Searching for Savory: Part 2

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Pizza in a pouch == surprisingly yum
Last year I heard about the weirdest running food product: a pizza-flavored paste in a pouch. Sounds gross, right? But it's vegan. And it was developed by Clif with Scott Jurek, who wrote the awesome book Eat and Run.

I first tried it during our Mt Rainier circumnavigation and was happily surprised. It tasted good to me, went down easily, didn't upset my stomach, and satisfied my desire for savory food.

Then I bought more, but when I got around to eating one it had a bad aftertaste-- and it turns out they were all expired (although only by one month)!

I decided to give it one more go when I got a great deal on a case.

This weekend I rediscovered the case and decided to try it again. There's just something about these pouches that puts me off. Sure, it's convenient, but I never look forward to sucking food out of a packet. Maybe it's because my child loved these things as a baby and I associate them with baby food and its gag-inducing combinations. Maybe it's because I cannot stomach gels and goos, no matter how many times I've tried.

Despite all of that-- anything in the name of the blog!-- I consumed my "pizza margherita" about 12 miles into what was supposed to be a 20 mile run (that's another story). The first mouthful had a bit of a strange aftertaste and I worried that it was expired again. I checked the date, confirmed it was fine (May 2017), and took another pull. It tasted better. In fact, for each mouthful I liked it more, somehow becoming used to the flavor and then actually enjoying it.

These pouches are sizable, and it seems like a decent amount of food. I was able to eat the whole thing, didn't have to force it down, and didn't feel too full. It sat well in my stomach and my energy was good for the rest of the run. Another thing that I like about this product: every ingredient is something I recognize and would eat on its own. 

All in all, Clif Pizza Margherita is great. I will definitely keep using it and I imagine it will help me get more salt on very hot and/or high altitude runs so I don't bonk like CCC 100k and Overlook 50m.

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