It’s Good to Be Stoned in the Walmart Freezer Section | Eater

"The frozen-foods aisle at a big discount superstore is presented as a capitalist wonder: long rows of identical, frost-lined freezers jammed with a dizzying mix of everyday staples (frozen vegetables, fake meat patties) and absurd novelties like SpongeBob SquarePants–shaped popsicles and cheese-stuffed soft pretzel sticks. Wandering these artificially cooled aisles—especially on a hot Texas day and sometimes after taking a Sundae Flowers mochi gummy in the lychee dragon flavor—becomes a nostalgic, contemplative pastime, sparking memories of Totino’s Pizza Rolls, frozen burritos and Kid Cuisine trays with their tiny, sad brownies. The shelves are also a showcase of baffling innovation (pizza cupcakes, nacho-spice–blasted Hot Pockets, frozen Philly cheesesteak sandwiches), which can inspire creative thinking or pure bemusement; experimentation is encouraged, even if purchases like frozen White Castle sliders occasionally prove disappointing and soggy. The aisle is a place to be daring with snacks, to hunt down dessert marvels—from Carvel ice cream cakes to cake pops, macarons, Reese’s–wrapped frozen banana slices, pints of Van Leeuwen, or an entire Edwards chocolate cream pie with its strangely unfrozen whipped-cream dollops—and to steal a little revitalizing cold air before stepping back into the heat, turning a minor grocery run into a small, nostalgic staycation." - Amy McCarthy