I learned the origin the other day (well, all right, it was at least a month ago now) of a word that I'd known without knowing where it came from. I have to admit, now that I know the word's roots, it's lost a little something. It's one of those things where the mystery of it, the enigma behind it, turned out to be a lot more fascinating than the actual solution. A minor thing, to be true, yet somehow I think I'd have preferred to live with the mystery.
(Which is what passes for a spoiler around here.)
The word is "GORP." Which, technically, turns out to be an acronym.
If you've ever been hiking or camping or anything like that on a regular basis, you probably know already what gorp is. It's trail mix, essentially. A hodgepodge of dried fruits, nuts, and other crunchy, chewy, naturally sweet bits. When I was in the Scouts (yes, I was a Boy Scout) we'd often make our own, which isn't hard to do, really. You can buy it pre-made, of course, and in about a dozen different varieties, but making your own was not only cheaper in the long run, but allowed for customization.
I happen to like m&m's and coconut pieces in mine, along with some dried pineapple.
Which, now that I know what gorp stands for, would technically make it something else, I suppose, which might be why it's mostly sold under "trail mix" and not "gorp." Yet if you're going camping or hiking or biking or whatever, and hang out with people who do, chances are they may well refer to it as gorp, regardless of what's in it.
Because gorp is just "good ol' rasins and peanuts."
1 comment:
Interesting. I never knew that (good ole raisins and peanuts).
I like M&M's too!
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