09/25/2026
How many of us have a relative that swears by peanuts in a Pepsi-Cola? It all started with the worst job in the to***co business: topping and suckering. And after hours of toiling in the rows of sticky, itchy plant, a dusty pickup would lumber down the dirt path that lined the to***co field with a cooler of cold bottles of Pepsi and a box of Lance peanut packets.
“Hot, hungry workers, many of them children, knew their break began once they’d topped and suckered to the end of the row where the pickup sat. They worked fast and gathered under a shade tree. Sticky to***co gum covered every hand and arm, so despite the urge to sit down and throw back handfuls of salty peanuts, they took to dumping the slender sleeve into the glass bottle of Pepsi and turning up the bottle for a salty, sweet, and crunchy swig. The combination offered energy and made the snack last longer than if they had tipped the bag of nuts or the bottle of soda back separately.”
- Vivian Howard, Deep Run Roots
