Thursday 30 September 2010

American dream

Today I achieved one of my longest standing ambitions - I ate a Twinkie (about five actually). If I'm honest I hadn't really thought about them for ages. But when I was a kid I used to see adverts for them (and for sea monkees) in the back of American comics and they were just one of the things that seemed to epitomise America. I haven't been to America but never doubted that one day I will, and on that day I'd buy and devour some Twinkies.

Anyway, a few weeks ago a quip from me within earshot of one of my wife's American friends led to a box of Twinkies being dispatched over the Atlantic. And the verdict? They're alright. A bit like miniature Victoria Sponges but without the jam. I expected them to be crunchier I think. Maybe if I deep-fried them?

13 comments:

  1. Deep fried twinkies are awesome Paul!!! Go for it!!!
    love
    your wifes american friend!!

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  2. Were Twinkies ad's where a superhero crisis was wrapped up with a one page resolve -
    usually handing out treats, or was that Hostess Cup Cakes? Check out Cyber Candy in Covent Garden they do an international spread of sweetie odditities and variants.

    Have you tried a deep fried Mars bar? Pub near me does one - tasty at first, bit
    much by the end.

    And on a similar theme have a peep at Armagideon Time a comic and culture blog, it's been a long term read of mine

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  3. Hershey bars do it for me. But only in the States.

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  4. Anon - Hello, shouldn't I be saying welcome to you? Or do you mean welcome to the world of tasty American snacks? Or, you're welcome as in prego?

    Mel - Arrggh!! You're blowing my cover! But thank you for the Twinkies, it was very kind of you. And the Kool Aid.

    Mondo - I can't remember the details now, but I think Spiderman was involved. I haven't tried deep-fried Mars bars, Mars bars are pretty perfect anyway but I suppose if I saw it on offer I'd have to try it.

    John - Years ago a friend returned from America with loads of chocolate bars and we were particularly disappointed by the Hershey bars, not a patch on Dairy Milk. But you reckon it's just a case that they don't travel well?

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  5. Something like that. In the same way that smooth jazz only works in California while you're driving down the Pacific Coast Highway.

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  6. I guess I should have said, "Welcome to Twinkieville", or something like that. My bad.

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  7. John - I'm not sure what I'd have on the stereo on the Pacific Coast Highway, probably Buffalo Springfield. I'm off on a roadtrip next week actually, what do you recommend for the A5?

    Anon - No, no, it's nice that you commented at all.

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  8. Twinkies - a disappointment to me. Like you I had seen them in the back of comics a long time ago. My brother was stationed over in the US a few years ago and i asked him to bring me back twinkies, beef jerky and a whole load of stuff. The Twinkies were okay but peppermint pattys are the business. However all US goodies are filled with hydrogenated trans fats, not good.

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  9. John - What a great and strangely affecting track, I'm amazed I've never heard it before.

    Drew - I had no idea Peppermint Patty's name was a joke, weird. I sometimes wonder at bits in the Simpsons and chalk them up as American jokes.

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  10. this is spectacularly late and useless as a comment but the rock'n'roll reference for twinkies for me is surely Galaxie 500's Strange. "I stood in line and ate my twinkies".I never knew what they were, or bothered to find out, so this line bemused me for years...

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  11. It's never too late for a comment! And I'm glad we've cleared up this arcane lyric for you. I've got a copy of On Fire somewhere but I've never really given it a good listen - I must dig it out.

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