Q: What do I feed my new pet Jack?

Feeding your new pet Jack is as easy as spending a few minutes in your local Giant Eagle. Jack likes a balance of novelty and familiarity, but is generally happy eating very simple food. If your Jack enjoys a particular dish, feed it to him as often as once a day. With only a tiny bit of variety Jack will stay interested in the simplest of foods, saving you shopping and preparation time. This omnivorous acceptance of most foods is part of what makes Jack one of the most popular and adaptable household pets.

Examples of foods that are good to feed your Jack are:
- Soups: Easy to pick out and prepare, Jack enjoys most soups, chili, gumbos, and the like.

- Sandwiches: Pick out a wheat bread (go for the one with the most slices/loaf/dollar for best cost-effectiveness), some lunchmeat, and cheese. Try ham and chedder or turkey and spicy pepperjack for a more flavorful treat.

- Mac & Cheese: The easiest meal. Any kind will do fabulously.

- Cereal: Probably Jack's favorite food is also the easiest to prepare. Have plenty of 1% milk handy because Jack is likely to eat a bowl of cereal at some point every day (usually in the morning). Anything with a decent fiber content will keep your Jack healthy, and once in a while surprise him with a sugary treat. Oatmeal is another good option, though a little less frequently chosen. Go for "real" oatmeal (not instant) and sweeten it up with some brown sugar or fruit slices.

- Salad: Though longer shopping and prep-time usually discourage salads from the menu, Jack is perfectly happy eating a salad for lunch, given that he has some Bleu Cheese or Ranch dressing. Bleu Cheese is always good to have around the house, as Jack will rarely take any other condiment with any hot or "Buffalo-related" foods.

- Fruit: Jack enjoys a variety of fruits, and these should be the most varied part of his diet. Get a bag of apples one week, bananas the next. Oranges, grapes, strawberries, and peaches are great choices, with tangerines being a favorite. If available, Jack will eat one or two pieces of fruit daily. If not available, he probably won't miss it. So always have some fruit on hand for a healthy snack.

- Yogurt: Similar to fruits, Jack will eat some kind of yogurt about once a day if it is available. Go for whatever is on sale unless it's some weird diet or no-fat yogurt imitation. Simple fruit flavors are favored over more exotic flavors like coffee or key lime. Recently YoCrunch has been a favorite, especially the Oreo flavor.

- Beer: Though Jack won't drink very much beer, it's good to have on hand for a bit of R&R after a long day. When out of the house jack will choose his own (usually leaning towards darker ales instead of pilsners or lagers, and occasionally indulging in a port or stout), but for the home try a mid-price Canadian beer like Molson Canadian or LaBatt Blue.

What to avoid: Jack will actually avoid eating most "junk food" unless he is really hungry or bored. This includes chips, candy, and pop/soda. Don't buy it and he won't eat it, saving you time and saving him empty calories.


That should be all you need to keep your pet Jack healthy and happy almost every day! Remember, Jack may not be culinarily adventurous, but he's very open to new ideas. So try anything! If he enjoys it (he'll make it quite clear by cleaning his plate), work your new discovery into the rotation. If you give him a standard basic diet from this list, and add some variety in dinners, Jack will remain a friendly and easily-cared-for addition to your family for years.