Return of the Twinkies ... What Can/Have We Learned

"Luke Skywalker has returned to

his home planet of Tatooine in

an attempt to rescue his

friend Han Solo from the

clutches of the vile gangster

Jabba the Hutt.

Little does Luke know that the

GALACTIC EMPIRE has secretly

begun construction on a new

armored space station even

more powerful than the first

dreaded Death Star.

When completed, this ultimate

weapon will spell certain doom

for the small band of rebels

struggling to restore freedom

to the galaxy..."

Oh wait ... that's something else. Sorry, skip that! My bad!

Anyway ...

The heralded return of the much loved and often maligned snack cake (along with quite a few other Hostess treats) is/are returning on July 15, 2013! 

Last November when I heard that Hostess was closing and my favorite snack foods were going to be gone … forever … I did what anyone would do:

I PANICKED!

After a few tears and wondering what had happened to the world I live in, I went to the nearest gas stations, 7/11 stores, and other places hoping to see a Twinkie. I didn’t. I did fine some pink snowballs, and pies, donettes and some Home Pride bread.

(my last stash of Hostess goodies on November 18, 2012)

I carefully doled out the goodies until they were gone. It was a sad day when I ate the last fruit pie :(

Now, to have them back is somewhat of a miracle. It’s a second chance to experience the good things in life.

But, this teaches a few lessons:

1. Be grateful for what you have – you can easily lose it

            Snack cakes, love, ANYTHING

2. What we want, we don’t often get

            The unionized workers went on strike causing the situation, they lost their jobs. Some have been hired back, but are non-unionized

            [http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/06/23/sweetest-comeback-ever-twinkies-to-return-to-shelves-july-15/]

3. MODERATION – Seriously!

            I loved the cakes, pies and donettes; often eating them until I was burned out on them. There were times I stated that I didn’t want to see another one (almost got my wish too; thankfully it wasn’t for long).

            As a result, I had passed up an opportunity to get some Twinkies prior to the announcement. Never again! I am going to definitely take the time to stop and enjoy my snacks, despite my new goal of getting more exercise to lose weight.

4. Anything is possible!

            We often think that some things are just impossible, and in certain cases they are. But, when you want something bad enough (losing weight, to make a relationship work, realize dreams …) nothing can stand in your way.

5.  Faith can move mountains … or at best bring Twinkies back from the dead!

            I know, this sounds silly. And, I’m sure some religious people would have my head.

            Has anyone considered we sometimes learn lessons with things and tools that are important to us?

            For example: I loved (and still do) Twinkies, Cup Cakes, Ding Dongs, Ho-Ho’s, Fruit Pies … and, after November 2012 – **poof ** they were gone from my life. I felt that a piece of my childhood (and a “constant”) was gone.

            But, it wasn’t just the snack cakes I lost. It was faith in humanity. It represented the greed that was consuming the nation. It brought out the vile comments of fat kids and Twinkies. It showed how bad our society is.

            In short, it was a lesson in evil.

            With the return of the products – I see there is hope, there is good, and to be appreciative of what I have. I can’t have everything, and wanting one thing might lead to losing another.

            Can you follow that? I hope so.

            In short, sometimes we learn lesson through things that we’re close to or interested in.

6. Being greedy causes you to lose in the end.

            Why did I bring this up?

            Simple. When the “death” notice was issued some people didn’t run to the stores to enjoy the treats – they went for the kill. They were going to take advantage of the people who (like me) miss the treats and cash in!

           

            Some people thought they could sell off the remaining Twinkies and be set for life, or at best make a few dollars to a few thousand. No joke! I’m sure anyone (like I just did) can scour eBay, Amazon and even Craigslist to find people selling OLD Twinkies for an outrageous amount of money.  Here are a few examples:

(Current listing on Amazon. That is $29.50 per box. But, the eBay ones are through the roof!)

(eBay example #1. Auction starts at $10, which is reasonable. The Buy It Now? $300. Are they insane? And, this is a current listing. Fresh Twinkies will arrive in 3 weeks -- July 15th)

(eBay example #2. Auction starts at $500. $500!!!! The Buy It Now? $800. Quick! Get these people some oxygen and a drug test! Are they insane? Again, a current listing.)

          

            I just wonder how they’re feeling now that the cakes they have are anywhere from 6-8 months PAST their sale date and the new ones will be out in 3 weeks?

            Who’s going to want to spend upwards to $800 for a 7-8 month old box when they can pay $4 for a fresh, new box of them? 

            I would only take the old ones if they were free. Other than that? NOT AT ALL. Not when there’ll be a FRESH supply in about 3 weeks for regular price (average is $3.99/10 count).  

            And no, Twinkies do not last forever. 45 days is their limit, has been. I found this out the hard way. A few years ago, I found a 3 month old Twinkie in the cabinet (I forgot it was there). Trust me, it was NASTY. Even if the filling was good, the sponge was tough and had a slight funky taste to it. I don’t want to know what the ones that “expired” in November taste like.

Twinkies (and the other goodies are returning, especially the fruit pies). Yay!!

Someone asked me “are they good?”

Good for nutrition? Not likely.

Good for the soul?  Maybe

Good tasting? DEFINITELY

I never had a problem with the snacks when I was younger. I ate them in moderation and got exercise. My weight has of course gotten worse in adulthood, but that is a different story entirely.

Perhaps the return of these treats is my reward for seriously considering a better eating habit (moderation and limitation), attempt to lose weight (it doesn’t hurt to try), and joining a gym (I just need payday to get here to pay for it).

That’s just my take on this whole “experience”.

Contrary to what Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas, Wall Street) said – greed is not good.

Now … is it July yet? :)

REFERENCES:

Associated Press. (2013, June 24). The sweetest comeback ever? Twinkies to return to shelves July 15 | Fox News. Fox News - Breaking News Updates | Latest News Headlines | Photos & News Videos. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2013/06/23/sweetest-comeback-ever-twinkies-to-return-to-shelves-july-15

Marquand, R. (Director). (1997). Return of the Jedi [Motion picture]. Multiple: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Stone, O. (Director). (1987). Wall Street [Motion picture]. USA: 20th Century Fox.

Screenshots were taken from Amazon and eBay. I hold no copyrights to those websites, but I do ask that if you want to share the images I cropped, please ask. Thank you.