As a child, I was a product of cable TV, reruns, and the finest DSL internet access the fine folks at MSN could provide. <\/p>\n
My parents did everything they could to avoid me turning into a total couch potato. They’d encourage me to play outside, despite our small Oregon town’s constant rain and lack of residents under the age of 50. Console video games were forbidden. But most critically of all, they limited fast food trips to once a week – Friday nights. What was at the time a sensible step to teach dietary responsibly, created something of a pavlovian link in my brain. McDonalds french fries, Taco Bell nacho cheese, and Burgerville milkshakes were more than food – they were the harbinger of weekend joy.<\/p>\n
Considering I’m now being paid to review both junk food and video games, I guess my parents’ efforts didn’t exactly produce the intended outcome.<\/p>\n
My fascination with junk food is always about the cutting edge, and items than transcend cliche. I’ve personally guzzled back gallons of Mountain Dew Game Fuel, without a hint of irony. Anytime I catch wind of a new Ben And Jerry’s Flavor or ludicrous Burger King sandwich, a hunger forms in my curious soul. Call it a hobby, an obsession, or just a poorly-justified eating disorder – I’m a sucker for the junk food industry’s cynical appeals. A good gimmick will never fail to grab my attention.<\/p>\n
That force is what pulled me to The Impulsive Buy, of which I’ve been a regular reader for years. Checking out new Spotted on Shelves posts is a near-daily habit of mine, and have had a serious impact on my grocery habits. Joining the site as a reviewer is tremendously exciting. It’s a little bit like being asked to join The Avengers, if Thor was more concerned about fried chicken than defending Asgard. <\/p>\n
As a contributor, I vow to put my taste buds on the line to get you all the #HotTakes on hot cakes, the rapid reactions on ramen, and a third pseudo-pun about reviews of fast food items.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As a child, I was a product of cable TV, reruns, and the finest DSL internet access the fine folks at MSN could provide. My parents did everything they could to avoid me turning into a total couch potato. They’d encourage me to play outside, despite our small Oregon town’s constant rain and lack of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":46,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[276],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21024","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-announcement"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14519,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2013\/03\/04\/announcement-watch-me-on-televisionif-you-live-in-hawaii\/","url_meta":{"origin":21024,"position":0},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: Watch Me On Television\u2026If You Live In Hawaii","author":"Marvo","date":"March 4, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"If you live in Hawaii and happen to be near a television at 7:40am tomorrow (Tuesday, March 5th), I will be on Hawaii News Now Sunrise (the local NBC\/CBS affiliate morning news show) talking about new products on grocery store shelves and looking as awkward as someone who has never\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":16086,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2014\/01\/10\/announcement-meet-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-natalie\/","url_meta":{"origin":21024,"position":1},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: Meet New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Natalie","author":"Natalie","date":"January 10, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A lot of people say they hit a depressive slump after the holidays, when the temperatures are cold and the nights are long. I hit a bigger slump after the Easter clearance at CVS is gone and I can no longer find a seasonal Reese\u2019s shape for six months. I\u2019m\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":13044,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2012\/07\/26\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-earnest\/","url_meta":{"origin":21024,"position":2},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Earnest","author":"Earnest","date":"July 26, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Salutations, Internet! The name is Earnest, and I have come here to chew bubblegum and write reviews\u2026 and write reviews about chewing bubblegum. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'm a college junior at USF, working full-time to support my non-stop appetite. I moved to Florida nearly 12 years ago\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19907,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2016\/04\/12\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-writer-tiffany\/","url_meta":{"origin":21024,"position":3},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Writer Tiffany","author":"Tiffany","date":"April 12, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"GREETINGS!! Yes, you can follow that with \u201cEarthlings\u201d or the Vulcan salute - your pick. My name is Tiffany and I\u2019m excited to be your guinea pig! My love for junk food developed at young age when my parents forbade me from eating junk food and all sugar. 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Vinny,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Announcement"","block_context":{"text":"Announcement","link":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/category\/general\/announcement\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26982,"url":"https:\/\/www.theimpulsivebuy.com\/wordpress\/2018\/02\/06\/announcement-new-impulsive-buy-reviewer-sarah\/","url_meta":{"origin":21024,"position":5},"title":"ANNOUNCEMENT: New Impulsive Buy Reviewer Sarah","author":"Sarah","date":"February 6, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I love grocery shopping and grocery stores. When traveling, I always make an excuse to pop into a grocery store to see what\u2019s on the shelves. Even with kids. 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