Jerky Jubilee

As the battery life of my smartphone dwindles, it’s reflexive to pick up the device for one last attempt to preserve its precious power.

I’ll turn the screen brightness down to an ember and send out a text-based beacon to anyone willing to hear my plight—a frowny face and #FirstWorldProblems.

Ancient world problems of preservation, however, take an entirely different form. What do you do when you’ve hunted a buffalo or other animal of mammoth proportions? After all, you can’t possibly eat it all in one sitting. Cultures as old and wise as the ancient Egyptians have solved this riddle through drying meat— effectively preserving it as a nutrient-dense snack for later. Today the trend continues, not for survival, but for portable protein that tastes great.

HANG ‘EM DRY