Protests and demonstrations can be action-packed events with lots of running and shouting, but the majority of your time at one of them will be spent walking, standing and chanting. These events can last for hours, and hours of walking, standing, chanting and (occasional) running can leave one quite hungry. This is why protest snacks are essential.
I know that snacks may not seem like the most urgent topic for discussion right now, but being hungry and fatigued might mean you are not alert, and you really need to be alert at these things, which can turn quite serious at a moment’s notice. Given the ambulatory nature of protests, your snacks should be non-perishable, lightweight, portable and (ideally) nutrient-dense. If you plan to share, individually-wrapped snacks are probably a good plan; we are still in the middle of a pandemic, and people might want to wipe down the packaging with a sanitizing wipe. (It’s also a good idea to pack some peanut-free options, in case some fellow protesters are allergic.)
Basically, pack like you’re going on a very intense field trip. If you need suggestions, consider small oranges (which come wrapped by nature), granola/nut/protein bars, dried fruit, trail mix, individual tubes of nut butter, packs of crackers or cookies, fruit snacks, jerky or meat sticks (they make some fancy Slim Jims now), chocolate-covered espresso beans and gummy candy. Some of these are quite sugary, but sugar equals energy, and candy equals joy, and it is ok to spread some joy at a serious event.
Also, bring a small plastic bag for trash and wrappers, and do not bring utensils of any kind, as you don’t want to be caught with anything that could be framed as a weapon. Hand sanitiser or wipes are also helpful because, again, we are still in the middle of a pandemic, but eating with clean hands is a practice we should observe at all times.
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