Twinkies on Ebay?
Twinkies were created by the Continental Baking Company in 1933 in Indianapolis. The company first used the equipment to make strawberry snacks, but when strawberries were out of season, a baker named James Denver saw a way to keep the equipment going by substituting banana creme for the original strawberry. The treats sold for five cents for two.
During the 1950's, Twinkies were featured on the Howdy Dowdy Show. A cartoon character named "Twinkie the Kid" rowdied across the stage, twirling his lasso and roping millions of children into demanding Twinkies in their lunch boxes! At some point during this time, the filling was changed to the current creme-flavored variety.
I recently saw an interview with a grocer, who said that the Twinkies had not been selling well for about ten years, and in fact, he was now selling apples and bananas, which he could never have sold ten years ago.
Most critics seem to feel that a widening public awareness of health matters has caused the demise of the Twinkie, which has become almost synonymous with junk food.
The current brouhaha over the closing of the plants centers around a labor/management dispute concerning wages and reduced retirement benefits. Most recently, 18,500 long-time employees went on strike. Though they want to keep their jobs, they say that the cut in benefits will result in minimum wages for them, and they cannot raise their families on such pay.
Hostess also makes bread, of course, so this issue is more serious than just the death of Twinkie.
In addition, it looks as if the company will be able to sell the brand for a considerable amount of money.
So. it's "Goodbye, Twinkie, old friend!" We shall move into the future without the dubious benefits of your sugary comfort!
Comments
- -- Posted by Dexterite1 on Sat, Nov 17, 2012, at 1:36 PM
- -- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Nov 19, 2012, at 6:54 AM
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