nosh nook #82 - tuesday, july 7, 2009

the criterion collection of junk food: 19 snacks and sodas we wish were still on the market (link)
07.06.09 - the onion a.v. club - by claire zulkey, donna bowman, keith phipps, kyle ryan, leonard pierce, noel murray, sean oneal & tasha robinson

it amazes me that these days, if you're looking for some of the more truthful news coverage around, you can often find it in two of our country's fake news outlets--comedy central & the onion.  ever since i moved to the city earlier this decade & first encountered the onion's print edition, they've provided me with insight into world events, whether it's coverage of frito's new healthy line of snacks or a story on christ's return to the n.b.a.  parody or not, the onion usually provides more insight into a news story than most non-fake news outlets do.

as a snacker, one of my biggest pet peeves is when a snack manufacturer releases a treat that grabs me by the heartstrings & then yanks it from the shelves never to be seen again. this week, the onion a.v. club (who often deals in nostalgia) pays tribute to these departed gems with a piece on the "19 snacks & sodas we wish were still on the market."  i can't believe that OK soda isn't on this list, but regardless, a lot of the greats are here, including gatorgum, hershey's cookie & mint bar and ice cream cones cereal. in addition, the piece served me up a heapin' helpin' of knowledge, with mentions of a few snacks i'd never heard of but am sorry i missed, snacks like seven up bars & chicago's sweet baby jays.

of the 19 snacks & sodas they mention, my favorite is the magic middles cookies.  those cookies ruled.  they were like any other cookie, but the keebler elves worked their black magic on them & injected a healthy gob of chocolate into the center, offering you an experience akin to chewing freshen up gum, with its flavor explosion liquid center.  lord knows why they discontinued them, since they were obviously a superior cookie, but i'm going to assume it was a direct result of the elf labor cutbacks of '95.  a lot of tiny bakers lost their jobs that summer...& we lost a great cookie.