Raise your glass of milk and make a toast!

April 6, 2010. The day passed just like any other day. No big hoopla, no fireworks lighting up the sky, no media frenzy.

But there SHOULD have been.

And do you know WHY?

It was the 80th anniversary of day the Twinkies were invented.



Yes, children, bow your head in awe.

This moment should go down in history right next to the signing of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, I think this day should be made into a holiday - federal and state offices closed and schools closed, in honor of this great day. I mean, seriously, if Casimir Pulaski gets a holiday in Chicago, why not Twinkies?

Another reason why I am pushing for a Twinkies holiday?

Because it was invented in MY HOME TOWN of Schiller Park, IL.

I KNOW. Hold on. I'm feeling a little verklempt.

Okay. I'm better now. Yes. I AM proud. *sticking out my chest even more*

Twinkies were invented on April 6, 1930, at the Hostess plant in Schiller Park by a baker named James A. Dewar (the first American Idol). The machines that were used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcakes were busy only during the short strawberry season; the rest of the time they sat idle. Mr. Dewar used his ole noggin and put those machines to good use by coming up with a snack cake filled with banana cream. He named them "Twinkie" after seeing a billboard for Twinkle Toe Shoes. Because bananas were rationed during World War II, Hostess was forced to switch to vanilla cream. Change was a good thing and people loved the new flavor; Hostess never went back to the banana cream. And the rest, my friends, is history.

How could you not LOVE the taste of a Twinkie? All that talk about that it's bad for you, blah, blah, blah. C'mon, what ISN'T nowadays? Am I right?

So it's 150 calories (for one cake), 40 calories of that is fat. But it is pure heaven. Really.

And who can stop eating at one? I bought a package that came with two cakes. (Only because I couldn't find a BOX of them.) Do you think I'm going to stop at one? Not on your life.

Twinkies by the Numbers:

- 500 million: The number of Twinkies baked each year.
- 10: The minutes it takes to bake a Twinkie.
- 1930: The year James Dewar invented the two-for-a-nickel treat.
- 150: The number of calories in one Twinkie.
- 50: The number of recipes in the Twinkies Cookbook.
- 1: The rank of New Orleans in terms of per capita Twinkie consumption compared to other cities in the U.S.
- 1999: The year President Bill Clinton included Twinkies in the millennium time capsule.
- 26 days: The shelf life of a Twinkie.

info courtesy of www.hostesscakes.com

Facts you may not know:

It takes 45 seconds for a Twinkie to explode in the microwave. No, I didn't try this! (why would I waste one? This is according to Hostess.)

Twinkies make good wedding cakes.





Twinkies taste good deep fried.



photo courtesy of www.deep-fry.com


Twinkies can be a piece of art.



photo courtesy of http://www.todayifoundout.com

Twinkie has a reputation with the law.

Did you know that there was actually a "Twinkiegate"? Yep! 71-year-old George Belair was running for Minneapolis City Council. He tried to gather votes by serving Kool-Aid, coffee, TWINKIES, and other desserts to senior citizens to get their votes. And we all know how senior citizens flock to free food like flies to, well, poop. Anyway, this lead to the passage of the Minnesota Campaign Act, more commonly known as the "Twinkies Law". Old George lost the election anyway, despite his bribery efforts, and the charges were dropped against him. I wonder if the senior citizens just forgot to vote due to a sugar overload?

Actually, a lawyer tried to use this similar claim when defending his client, San Francisco supervisor Dan White, when he killed both mayor Goerge Moscone and supervisor Harvey Milk in 1978. Mr. White's lawyer argued that his client had "diminished capacity" after eating too much junk food. The strategy was dubbed the "TWINKIE DEFENSE". It didn't work - and White was found G-U-I-L-T-Y! Maybe the lawyer should have argued with Hostess Ho-Ho's (another one of my childhood favorites!)

Before he died in 1985, Dewar said that Twinkies were “the best darn-tootin’ idea I ever had.” He said that the key to his long life (Dewar lived to a ripe old age of 88) is to “eat Twinkies every day and smoke a pack of cigarettes.”

courtesy of http://www.neatorama.com/2007/03/05/twinkies-fun-facts/

So if that isn't a good enough testimony, hear it from me.

I grew up smelling the good things baking in the ovens over at Hostess. (Well, that and the airplane fuels from O'Hare Airport, but I digress.) I ate Twinkies, Ho-hos and Ding Dongs growing up, along with all my siblings. This was back in the 60's when eating healthy wasn't heard of yet. But, hey, I turned out alright didn't I?

*crickets*

So feast upon these images, and buy some Twinkies, so you, too can taste this manna from heaven.