Twinkies
I don't know why I found this interesting, probably because I'm a history dork, but I've decided to share it with you all. Its the history of everyones favorite treat, the Twinkie!
The Twinkie made its debut in 1933 when a baker named James Dewar noticed that the machines to that made a strawberry shortcake treat sat unused when strawberries weren't in season. He decided that a new low cost treat was in order. The original Twinkies were filled with banana filling and came two in a pack costing just a nickel. They became instantly popular not only because they were inexpensive (remember, there was a depression going on) but because they were tasty.
Jump forward to WWII and rationing of just about everything. Hostess starts having a hard time getting their hands on bananas not only because of the rationing but because bananas just don't grow in the US and the shipping lanes aren't safe anymore. The decision is made to switch to a vanilla creme and due to the popularity they stuck with it even after the war ended.
In the 60's Twinkies got another surge in popularity because of the scare of nuclear attacks and became a staple in many home built fallout shelters. The claim was that Twinkies never go bad and therefore could be kept in the shelters for an indefinate amount of time.
On to modern times. Early this month Hostess decided to switch back to their original recipe of banana filling. It has not been stated if this is a limited time offering or not but I for one look forward to trying the new (old) flavor. So go out, buy a Twinkie, feel like a kid again. It's probably been too long since you've had one anyway.