Twinkie

For other uses, see Twinkie (disambiguation).

Twinkies

Twinkies are a popular, even iconic, American snack cake made and distributed by Hostess Brands. They are marketed as a "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling".

Twinkies were invented in Schiller Park, Illinois in about 1930 by James A. Dewar, a baker for Continental Bakeries (now Hostess). Realizing that several machines used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcake sat idle when strawberries were out of season, Dewar conceived a snack cake filled with banana cream, which he dubbed the Twinkie. During World War II, bananas were rationed and Hostess was forced to switch to vanilla cream. This change proved so popular that Hostess never switched back to banana and still uses vanilla cream in Twinkies today.

Cultural references

Twinkie defense

Main article: Twinkie defense

The Twinkie defense is a derogatory term for a criminal defendant's claim that some unusual factor (such as allergies, coffee, nicotine, or sugar) diminished the defendant's responsibility for the alleged crime. The term arose from Herb Caen's description of the trial of Dan White, who was convicted in the fatal shootings of San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk. During the trial, psychiatrist Martin Blinder testified that White had suffered from depression, causing diminished capacity; as an example of this, he mentioned that White, formerly a health food advocate, had begun eating junk food. Twinkies, specifically, were never actually mentioned in the case.

Science

A website entitled the T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project was launched in 2000 by Christopher Scott Gouge and Todd William Stadler. This site chronicles a series of regimented scientific experiments testing, amongst others, the insulative, electrically resistive, radioactive, and gravitational properties of the "Standard Twinkie".

Shelf life

A common urban legend claims that Twinkies have a shelf life of forever, or can last for a relatively long time of ten, fifty, or one hundred years due to chemicals used in production. While this urban legend is false, they can last a relatively long time (25 years or so), due to the fact that Twinkies are made without dairy products and thus spoil more slowly than most bakery items.

Twinking

Main article: Twinking

In role-playing games, the term "twink" is used to describe someone who, within the confines and restrictions that a game provides, attempts to maximize the effectiveness of his character in one or more categories. The process is called twinking and a character made in this fashion is considered "twinked" or "twinked out". The term "Twinkie" was used in Everquest in 1999, where players could acquire a bronze plate armor that could be equipped by lower level characters. The low level characters were completely clad in golden bronze armor with a high armor value but still only had a handful of hitpoints, hence the referral to a "Hostess Twinkie": bright golden outside, soft and squishy inside. Prior to this, the term was used in the mid-1990s on MUCKs and MUDs for a player who would not concede to defeat or play fairly with others.

Film

In the 1984 film Ghostbusters, Egon Spengler relates the psychokinetic energy level of New York City to a Twinkie 35 ft. long and weighing 600 lbs.

In the 1988 film Die Hard, Bruce Willis mention Twinkies : “Yeah, just trying to handle some year old Twinkies. Yuk. What do they put in these things?”

In the film UHF, "Weird Al" Yankovic makes Twinkie Wiener sandwiches, wrapping the Twinkie around the hot dog like a bun, spraying on some canned cheese, then dipping it in milk before eating. The "Al TV" segment of Yankovic's 1985 straight-to-video mockumentary, The Compleat Al, sees him make another bizarre combination with the snack cake; his "nutrition break" consists of ice cream, carrots, a Twinkie, and mustard between two slices of whole wheat bread.

A centuries-old Twinkie parody, a Kremie, is briefly seen in the 2008 animated film WALL-E by Pixar Studios. In an early scene, the robot WALL-E sets the Kremie out as food for his cockroach companion on one of the rotating shelves inside WALL-E's makeshift abode.

In the 2009 film Zombieland, the character Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) is obsessed with finding Twinkies while crossing the now zombie-filled United States, and refers to the urban legend concerning their shelf life, saying, "believe it or not, Twinkies do have an expiration date."

Television

Archie Bunker, on the popular 1970s television series All in the Family likes Twinkies and becomes irate whenever his wife, Edith, forgets to put one into his lunchbox. In one episode with guest star Sammy Davis Jr., Edith comes from the kitchen with a Twinkie on a plate for Sammy.

In the Family Guy episode "Da Boom," when the Millennium Bug wipes out society, Peter Griffin leads his family to a Twinkie factory in Natick, Massachusetts, a reference to the urban legend that Twinkies have an indefinite shelf life (see above). In another episode, "Sibling Rivalry," Morgan Freeman is heard narrating the fictional film The Narrator, in which he describes the soft substance on the walls as being "Like a twinkie, like a twinkie".

In season 5, episode 13 of The Simpsons an angry customer at the Kwick-E-Mart tells Apu "This is what I think of your store" and takes a Twinkie from a display, scrunches it up and throws it on the floor. To which Apu answers "Silly customer! You cannot hurt a Twinkie" and picks up the scrunched up Twinkie. It reverts back to its original state and Apu places it back on the display. Also in season 15, episode 7, Marge finds a Twinkie in the safe because Homer was told if he aged it for 10 years it would turn to liquor.

In season 1, episode 24 of Lost Hugo "Hurley" Reyes mentions Twinkies being inside of the hatch buried on the island.

Music

The 1975-1976 novelty song "Junk Food Junkie," written and recorded by Larry Groce, mentions the Hostess Twinkie in its opening lines. Kingsauce recorded a song in 1999 called "I ate a box of Twinkies" in which Richie Chodes sings about the beating he got from his father upon hearing that he had indeed eaten an entire box of Twinkies.

Sports

The Minnesota Twins baseball team is sometimes called the "Twinkies" by Chicago White Sox broadcaster Hawk Harrelson in a derogatory manner. The term originated in the Twin Cities area and gains considerable currency whenever the Twins are doing poorly.

Fans of Ring of Honor Wrestling chant "TWINKIES!" at referee Todd Sinclair during matches whenever he starts a count, whether it be for pinfall or ring out. This trend started at the Glory By Honor VIII event.

Literature

• In Calvin and Hobbes, Moe regularly addressed Calvin as "twinky". Calvin also claimed in another strip that the suspicious lunch meat and fruit in his lunch would have killed him "if it wasn't for Twinkies".

Deep-fried Twinkies

File:Deepfried.jpg

A deep-fried Twinkie

A deep-fried Twinkie involves freezing the cake, dipping it into batter, and deep frying it to create a variation on the traditional snack cake. The deep-fried Twinkie was influenced by the deep-fried Mars bar, a variation of said chocolate bar, which was invented in Stonehaven, Scotland.

It was described by a The New York Times story in this way: "Something magical occurs when the pastry hits the hot oil. The creamy white vegetable shortening filling liquefies, impregnating the sponge cake with its luscious vanilla flavor... The cake itself softens and warms, nearly melting, contrasting with the crisp, deep-fried crust in a buttery and suave way. The piece de resistance, however, is a ruby-hued berry sauce, adding a tart sophistication to all that airy sugary goodness".

The Texas State Fair had introduced the fried Twinkie to great popular acclaim, and the notion spread to other state fairs across the U.S., as well as some establishments that specialize in fried foods. Fried Twinkies are sold throughout the U.S. in fairs, as well as ball games.

Preparation

Although variations exist in the form, the deep-fried Twinkie is usually prepared with a batter intended for fish, typically consisting of flour, egg, and vinegar. Prior to dipping, a wooden or plastic stick is often inserted through one end (to allow the consumer to hold it), and the Twinkie is then frozen overnight to prevent melting while being deep fried. After coating, conventional cooking oil is typically used, although beef suet or tallow is sometimes used to give a meaty flavor.

When prepared formally, the deep-fried Twinkie is usually topped with powdered sugar and accompanied by a fruit dipping sauce. Raspberry sauce is frequently used in recipes, although some restaurants may use chocolate or caramel sauce. A scoop of vanilla ice cream is sometimes added.

See also

• Chocodile
• Deep-fried Mars Bar
• Ding Dong
• Fried ice cream
• Ho Hos
• Hostess
• Twinkie (gay slang)
• Twinkie (slur)
• Twinkie the Kid

Literature

• Steve Ettlinger, Twinkie, Deconstructed, Plume, 2008 ISBN 0452289289 – Twinkie Deconstructed site

External links

• Official site
• The T.W.I.N.K.I.E.S. Project
• Twinkies at 75: munch 'em, fry 'em, save 'em for years, The Christian Science Monitor
• Twinkie ingredients
• Twinkie test
• New junk food fad: Deep-fried Twinkies
• Foodkipedia article on the Deep-fried