laugh!

      I chose the Food in Film theme in hopes of developing a better relationship with food as I wrote, but like you said, sometimes the posts made me hungry!

      Delete