Original Gladcorn

This is a strange little snack. I once had a friend who ate the kernels at the bottom of the popcorn bowl, the ones that were unpopped. And I always thought that was a little funny. Why eat the unpopped "granny" kernels when there were so many fluffy pieces up top?This snack reminded me of her. Gladcorn. It's a corn snack that looks like hybrid between unpopped kernels and Corn Nuts. They have a little bit of seasoning on them and really aim to bring out the integral flavor of the corn. A small bag of these goes a really long way, too.Opening it up, I thought I'd be able to finish them easily. About a third of the way through, though, it was impossible. These are really, really chewy. And with the natural cooking style, the kernels vary from piece to piece. I found myself partial to the slightly exploded kernels, the ones that had burst open but not popped, as they were a little softer and carried more of the buttery, salty flavor that was coating the pieces. The unpopped pieces I ignored completely, as they were too hard to chew and very crunchy, but those probably maintain the integrity of the corn the most, as they had a nutty, slightly bitter taste that I found different, but never really got used to.

I was torn. I wanted to eat all of these because they made me feel natural and healthy, like I'd harvested them myself, but with the flux and vast differences in each piece, it was hard to mindlessly eat this without having to wonder if you'd break a tooth or get a really good piece. And if you're not a fan of finding the little corn pieces in the back of your mouth, don't eat these. That textural feeling is like the 10th circle of Dante's food inferno.