Life Without Twinkies

In case you somehow missed the news this week - Hostess has filed for bankruptcy! For some, this is cause for panic and consternation.  Is it possible to live without Twinkies? Others are likely cheering, since this seems to indicate that Americans are moving towards healthier snack options.

You can find news and blog posts about almost every angle:

-  MSNBC had a segment on it

-  One article suggests we binge on eating Twinkies to keep the company afloat

-  One group even created a YouTube video about the Life and Times of Twinkies

I have to confess that I don’t fully understand this, being out of the loop on Twinkies. We never had those sorts of snack foods in my house growing up; my dad baked plenty of goodies, and my mom couldn’t handle the corn syrup. While I did often eat packaged sweets at a friend’s house, they tended towards Little Debbie varieties, not Hostess. I’m sure I had a Twinkie now and again, but I honestly can’t remember the flavor. My only real memory of Twinkies is from the movie Ghostbusters, when Egon uses one as a reference for talking about the level of supernatural activity in New York.

Does this mean that I should rush out and buy some now? Do I need to have that experience, to understand the nostalgia of some people when they eat a Twinkie? Do I want to make sure they’re available to future generations? Would I want to get the sugar high?

After some consideration, I don’t think I need to go that route. For one, all the sites indicate that production of Twinkies will continue, whatever happens with the management. Two, Twinkies seem to last forever, as the Life and Times video indicates. (Note: I haven’t tested the truth of this belief, so it’s possible they do actually go bad.)

But the main reason is that I simply no longer feel the need for Twinkies or any other product like it. While I can empathize to some extent, remembering the power Nutty Bars used to have over me, I don’t crave that sweet sugar rush anymore. In fact, I suspect that eating any of those foods now would make me feel slightly ill.

While this might disappoint Hostess, I will continue my life without Twinkies. But for those who love them, I hope that you can still have them – but I also hope that other things make your life worthwhile, things that don’t come wrapped in plastic.