State of the Plate: The Peepshow
// March 27th, 2009 // No Comments » // State of the Plate
Taken From my March 26, 2009 “State of the Plate” article.
Sweet, supple, melt-in-your mouth, palm-sized goodness that provides near guiltless pleasure: God love Peeps. I have not always been a fan of the timeless marshmallow concoction, but in recent years, I have become a frequent peeper. I have been doing a good deal of peeping.
for the sake of peeping and quite frankly need to stop using the word “peeping.”OK. Better now. Marshmallow Peeps have been a staple in the Easter baskets of the Brown family for a number of years (at least 20), and upon closer examination, Peeps have been feeding the Easter baskets of America for more than 50 years.Peeps were first created by the Rodda Candy Company of Lancaster, Pa., (shout out to my Amish peeps) which made the pint-sized chicks one by one by squeezing homemade marshmallow through a pastry bag into the now-famous peep shape.The Rodda Company was purchased in 1953 by the Just Born candy company of Bethlehem, Pa., and by 1954, automated the peep manufacturing process and created a one-of-a-kind “Peep extruder”, which at that time was state-of-the-art. I have found out that there are two schools of Peep people. The people who love Peeps to pieces, and the people who hate Peeps like herpes. I am of the school of loving them to pieces. There is something about eating a Peep that is unlike any other confection experience.
The mix of wildly fun colors, and now flavors (try the chocolate mousse bunnies. Yum.) with the spongy, mallow-mouth feel, is a force to be reckoned with. They are the quintessential Easter treat. Within Peep-lovers, there are many ways to de-feather a peep. Some love them right out of their chick-crate, while others like to let them sit and get stale. Editor-in-Chief and red-headed peep-lover Shelly Davidov sometimes takes the Ozzy Osbourne approach to eating a Peep. She bites the head off the little bugger, spits it back out and then enjoys the remaining mallow-carcass. And why she is so violent and 1980s with her peeps? “It’s because I see them and think ‘Wooooo. Cute, yummy Peep, then bite off the head and realize yuck,’” she said.To each her own, Shelly, to each her own.
I personally like to let them go a little stale, lick them like a baby kitten until my tongue feels as though it has been licking 300 grit sandpaper for an hour or so and then stuff a Peep into each cheek cavity and sit around looking like I belong in “a special room” at a “special place” where I wouldn’t be allowed to play with sharp objects.There also seems to be a large amount of “Peeple” who like to microwave their Peeps until they turn into a molten mess or blow up, whichever comes first. I even have a friend who loves to eat them frozen. Would that be considered a “Peep-sicle?” However twisted or exotic you choose to eat your peeps is up to you, but God knows there are a hell of a lot of ways to get them in your belly and, after all, there is no wrong way to eat a Peep. The world of Peep consumption has gone far beyond just eating them. There are people out there doing things with Peeps that you would not believe. There is even talk of Peeps being part of a plan to get us out of the current economic slump. Just kidding. Honestly though, everything from Peep art renditions of the Virgin Mary to Peep clothing and recipes are out there for your Peeping pleasure. Be sure to check out Peeps artist David Ottogalli’s work at http://www.peepsshow.com. There are even sugar-free Peeps out there for us who suffer from the diabetes mellitus. I have tried the sugar-free Peeps, and while tasty and quite chewy, they have, well, how should I say this? They have a side effect that rhymes with “mart.” I wonder what Wilford Brimley would have to say about that?
Happy Peeping kiddos!
