OK, I'm going to say it. My local news was full of fat people crying about Twinkies.

[magical thyme]

74. They are worse than just empty calories....

They are so nutrition and food-free that they set you up for cravings, almost like an addiction. Seriously, eat one bite of a really well prepared desert cake (I'm thinking Concord Teacakes at the moment, from my more well-off days) and you will have fully satisfied your craving for comfort food, they are that rich.

Personally, I tried Hostess when I moved to NE and couldn't get the occasional TastyKake. Bleah! If you try them after having developed even a bit of 'flavor discrimination,' or after taking a lot of time off from them, you will not like them.

So I feel bad for the people who were fed them as kids, before they knew better, and who now fill up on them. They are among the worst of the worst junk. But I frankly think this is for the best, since they are setting themselves up for diabetes and all the health issues that go with it.

It's not a class issue. I grew up upper-middle class with Dr. Lawyers and Chiefs as my neighbors. But I was outside Philly and we had an alternative packaged cake treat in the form of the vastly superior TastyCakes which were made with real ingredients -- real chocolate, not artificial, real cream in the fillings, etc. And I only fell back on those when we ran out of fruit. As long as I can get enough apples, oranges, berries, etc. I don't crave junk.

Now I'm poor, making around $15K/year, and you couldn't pay me to eat a Hostess sorta-cake-like product. Really, the taste is disgusting.

I can't really afford junk, so very rarely indulge. When I do I end up regretting it anyway (the popcorn I got to celebrate the election broke a tooth!).

But just in case, if I really, really, really need comfort chocolate, I now make a quick and easy fudge, with brown sugar, baker's cocoa, either a little soy milk or half&half, and a bit of butter. A couple spoonfuls goes a million miles further than those Hostess things ever did, and costs considerably less to boot.

I feel bad for the people losing their jobs. The twinkie eaters will find a substitute. Tastycakes is going national and a much better quality treat. Still junk food, but less junky and more satisfying than Hostess.

I'd like to the see the union or some wealthy progressive buy Hostess, re-tool their menu bigtime and keep the bakers working, and on a product they can be proud of. Not one that contributes to obesity and diabetes.