[SuchAnonMuchWow]

You probably are not the target audience, and neither are the readers of the newyorker.

They are eaten mostly by student, because its cheap, full of calories, and goes well with an evening at a bar drinking beers with other students.

At least that's what they are in Grenoble, which is a melting pot and has a very high number of students: I think there is about 70,000 students in the city (not including high school or below) for around 400,000 inhabitants. So any bar/pub where the beer is cheap is always full.

[carpedimebagjoe]

Peanuts and beer is almost as good as pizza and beer.

In Texas, there was a bar with unshelled spicy peanuts in an oak barrel where the peanut shells were thrown on the floor. I believe there are still bars and BBQ restaurants that do this.