Occasionally I like to perform the public service of looking at what search terms brought people my website and providing answers to their questions. Today I will tackle this gem: Why can a child smell like pickles?

Here are just a few reasons why a child can smell like pickles:

• The child went on a trip to a pickling plant
• The child dunked him or herself in a jar of brining fluid
• The child purchased or was given a pickle-smelling perfume
• The child recently spent time inside a hamburger-sammich establishment such as McDonald’s or Burger King
• The child replaced all toys with Vlasic Dills and spent the afternoon playing
• Fearful of the looming recession, the child has begun hoarding pickles in preparation for leaner times
• The child joined a pickle-based cult (Warning: do not show the child unpickled cucumbers until he or she has been deprogrammed)
• The child recently ate pickles

Every now and then I like to do the public service of looking at what search terms brought people my website and providing answers to their questions. For example, if you came here searching for "Can chopped up liver move on its own?" (which, incidentally, has happened at least three times now), I'd like to direct you to this post in which I note that your food probably has worms or other dudes hanging out in it.

Today I'd like to tackle "What snack food is most recognized in January?"

January is actually one of the most difficult months to peg with a single most-recognized snack food. A number of factors influence January snacking decisions, including:

• The month-long slide from "diet" to "not diet" as "New Year's resolution" becomes "I miss cheese."
• The ebb and flow of holiday foods, including the wane of gingerbread men at the beginning of the month and the wax of candy hearts at the end.
• Sadness and malaise brought on by Seasonal Affective Disorder, a condition curable by increased exposure to sunlight and/or consuming the traditional medicinal beverage known as "the sauce."

Now then, keeping these factors in mind, let's take a look at some of January's popular snack foods:

• Crackers: They're perfect with dips, cheeses, and overly processed meats. They have enough delicious fat that if you ever actually looked at the recommended serving size, you'd choke on your Chicken-in-a-Biscuit. But are they decadent? Are the indulgent? In the end, crackers lack the sex appeal needed to be January's most-recognized snack food.
• Wings: Despite being a year-round favorite, wings face their greatest challenge in January. With the Super Bowl in early February, too many people will go without wings all January so they taste that much better during the big game. Plus, some people debate whether wings even belong on the snack list in the first place: are they really a snack? Or are they a meal? An appetizer? A disqualification hearing is pending.
• The Apple: This dark-horse candidate is heavily recognized during the first week of the month, but then quickly traded for apple-flavored candy. Is the spike in recognition at the beginning of the month enough to make ol' Granny Smith and her Gala gang the most recognized snack food? Heck nope.

So what then? When you're at a party and someone says, "Quick, what's the most recognized snack food of January?" what do you say to avoid looking like a fool? What is the most recognized snack food of January? Well, I'll tell you:

The Donut: Whether you're getting it "healthy" old-fashioned or sugary sweet, the donut goes well with hot beverages, which people often drink to warm themselves up in the January cold. The donut also has the unique benefit of being acceptable at any meal or snack time of the day. Nachos for breakfast? People think you’re crazy. A sprinkle- and frosting-topped donut? You're as sane as rain. The donut is a classic, and yet, it's so...now.

The donut, like a diamond, is forever.