WaWa.

Those of you not from the NJ/PA area probably have not heard of a small convenience store called "WaWa." In fact, you probably just chuckled when I mentioned the name. Be quiet. Its true. I know the name sounds like something that babies say when they want a drink. But somewhere along the way an ambitious entrepreneur decided he/she would take the name and make a convenience store chain.

Now, for all you haters out there... I will defend the store despite its ridiculous name. And, for those who are not down with Northeast Culture (Josh... yes I named you), this is indeed a culture watch. Last night at 11:30pm a sharp pain arose from my stomach as I hungered for a late night snack. After moments of pondering what I should get a light bulb sprung to life in my head: SOFT PRETZELS! Yes, I love pretzels! And, again if you are not familiar with the northeast, particularly Philadelphia, the BEST soft pretzels are made here. Being based in the general Philadelphia area, WaWa has incredible soft pretzels. So I decided to take a ten minute drive into Red Bank, NJ (taking my life into my own hands) and procure a delicious soft pretzel. And no pretzel would be complete without a solid bottle of Snapple (made from the best stuff on earth). As I walked up to the counter, removed the plastic from my wallet and slid the magnetic strip through the machine, my mouth watered. I could not wait to get that salty, highly carbohydrated goodness into my mouth. I quickly ran to the car, started the engine (to keep me warm), ripped open the bag and savored what I had been anticipating.

WaWa was a huge part of my college career. 2:00 or 3:00am WaWa runs were common at Eastern University in PA and I made my fair share of trips, as evidenced by a slight (hehe) college weight gain. Whatever your feelings on the WaWa name or your experience at the store, I think you have to agree that the pretzels are... "A little slice of heaven." When I get to heaven, I think Jesus will be eating a pretzel from WaWa.