lat-puzz.com

by **Twilightseeker** » Mon Sep 05, 2016 10:22 pm

In trying to make a slightly better choice, Felicity ended up making a slightly worse choice. Although in retrospect, it might have been a good thing in the end.

by **Balin** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 12:38 am

Was she the only one making this particular choice?
Did the choice involve any other person? One? More than one?
Did it "might have been a good thing" immediately afterward? A little while later? A long time later?

by **Twilightseeker** » Tue Sep 06, 2016 4:50 am

Was she the only one making this particular choice? Not the only one EVER, probably, but the only one in this particular story.
Did the choice involve any other person? One? More than one? No others
Did it "might have been a good thing" immediately afterward? A little while later? A long time later? Probably a few days later

by **Westing1992** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 1:40 am

Better: financially? Health-wise? Time-wise? Happiness-wise?
Was reason the one choice was worse at all related to why it was a good thing? Or was there a second factor unseen at first?
Was the choice between two material things? Two opportunities to do something? Two actions to take?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 1:58 am

Better: financially? Health-wise? Yes. Time-wise? Happiness-wise?
Was reason the one choice was worse at all related to why it was a good thing? Yes. Or was there a second factor unseen at first?
Was the choice between two material things? Yes. Two opportunities to do something? Two actions to take?

by **Balin** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 4:17 pm

Was she making a purchase?
Health-wise: for her? For someone else?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 8:30 pm

Was she making a purchase? Yes
Health-wise: for her? yes For someone else?

by **Balin** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 9:03 pm

Was she buying groceries? Clothing? Was she planning a vacation?
Is anyone else involved at all?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 07, 2016 9:28 pm

Was she buying groceries? this Clothing? Was she planning a vacation? Also thisish
Is anyone else involved at all? Nope

by **Westing1992** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 12:40 am

Was what she bought edible? Was it sunscreen? Soap or shampoo?
Are conflicting studies involved (eg. Eggs are good for you! No wait, they're bad! No wait, they're good!)

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 2:05 am

Was what she bought edible? Yes Was it sunscreen? Soap or shampoo? None of these.
Are conflicting studies involved (eg. Eggs are good for you! No wait, they're bad! No wait, they're good!) [b]No[/b[

by **Balin** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 2:34 pm

Was she planning another sort of trip? Is her method of transportation relevant? Is the temperature of the food relevant? Did she buy something that might taste worse but would not spoil?

by **GalFisk** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 5:10 pm

Food expiration relevant? Did she choose between two similar items? Such as two different vegetables? Two dissimilar items? Such as milk or fish? Did the choice turn out better because of events that happened after the purchase? Events that had already happebed? If so, did she know they would happen/had happened when she made the purchase?

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 8:39 pm

Was she planning another sort of trip? She is planning one trip Is her method of transportation relevant? Is the temperature of the food relevant? Did she buy something that might taste worse but would not spoil? None of these.

Food expiration relevant? No Did she choose between two similar items? YesSuch as two different vegetables? Two dissimilar items? Such as milk or fish? none this these Did the choice turn out better because of events that happened after the purchase? yes Events that had already happebed? If so, did she know they would happen/had happened when she made the purchase? She definitely did not know they would happen.

by **Balin** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 10:11 pm

Clarifying my last question:
Was the trip she was preparing a vacation? Another TYPE of trip? Business trip?

by **Westing1992** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 10:20 pm

Was she going camping? To the beach? To another country?
Was the other choice recalled? Did she avoid food poisoning or sickness?
Were the two choices drinking water?
Did she decide between the two by comparing calories? Nutrients? Carcinogens?

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Sep 08, 2016 10:23 pm

Was the trip she was preparing a vacation? Yes...Another TYPE of trip? Business trip? None of these

Was she going camping? This and more... To the beach? To another country? [b/Assume no, ire[/b]
Was the other choice recalled? Did she avoid food poisoning or sickness? Neither of these
Were the two choices drinking water? No, it was between foods
Did she decide between the two by comparing calories? Yes! Nutrients? Carcinogens?

by **Balin** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 2:44 am

Was she going to be in the wilderness the entire time? Away from civilization? Was she backpacking?

by **Twilightseeker** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:28 am

Was she going to be in the wilderness the entire time? Away from civilization? Was she backpacking? Yes to all.

by **Balin** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 12:03 pm

Was one food heavier than the other?
Did her choice become "a good thing" in a way related to food or eating?

by **Twilightseeker** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 8:38 pm

Was one food heavier than the other? I would say they are almost identical.
Did her choice become "a good thing" in a way related to food or eating? Yes

by **Westing1992** » Fri Sep 09, 2016 10:28 pm

Will the food be cooked by campfire? Hot Dogs? Marshmallows?
Was she also going fishing? Hiking? Are any wild animals involved? Pesky bugs?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 3:21 am

Will the food be cooked by campfire? Proabably she would not cook it while camping/backpacking Hot Dogs? Marshmallows? None of these
Was she also going fishing? No Hiking? Yes Are any wild animals involved? Pesky bugs? No

by **Balin** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 3:43 am

Would the other food have been crushed by the other items in her backpack?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 4:54 am

Would the other food have been crushed by the other items in her backpack? No

by **Westing1992** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 5:36 pm

Was the food trail mix? Granola bars?
Would one choice have filled her up more? Given her more energy?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sat Sep 10, 2016 10:46 pm

Was the food trail mix? Granola bars? none of these
Would one choice have filled her up more? Given her more energy? Yes, slightly more...

by **Balin** » Wed Sep 14, 2016 2:19 am

Just a thought: is caffeine somehow involved? Does she have a relevant allergy?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:54 am

Just a thought: is caffeine somehow involved? No Does she have a relevant allergy? And no, but good question though

by **Acridian9** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 12:12 pm

Relevant what the two specific food are? solid? liquid? raw? cooked? salted? sweet?
Percentage of water in the two food relevant? or what matters is only the calories they contain?
Did she pack the one with the most calories? the fewer?
Relevant when she will eat it? during the trail? after camping? back home?

by **Twilightseeker** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 9:40 pm

Relevant what the two specific food are? Yes solid? yes liquid? raw? cooked? yes salted? sweet? yes
Percentage of water in the two food relevant? or what matters is only the calories they contain? yes
Did she pack the one with the most calories? yes the fewer?
Relevant when she will eat it? yes during the trail? this after camping? back home?

by **Balin** » Tue Sep 20, 2016 11:21 pm

Are they snacks? Trail mix?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 12:40 am

Are they snacks? Arguably

Trail mix? But not this

by **Acridian9** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:26 am

Cookies? cake? waffle? chocolate? candies? chewing gum? energy bar?
Digestibillity relevant?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Sep 21, 2016 2:39 am

Cookies? this is kiiiiind of closest-isa cake? waffle? chocolate? candies? chewing gum? energy bar? none of these really but cookies is the least dissimilar
Digestibillity relevant? no

by **WiZ** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 12:50 am

Popcorn? Are they used as trail markers?

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Sep 22, 2016 5:16 am

Popcorn? No Are they used as trail markers? No

by **Acridian9** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 5:31 am

Not dissimilar to a cookie: same shape? same taste? same ingredients?
Did something happen during the trail? Weather relevant? relevant if she was alone or not?

by **Twilightseeker** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 11:24 am

Not dissimilar to a cookie: same shape? Somewhat? same taste? I'd say *yes* same ingredients? Quite similar
Did something happen during the trail? Yes! Weather relevant? Yes relevant if she was alone or not? No

by **Balin** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 4:57 pm

Weather: snow? Rain?
Does this take place in the spring? Summer? Fall? Winter?

by **Acridian9** » Fri Sep 23, 2016 6:08 pm

Did the weather change during the trail?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:26 am

Weather: snow? This Rain?
Does this take place in the spring? Summer? Fall? Winter? This

Did the weather change during the trail? Yes

by **NickName** » Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:44 pm

Did it start snowing? Stop? Increase intensity? Decrease? Temperature change relevant?

by **Acridian9** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:15 am

Did she actually eat the food she packed? before what happened during the trail? after?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:23 am

Did it start snowing? Stop? Increase intensity? Yes Decrease? Temperature change relevant? Yes

Did she actually eat the food she packed? Yes before what happened during the trail? This after?

by **NickName** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:58 pm

Did it get colder? Did eating the food keep her warmer?

Do we need to know how long she was in the snow storm for?

by **Acridian9** » Sun Sep 25, 2016 10:12 pm

An avalanche relevant?

by **Twilightseeker** » Tue Sep 27, 2016 4:12 am

Did it get colder? Yes Did eating the food keep her warmer? Potentially

Do we need to know how long she was in the snow storm for? Not really, assume a couple of days or so.

An avalanche relevant? No

So we have the basics of the story now:

Felicity was buying a certain sweet food, and tried to be more health-conscious by getting the slightly lower calorie version. However, she was mistaken in what she thought was the lower-calorie version of this food. Later, however, she brought the food items along with her backpacking/camping in the winter (yes, winter camping is a thing, I've done it). The temperature suddenly drops and a blizzard rolls in. Felicity is incapacitated for a couple of days with only these food items to eat, and she thinks to herself, "It's probably better than I got the higher calorie version now, isn't it?"

Last part: What are these food items? And why did she THINK she was getting a low-calorie version that ended up being in fact higher-calorie?

by **Acridian9** » Tue Sep 27, 2016 3:26 pm

Calories expressed in Kcal vs cal?

by **GalFisk** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 4:55 am

Calories expressed in Joule? Fat or protein calories relevant? Did she misread the labeing? Was the labeling misleading? Such as the arbitrary "calories per serving", where serving size can be whatever the manufacturer wants?

by **Westing1992** » Wed Sep 28, 2016 6:11 pm

Did the two foods have different (major) ingredients?
Were they two types of the same brand? Two different brands?

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Sep 29, 2016 10:20 pm

Calories expressed in Kcal vs cal? Not relevantly

Did the two foods have different (major) ingredients? No
Were they two types of the same brand? Yes Two different brands? So no

Calories expressed in Joule? Irrel Fat or protein calories relevant? No Did she misread the labeling? No Was the labeling misleading? No Such as the arbitrary "calories per serving", where serving size can be whatever the manufacturer wants? Irrel

by **Acridian9** » Fri Sep 30, 2016 9:30 am

Did she read the labeling at all? or she judged from the appearance of the package? the size? Has she false info/knowledge about calories given by a certain ingredient?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sun Oct 02, 2016 2:42 am

Did she read the labeling at all? No or she judged from the appearance of the package? the size? Has she false info/knowledge about calories given by a certain ingredient? This is pretty much close

by **biograd** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:28 pm

Did she misinterpret a lack of artificial sweeteners as a lack of sweeteners in general? Artificial sweeteners have next to no caloric content, so a non-artificially-sweetened, but presumably sugar-sweetened, item will have more calories.

by **biograd** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:30 pm

Or, alternatively, is "shortening" involved? The name sounds almost like it makes you (or at least the food item) "shrink" somehow, i.e. that it's less fattening, but despite the lean-sounding name, it's in fact a form of fat.

by **Twilightseeker** » Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:05 pm

Did she misinterpret a lack of artificial sweeteners as a lack of sweeteners in general? Artificial sweeteners have next to no caloric content, so a non-artificially-sweetened, but presumably sugar-sweetened, item will have more calories. Not this...

Or, alternatively, is "shortening" involved? The name sounds almost like it makes you (or at least the food item) "shrink" somehow, i.e. that it's less fattening, but despite the lean-sounding name, it's in fact a form of fat. I like this idea, but this isn't it.

Hint: This food involves toasters...

by **Balin** » Sat Oct 15, 2016 1:48 am

Are they Pop-Tarts or some similar pastry? Bagels? Bread?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:11 am

Are they Pop-Tarts or some similar pastry? Yep, Pop-Tarts Bagels? Bread?

by **biograd** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:13 am

Or, alternatively, is "shortening" involved? The name sounds almost like it makes you (or at least the food item) "shrink" somehow, i.e. that it's less fattening, but despite the lean-sounding name, it's in fact a form of fat. I like this idea, but this isn't it.

That's kind of a very passive scrund I had when I was a young kid. When I saw that certain foods had "shortening" in them, I imagined it being something that makes food less "heavy". Like, not something with negative calories, because I knew that wasn't possible, but some kind of low-calorie filler that is added in place of rich ingredients when you need to add bulk but don't want to add to the "richness".

Anyway, so the ingredient she thought added less in terms of calories than it did--is its role as flavoring? a kind of oil? a type of starch? a source of protein?

by **Twilightseeker** » Sun Oct 16, 2016 4:10 am

That's an interesting scrund! I had never thought of it like that.

Anyway, so the ingredient she thought added less in terms of calories than it did--is its role as flavoring? a kind of oil? a type of starch? a source of protein? It wasn't so much one ingredient that she thought added less in terms of calories, but rather one ingredient that she AVOIDED in trying to avoid possible extra calories...

by **Acridian9** » Tue Oct 18, 2016 1:04 pm

A particular flour? a particular sugar? a particular filing? chocolate? fruit?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 8:29 am

A particular flour? a particular sugar? this is closest, no to others a particular filing? chocolate? fruit?

by **Balin** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 1:08 pm

Sprinkles?

by **Twilightseeker** » Wed Oct 19, 2016 10:18 pm

Sprinkles? Getting warmer....think about the varieties of pop tarts that exist...

by **Acridian9** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 11:48 am

Is it an icing? fudge? cinnamon? vanilla? creme? (We don't have pop-tarts in Italy....I'm going by what google finds for me!)

by **Twilightseeker** » Thu Oct 20, 2016 9:47 pm

Is it an icing? Yes fudge? cinnamon? vanilla? creme? (We don't have pop-tarts in Italy....I'm going by what google finds for me!) It did occur to me that you might be in a country without them! Sorry about that.

by **JenBurdoo** » Thu Oct 27, 2016 12:17 pm

Fruit flavors? Chocolate? The fact that some Pop-Tarts have frosting and others don't (presumably adding calories on the former) relevant?

I was vaguely thinking about military rations - K rations were issued to American troops in jungle conditions during WWII, a mistake because they were relatively low in calories (2800/day) and led to unfit troops when the unit was not relieved quickly. Much of the ration was also unappetizing and left uneaten, making the problem even worse. The dry Jungle Ration specifically designed for their use would have had 4,000 calories.

by **Twilightseeker** » Fri Oct 28, 2016 5:21 am

Fruit flavors? Chocolate? The fact that some Pop-Tarts have frosting and others don't (presumably adding calories on the former) relevant? YES.

I was vaguely thinking about military rations - K rations were issued to American troops in jungle conditions during WWII, a mistake because they were relatively low in calories (2800/day) and led to unfit troops when the unit was not relieved quickly. Much of the ration was also unappetizing and left uneaten, making the problem even worse. The dry Jungle Ration specifically designed for their use would have had 4,000 calories. Ah, interesting, I didn't know about this

by **GalFisk** » Sun Oct 30, 2016 7:26 pm

Did she avoid frosted poptarts?

by **Twilightseeker** » Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:33 am

Did she avoid frosted poptarts? Yes.

I think this is enough for a *********SPOILER************

Felicity went shopping and decided to buy poptarts. These come in both frosted and non-frosted varieties, and although neither is by any means a healthy food, she opted for the non-frosted variety, thinking it would be slightly lower in calories. In fact, the non-frosted variety has slightly MORE calories, because the frosted kind are made slightly thinner so they can still fit inside a toaster with their bulkier frosting.

Later on, Felicity went on a winter backpacking trip and brought some of the poptarts with her. She became stranded in a blizzard for a few days and only had the poptarts left with her for food. In the end, the higher calorie variety was probably a slightly better thing to have in this situation! (Although realistically, hypothermia would get you far before starvation did. But having more food means staying somewhat warmer...)

Thanks to all who played!