Starting this thread based on the reality of those ultra long rides where hitting the rural gas station/convenience stores (RGS/CS) for refueling.
Much thanks to @IvyAudrain for supplying the thread title
So I’ll kick off with the questions.
The ‘hot mama’ bag pickles, but I think the bad experience is because they’re almost ALWAYS room temperature. Heartbreaking. 
Putting slurpees in water bottles on a hot day. 1000/10
I’m a fan of the Payday and Coke combo when I’m out on long (4+ hour) rides. This nutrition “hack” has been handed down by some of my venerable riding colleagues who’ve been doing this for decades. I also wonder if this is more of a Midwest thing?
I find the Payday to be just salty enough to break up and palate fatigue I might be having from gels and sweet drinks.
Worst nutrition decision was a full lunch of mexican food at the 1/2 way mark of a century. It was easily THE most sluggish 50 mile return I’ve ever done.
I’ve been blown away by some of the local baked goods often tucked away in smaller gas stations - sometimes real gems!
A reese’s fast break bar if I’m eating something on the spot (typical). Gummy worms if I need something to bring with me (Substituted with snickers bars if it’s cold enough that they won’t melt).
Too much icecream.
Bananas or apples in decent shape (alternately, a giant package of oreo knock offs for like 2 dollars, that was when long distance hiking though)
The Hostess Fruit Pie (preferably Cherry), is an under appreciated performance fuel. There are other brands (Ms Friendlys, Entenmans, Little Debbie, Tastykake) which I’ll buy if that’s what they’ve got, but Hostess is really a cut above with these things. They’re definitely a healthy option as well, fruit cannot by definition be unhealthy
Any pastry not in a plastic wrapper. Day-old bear claws, shut up and take my money 
Oh man. I had three of these (apple, thank you) during Unbound XL and each one brought me back to life.
I’m a big fan of pickle-flavored Lays potato chips and an Arizona Arnold Palmer tall can. Coupled with the huge bag of sour patch kids I fuel most of my training with already (essentially a cheap, vegan energy gel you can get anywhere) it’s truly a match made in heaven, and one that’s powered me to success on many centuries over the years.
Peanut M&M’s + Coke. /thread !
Shoutout to @gasstationfoodcyclist on Instagram
If I see a Little Debbie Cosmic Brownie at a gas station, I’m buying it. Same with Fudge Rounds. Easy 500kcal snack 
Back in College, the campus bookstore had the Cosmic Brownies… I gained a lot of weight in College…
Along those lines, I recall from that Lael Wilcox Alaska Pipeline FKT video that she was shoving a meatball sub into her handlebar bag. That video is the epitome of Rural Gas Station food, probably.
This is great!
1: dr. Pepper, coke, Red Bull, Reese’s, snickers and sour worms, 7-11 hot dogs, pizza slices
2: taquitos, bbq’d meat ,anything fried ruins me but I can handle hot dogs and pizza
3: one gas station had Indian food freshly made; had some naan bread and hummus. Another station had barbecue and the cornbread was the only thing I should’ve gotten but didn’t.
What’s a Payday? 
I usually have pre-mixed 60:30 carb powder and electrolytes in ziplock bags, plus some tubes of salted watermelon or margarita chews, so I rarely buy anything but water. In a pinch, I agree with the above that uncrustables and fruit pies are fantastic endurance energy foods. Every gas station should have uncrustables. I once stopped at a Wawa gas station in Florida that had “fresh” soft salted pretzels. That was pretty glorious. Oreos are pretty easy to eat on the bike. Watermelon is a great mass event food.
My 17yr old daughter LOVES Cosmic Brownies @CincoBoy !!
Probably the worst thing I’ve ever tried was warm Gatorade. It was all the rest stop had left and I was desperate. Turned my stomach fast.
An inside out candy bar with salted peanuts on the outside. I’ve only seen them in the US.
And nougat! Can’t forget the nougat.
Payday or Pearson’s Salted Nut Roll, the latter also has a version that’s peanut butter, as well as other flavors that aren’t widely available.
NOT the spicy chicken sandwich.
Hostess orange cupcakes for me.
Coke and pop tarts are a pretty reliable find. I usually carry enough powdered fuel and just buy water.
Salted Nut Roll is a Minnesota classic, if you get them within a day or two of delivery from the factory, they are next level soft and delicious.
Usually I hammer down a bag of chips, sour gummies in a jersey pocket, used to be cranberry red bull but that got discontinued 
so any other sugary energy drink has to do.
Hot tomale candies are pretty good too.
