Lifestyle

Flip through the archive of lifestyle blogger The Bite-Sized Backpacker, as he explores everyday life and shares the latest on a variety of topics. Discover the life and interests of one of the world’s smallest traveler, and read about his many adventures as he goes about his daily life, sharing stories on fashion, cooking and more.

Chip Melange - Potato Chips Recipe

Chip Mélange: A Unique Holiday Snack Recipe

/

Looking for a unique snack for the holidays? Forget about the traditional Christmas appetizers, such as baked goods, drinkable desserts, or guilt-free snacks: we have the perfect recipe for you! Today we’re introducing Chip Mélange, the best recipe for living a healthy life the rest of the year.

Chip Mélange has been a family favorite for many years, and we are happy to share this delicious holiday snack with you for the upcoming festive season. The recipe is simple, yet unique and will make the perfect addition to your holiday cooking lineup. In fact, Chip Mélange can be served as a party snack on any occasion; it is often served at birthday parties and makes the perfect end-of-year snack for New Year’s Eve.

What is Chip Mélange?

Chip Mélange is a potato chip-based snack, composed of a mixture of crunched potato chip flavors, sprinkled with salted peanuts. It originated in the Netherlands in the early 2000s as a party snack for birthdays, but wasn’t popularized until the early 2020s. ‘The Bite-Sized Backpacker’ is home to the original Chip Mélange recipe.

Chip Mélange Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 bag of Paprika chips | 225 g
  • 1 bag of Classic chips | 225 g
  • 1 bag of Cheese Onion chips | 225 g
  • 1 bag of Bolognese chips | 225 g
  • 1 bag of Ham Cheese chips | 170 g
  • 1 bag of Paprika MixUps | 125 g
  • 1 bag of salted peanuts | 125 g

Using the entire content of the bags of chips will create approximately 30 servings of Chip Mélange.

Chip Melange Recipe
Chip Mélange: Mix it Up! (Credit: The Bite-Sized Backpacker)

Directions

Step 1) Poor and Crunch

Open the bag of paprika chips and pour the content into a large, flat-bottomed bowl or container. Using a potato masher, crunch the chips until only fine pieces of chips remain. Repeat the process with the other bags of chips.

Based on your personal preferences, you can choose to use other flavors than recommended in our recipe. However, we do recommend making all flavors distinctly different from each other and using at least 5 different types. Of course, our tongue-in-cheek addition of Paprika MixUps can easily be replaced by a completely new flavor!

Chip Melange Recipe
Chip Mélange can contain a variety of potato chip flavors (Credit: The Bite-Sized Backpacker)

Step 2) Sprinkle

Open the bag of peanuts and sprinkle a dash of peanuts in the bowl. The peanuts add to the unique texture of the Chip Mélange, giving it a nice bite. Do not crunch the peanuts. We recommend keeping the amount of peanuts under 10% of the total mixture.

Allergy information: as a substitute for peanuts, use roasted soybeans, roasted peas, or roasted chickpeas.

Step 3) Mix

Mix the crunched chips and peanuts, creating a perfect blend of potato chip flavors.

Chip Melange Recipe
Create the ‘Perfect Mix’ (Credit: The Bite-Sized Backpacker)

Step 4) Scoop!

Once you’ve mixed your selection of potato chips into a perfect mélange, you’re ready to serve the delicious snack! Scoop the Chip Mélange into small bowls, either using the bowls themselves or using a small serving spoon to divide the portions. Serve with a dessert spoon, and enjoy!

Watch the official Chip Mélange Recipe Video

Chip Mélange: Mix it Up!

Chip Mélange: A Unique Holiday Snack Recipe Read More »

Valentine's Day Cookies

Valentine’s Day Teddy Bears

/

Valentine’s Day has become the most popular day of the year to celebrate romance and love in many regions of the world. Valentine’s Day is celebrated on February 14, by couples around the world. Though the feast started as a religious holiday, it became strongly commercialized over the past centuries. To express their love to one another, modern-day couples buy each other endearing Valentine’s Day gifts, such as confectionery, flowers, jewelry, or Valentine’s Day teddy bears, often accompanied by a bright-red Valentine’s Day card. But what, out of all these gifts makes the teddy bear – or any other stuffed animal made for Valentine’s Day – so special?

Browse Amazon’s full range of Valentine’s Day plushies:

Logo Amazon COM

The most popular Valentine’s Day bears

The most common Valentine’s Day teddy bears either carry a heart or wear one on their chest. The heart often carries a romantic message, most frequently the phrase “I love you”. There are plenty of varieties on the Valentine’s Day theme, though, combining different styles, colors, and sizes – including the incredibly popular giant teddy bear. We’ve selected some of the best examples of Valentine’s Day teddy bears for you.

How did Valentine’s Day start?

Let’s take a short look at how Valentine’s Day started. Valentine’s wasn’t always considered a feast of love. In 496 AD, Pope Gelasius I established February 14 as an official religious feast in honor of the Christian martyr Saint Valentine, who had passed away 200 years before, in 296 AD. It wasn’t until the 14th and 15th centuries that the feast gained a connection to love. This concept of love was different from the idea of romantic love we share these days. Back then, courtly love flourished; the conception of love that emphasized nobility and chivalry. This type of love, shared between knights and their ladies, originated from literature. Courtly love became more vividly expressed during early spring, due to the seasons association with love birds.

It would take several more centuries before commoners embraced the concept of expressing their love for each other by presenting gifts. In 18th-century England, flowers, greeting cards, and sweets became popular items to gift to a lover. Since then, Valentine’s Day has become the most primary feast of love around the world.

Why do we gift teddy bears for Valentine’s Day?

A Valentine’s Day gift is generally meant to be an expression of love and affection. Scientifically, the feeling of love is closely associated with the hormone oxytocin. Oxytocin is also known as the ‘love hormone’, as it is related to empathy, trust, sexual activity, and relationship-building. When a child, or even an adult, cuddles something soft and comforting – whether it’s a lover, a pillow, or a stuffed animal – oxytocin is released. This is why stuffed animals, such as the Valentine’s Day bear, make for such great Valentine’s Day gifts: they are warm, durable, and positive reminders of love that can strongly remind us of the one’s who gifted them to us. Gifting a Valentine’s Day teddy bear is almost like gifting someone a permanent hug!

What other Valentine’s Day stuffed animals are there?

Though the teddy bear with the heart is the most popular type of Valentine’s Day stuffed animal, many other animals and objects come in a variety. From dogs and skunks to giraffes and dinosaurs, there are plenty of alternatives to the classic Valentine’s Day teddy bear.

Make your day extra special

When love is in the air, you want to make your special someone feel extra special. Valentine’s Day doesn’t always have to involve a grand romantic gesture; you can simply buy a wonderful, loving Valentine’s Day stuffed animal for your sweetheart, to remind him or her of your love. Additionally, these soft, cuddly toys also make perfect presents for close friends or family members. After all, Valentine’s Day has become the day of love; and love is all around! How will you celebrate Valentine’s Day this year?

Did your sweetheart gift you a Valentine’s Day teddy bear? Read our tips for finding it a name!

Lifestyle: Related Articles

Valentine’s Day Teddy Bears Read More »

Donkey plushie and other stuffed animals

Toy Influencers: Plushies with a Following

/

Nowadays, the social media influencer sphere includes anything from teachers and farmers to cats and dogs. A select few influencers can be found in Instagram’s most cuddly niche: the plushie community. Many of these toy influencers have more personality than most celebrity influencers: they share their daily lives, travel around the world and share their idyllic adventures with their followers.

The life of a Toy Influencer

Leopard plushie Fluffy has been traveling the world for over a decade. During his many adventures, Fluffy and his humans were lucky enough to engage with individuals from all walks of life, listening to their stories and learning about their daily lives. Over time, Fluffy built up a large network of travelers and toy influencers. Through his website and Instagram account, Fluffy hopes to share their stories with his followers, and share his own experiences of life on the open road. In between travels, the plushie influencer shares his daily life with his audience, which consist of both kids and adults with a passion for both traveling and for stuffed animals!

Since his debut on Instagram in 2019, Fluffy has become one of the most popular plushies on Instagram, and he has formed partnerships with a variety of brands, shops and tourism professionals to integrate them into his many adventures.

Influencers who embrace the plushie community

Outside of the toy influencer community, there are many other creative individuals who embrace the sweet and well-spirited nature of stuffed animals, by allowing them a feature in their posts. Some of them use their plushies to inspire a sense of wonder, while others use them to accentuate the cheeky nature of their pictures. We’ve selected a few of our favorite pictures of influencers who shared their feed with a stuffed animal.

Stuffed Animals: Related Articles

Toy Influencers: Plushies with a Following Read More »

Leopard print clothing

The Leopard Print: Fashionable Spots

/

The leopard print is hot once again! Of course, I knew this all along – I’ve been wearing mine since the day I was born! Though my spots were slightly bleached by the sun during my many years of travel, I still take great pride in my spots.

The popularity of the leopard print

Leopard spots – and other animal prints – have been popular throughout history. Cavemen used the skins of the animals they ate to make clothing, and early kings used to wear mantles made out of leopard skins to show their riches. The animal skins were considered exotic and were very costly at the time. Other high-placed individuals would equally use them to show their wealth: the skins of exotic animals were often used to decorate the walls and floors of houses, mansions and castles.

The use of animal skins in clothing

Though fabric printing developed to the point were real furs were no longer needed to create a natural look, the fur industry still maintains its grip on the fashion industry. Many popular influencer models still wear the skins of animals and high-end designers still incorporate them into their designs, regardless of the lives that are taken for them to create their art.

The barbaric ritual of killing animals in the name of fashion has become less common and there are many heroic organizations who aim to protect exotic animals from poachers. Unfortunately, there are still countless of animals worldwide who meet a cruel fate in order to become part of someone’s wardrobe.

While I’m a big fan of humans wearing the pattern of my species, other wild cats and animals – exotic or not – I firmly believe the human world can continue to enjoy our beautiful patterns without the need of actual animal skins. Faux fur and printing have been developed to perfection, making it unnecessary for any human to wear a real animal skin ever again.

Leopard print clothing and other designs

Nowadays, the leopard print is especially popular in women’s clothing. You can find dresses, pullovers, shirts and shoes decorated with leopard spots, and some women even wear the beautiful design on their bikini’s. During the summer of 2020, many women dressed themselves in a variety of classy skirts decorated with my family’s design.

A nice leopard print skirt or dress can help create a variety of looks: from casual to classy, our pattern easily completes any look you try to create. Additionally, leopards themselves are a fashionable symbol of strength and emancipation. Our image is often used on shirt and tote bags. I received the honor myself to have my portrait drawn by manga artist Saeki Kensuke from Kyoto, who’s design you can now use to complete your own cuddly-but-cool look! Through my RedBubble shop, I offer cute leopard t-shirts, sweaters and more.

The leopard print is considered one of the top four designs in animal print garments. The other contenders are zebra prints, snakeskin and tiger stripes. Of course, I fully agree with the zebra strips, as they make humans look so much more appetizing.

Popular leopard print clothes for women

From leopard print dresses to leopard print skirts and scarfs, I’m proud to see you can buy my beautiful print on so many human clothes these days – eco-friendly, and without hurting a single leopard!

These leopard print products will redirect you to our partner site; buying a travel guide or novel through our website helps us support the conservation of the world’s wild cat population.

The downfall and resurgence of the leopard print

From the moment the animal print became easy to print on clothing, every human who wished to resemble a ferocious leopard such as myself could have their wish come true. This also meant that the design’s luxurious status was dealt a firm blow. Though animal prints in general were considered to be a sign of wealth and luxury in the past, they became so widespread during the 1970s and 1980s that they fell from grace; people started viewing the designs as tacky and low-brow.

Schattig luipaard t-shirt van The Bite-Sized Backpacker
Zie ik er niet life uit als manga luipaard? (Foto: The Bite-Sized Backpacker / Saeki Kensuke)

Celebrities who love the leopard print

Still, every once in a while, animal prints make their way back into fashion. During the 2019 fashion season, the leopard print had a major comeback. You can still enjoy the many pictures of humans decorating themselves in my family’s designs on Instagram, and I’ve made a little selection for you, spotting the best designs preferred by some of Instagram’s most popular influencers!

Is there a leopard print lover you feel we’ve missed? Let us know!

Lifestyle: Related Articles

The Leopard Print: Fashionable Spots Read More »

The COVID-19 Corona Virus

Things to do while in Covid-19 Quarantine

/

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the world has become a very different place. Self-quarantine became inevitable due to the rapid spread of the new virus, which is also known as the corona virus. Many countries banned social gatherings and events, cafés, restaurants, and cinema’s were closed, and even sport clubs shut their doors. Governments asked their people to work from home whenever possible, and many parents struggled to combine working from home with educating their children, as schools closed.

The corona lockdown has been an ongoing factor in our lives for quite some time now, and it seems it will not be over anytime soon. Even if the restrictions are (partially) lifted, we still have to remain vigilant, and it will take a long time before we can be sure that the virus won’t return.

Staying active during the lockdown

Me and my humans have been working from home for the past five months. Our usual travels have ceased, outside of a few cycling trips around the city. We’ve been unable to meet up with our friends backpacking around the world and I haven’t seen my family in Africa for quite some time. Still, I’ve been able to find plenty of things to do during the lockdown, things I might have never gotten around to if it weren’t for these strange times we live in.

Together with my friend little Trompie, I tried to keep busy while our humans were working. We decided to compose a list of all the things we did, to hopefully inspire you to fulfill your time in a useful or interesting way, and fight off the boredom that will eventually settle in.

1. Do a puzzle

Our first tip for staying active during the next stretch of self-quarantine: do a puzzle! You can also make it into a little contest, to see who finishes first! Trompie was so slow, I finished my puzzle 15 minutes before he finished his… can you believe that?!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 01 - Do a Puzzle

2. Stage a heist

Every human habitat has one: a storage facility of sorts, where you’ll find the most amazing goodies! Our tip for an exciting activity at home: stage a heist, and go raid that cupboard! Our favorite parts of the loot are the Japanese matcha candies… What treasure would hunt for?

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 02 - Stage a Heist

3. Learn to cook

With most restaurants closed, going out for a delicious meal has become something of a dream. There’s an upside to everything though: this period is the best time to develop your own culinary skills! I personally can’t wait to taste my first zebra steak.

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 03 - Learn to Cook

4. Celebrate your birthday (even if it’s not today)

There’s always a good reason to party. My humans often have random celebrations on days that hold no real meaning, just to celebrate their love. So why not celebrate your birthday, your 531 day anniversary, or your 11th chicken masala dinner of the year?

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 04 - Celebrate your birhday

5. Explore a stamp collection

What’s interesting about little pieces of paper – some over a 100 years old? Well, we’ve learned a lot about world history by going through these books, which feature stamps from 352 (!) countries – many of them no longer existent! Additionally, we found this awesome 1985 leopard series from the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan, which existed from ’78-’92… and two cute elephants from the United Republic of Tanzania from 1994!

Of course, maybe you do not own a stamp collection…. but maybe you’ve collected something else? Coins, cards, souvenirs – sit down and really take a good look at that collection you’ve been working on for years!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 05 - Explore a Stamp Collection

6. Practice yoga

Staying at home means no more travelling, no more long walks and no more cycling. So how do we stay active? Through yoga! This month, we’ve joined our humans in taking on Adriene’s “30 day yoga challenge”. This final position is the part we enjoy the most, though…

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 06 - Practice Yoga

7. Work in the garden

My human received a mini-greenhouse for her birthday! Today we’re helping her attend her garden, growing our own herbs and spices. I’ll let Trompie check out the plants first, though… just in case of bugs. If you have a garden – great or small – now’s the time to really enjoy it!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 07 - Gardening

8. Go on a treasure hunt

There was a time when the world was still filled with hidden treasures. Trompie and I decided to go treasure hunting in the house to see if we could still find some ancient riches… It wasn’t long before we hit the jackpot! Now we’ll have to hide the treasure again before our humans come home…. Do you think you’ll find anything unexpected if you go through all of your cupboards?

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 08 - Treasure Hunting

9. Go online shopping

Self-isolation has caused a boom in the world of online shopping. Trompie and I are ready to make our first purchase as well, but could someone please tell us where we can insert our coins?!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 09 - Online Shopping

10. Build a tree house

Time to pick up those house chores you’ve been postponing, or to build that tree house you promised to build years ago! Unfortunately, our garden isn’t big enough to build a tree house in, so Trompie and I decided to build one for LEGO-me and my LEGO-humans! I’m a little bit disappointed, though: I haven’t seen Trompie since I opened all the LEGO packs… Where did he go?! I’m doing all the work here!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 10 - Build a Tree House

11. Make a smoothie

It’s smoothie time! Take care of yourself – or your humans, roommates or housemates – by preparing a delicious smoothie! Today I made a banana-kiwi-coconut smoothie. I hope my humans appreciate my efforts!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 11 - Make a Smoothie

12. Make some order

Do you have a lot of little mementos from your adventures? I sure do! Tickets to Angkor Wat, the map that helped me navigate the Gili Islands, a tooth pick from Cappadocia… Time to make some order! Do you have a box or room that needs some cleaning up? Go for it! You might never have this much free time again.

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 12 - Make some order

13. Read a book

Use your extra time to read a (new) book! I myself find these human books pretty difficult to read… but my humans always say that when you read a book, you have to “use your imagination”. That’s why I told Trompie that if he connected all dots on the page, images would start to appear! Can’t wait for my humans to get home and see this!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 13 - Read a book

14. Recreate your favorite moment(s)

On April 11th, my humans were supposed to get married… but the COVID-19 virus got in the way! Still, they came up with a beautiful alternative: together with a select group of friends, they married “for love” in our own apartment! It was a beautiful day, which Trompie and I decided to recreate with our new LEGO set, while looking forward to the new “official” wedding date in September. Who says you can’t marry twice?!

Recreate your favorite moment(s) by looking at old photos, mimicking the day by doing the same activities, or turn it into a creative project like we did!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 14 - Recreate your favourite moment(s)

15. Organize a movie marathon

Organize a movie marathon – with an absolute minimum of 5 films! Our human was a film student (and director!), and he still has a large treasure chest filled with DVDs. We’ve switched to digital since, but re-watching these is awesome as well! Dust off your own collection, or check out a few films that have been lingering on your watch list for a while.

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 15 - Movie marathon

16. Spy on your neighbors

I wonder how the neighbors stay busy during self isolation? Time to find out, maybe they’ll inspire me! If you’ve reached the end of your rope, maybe it’s time for you to do the same!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 16 - Spy on the neighbours

17. Meetup online

Does staying at home make you feel a bit lonely? Don’t worry! Humans have invented this thing called video chatting, which allows you to see your friends even from half a world away! Today we had a lovely meetup: even my friend Koalaroo Jones from Down Under and my friends from Japan joined. This camera does little to bring out my natural charms, though…

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 17 - Meetup Online

18. Enjoy target practice

I found this prop gun from the film my human directed a few years ago! Thankfully, Trompie… uhm…. “volunteered” to help me with target practice. After all, you never known when the zombie apocalypse will come! We’ve got to stay prepared, right? Now, stop moving, Trompie!

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 18 - Target practice

19. Ride a bike

If the weather is nice outside, and you keep the right amount of distance from others, it’s OK to get out every once in a while! We took our humans’ mini bike and went out for a cycle in the nearby Máximapark.

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 19 - Ride a bike

20. Have a carpet picnic

When it gets too busy outside to safely enjoy nature, there’s always the option of having a carpet picnic indoors! While Trompie grinds the nuts, I prepare the salad. With a carpet picnic, you can shake things up a bit a home when things are getting repetitive.

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 20 - Organize a Carpet Picnic

21. Host a game night

There’s nothing better than a good old fashioned game night! From dice games and card games to board games and quizzes – leave your smart phone at the door, and really enjoy each others company! Trompie and I have been playing for hours… I suspect he is cheating, though; why else would I loose every single game?

Things to do during Coronavirus lockdown 21 - Game night

We hope you’ve enjoyed our little list, and you’re not letting the COVID-19 lockdown get to you. Stay safe and stay at home! Keep your spirit up, take on those projects you’ve been postponing, and life will be back to normal before you know it!

Lifestyle: Related Articles

Things to do while in Covid-19 Quarantine Read More »