Food is not the first thing that comes to mind when contemplating the Grateful Dead but there are two foods in particular that make me think of them. Pistachios and licorice. Pistachios because of Bob Weir and licorice because of Jerry Garcia.

The incident with the pistachios came in answer to the question, “Has success spoiled the Dead?” Jerry immediately answered, “Yeah.” Bob’s answer went a little deeper.

Then there’s licorice. I like it myself but not everybody does. I mean real licorice, the black stuff (don’t even get me started on red licorice) with the overpowering flavor. It is not like other sweets, or anything savory for that matter. It is sui generis, like the Grateful Dead. Jerry explains it like this: