Adventures in Snack Smuggling

So I saw Watchmen today, which was quite good. It has its flaws, it's not for everyone, most definitely rated R, and overall a solid, enjoyable 8/10. I recommend the graphic novel more, but the movie's decent. Anyway, on to tonight's post.

Now, I enjoy going to theaters to see movies. Great for a hangout, lots of fun, more intense than a DVD rental, and all around a great experience. However, my main axe to grind with the theater is the price of concessions. Everyone knows what I'm talking about. You pay $7.50 or more for a ticket, which is already a considerable investment. Toss in popcorn, which is roughly 3-5 bucks, and a fountain drink for about the same, you just added almost 10 more dollars. This, my friends, is preposterous. Now, the most obvious solution here is to sneak your own concessions in. But how? Well, I'm answering that question right now.

Wear coats with deep pockets, preferably long coats. If you buy the right things, you can pack more into them. Don't get anything too awkwardly shaped. Empty popcorn and small, bite sized things into sandwich bags. Or, you can do what I did and go to an Asian market.

Asian markets are a lot of fun, as there's stuff you just can't find at your standard Safeway-type grocery. Aside from the strange new world of far Eastern foodstuffs, you can find a wealth of inexpensive, low profile concessions for your cinematic outing.

I myself spent roughly 6 dollars and got some candy, a few cookie-ish items, two small canned drinks, and a bottle of cola. This adds up to twice or thrice what I could afford at the theater's stand.

At Asian markets, a lot of the canned drinks like coffees, yogurt drinks, various fruit nectars and the like, run about 78-88 cents a pop. They're tasty, especially if you find the right ones, and more importantly, they're either short and no larger than a standard soda can, or they're taller and much more slender. I fit two of them along with the Hello Panda cookies in one pocket. In addition, a lot of Asian snack foods are packaged with much less bulk than American products, so your contraband can be stashed much easier and in greater numbers. When it comes to buying outside goodies, Asian groceries are a monument to efficiency, affordability, and deliciousness.

So there you have it. Go to Uwajimaya or Fubon, or your nearest Asian specialty grocery store and shell out 5 or 6 bucks and get a wide variety of easily concealed, perfectly tasty snacks. You'll be glad you didn't spend it on one bottled beverage and a package of Skittles.