David Konig

Because You Are Entitled To My Opinion

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You are here: Home / Archives for Twinkies

The Sweetest Comeback In The History of Ever.™

July 16, 2013 By Dave Konig 1 Comment

LL Cool J famously told you not to call it a comeback. The new Hostess are telling us to not only call it a comeback, but that it’s the sweetest one in the history of ever. I wholeheartedly agree.

Twinkies ComebackBeginning yesterday the return of Twinkies to store shelves began in earnest. The spongy golden cake cream filled treats have made a triumphant return to the snack cake aisles of America after nearly being extinguished over 8 months ago due to the flailings of their maker. Slightly rebranded with a trademarked comeback motto, in the same colorful boxes, and with 10 cakes per box the internet masses are getting what they have clamored for during this unforseen Twinkie drought.

Twinkies Nutritional InfoWith their return also comes the criticism from those who are quick to point out the nutritional value of a Twinkie equates it to caloric trash for the body. One serving (two cakes) contain 270 calories, with 80 of those calories from fat, making it a practical meal unto itself. The 48 grams of carbohydrates, 33 of those grams from sugar, doesn’t help their credibility with those bordering diabetics who just finished returning their Paula Deen cookbooks. With an additional admitted shelf life of now 45 days, the Nutritional Value Nazis are having a grand time conjuring images of what those preservatives are doing to your insides.

I can’t help but feel that this is more than a story of the nutritional value of a food item. It is more than a story about a failing company retrieved from bankruptcy and reorganized. It is more than a story about a snack cake. This… this is a story about us as people.

It is a story about the smells, tastes, and feel of more than one generation’s childhood. The Twinkie represents a tangible reminder. It is a reminder of the joys we once knew. Of the innocence we sacrificed upon the altar of society entering adulthood. Of the days when everything that was wrong in the world was righted simply, easily, with nothing more than a cellophane wrapped cream filled spongy golden cake. The Twinkie is a reminder of those memories… feelings… sense of security that no matter how bad it was… everything was going to be alright. The Twinkie, and its comeback, are a testament to the nature of man and our ability to “make it happen” for those that matter.

The Twinkie is not a lie.

Now, with all that said and done, when can I expect some Sno-Balls?

Filed Under: Fud, Life Tagged With: Hostess, Twinkies

Bullets Over Nutty Caramel Swirl

June 25, 2013 By Dave Konig Leave a Comment

It’s not a big secret that I’m a nutty kind of guy. So it would make sense that I enjoy nutty types of ice cream. Here’s what wandered through my skull during my latest pint of Nutty Caramel Swirl:

    Photo Jun 19, 9 59 30 PM

  • I’m a habitual kind of guy. I go to the same Dunkin’ Donuts every morning, I order the same thing, and drive the same way to work everyday. I read this article on weight loss apps by Greg Friese and really liked the idea of developing new habits with the Habit Streak app (Android). Unfortunately, the app Greg mentions is only available for Android. Being an iOS user I did some searching and found the Habit List app (iOS). It has a lot of the same features of the app that Greg mentions, and I’ll have a more in depth review once I get a few weeks under my belt with it. Do you use any habit creation apps/tricks?
  • So I read this article called Culture of Silence by an ER physician. I wrote my own response titled The Culture of Assumptions… and that was the nice version. Somedays its really hard being nice. Just sayin’
  • Last year I was decimated over the demise of the Twinkie. This past weekend I received the great news that Twinkies will be back on shelves July 15th! Now THAT is exciting! I’ll be sure to do an unboxing post here when I get my first box
  • The iPhone 5S rumors and leaks have already begun with this chip shot, even though we shouldn’t be seeing a new handset until Septemberish. I’ll be due for a new phone at the start of next year so I’ll be watching these developments closely…

And finally…

  • As I mentioned before, I’m using Feedly now for my RSS feed reading. Rumor has it that Facebook is developing a reader styled after Flipboard. I think that’s interesting, because I thought I had already found one in Feedly! What would REALLY be interesting is for that News Reader to be integrated into your Facebook NewsFeed. I’d be interested in THAT. Let’s hope Facebook stops lagging behind with imitations and starts jumping ahead with some innovation

It’s going to be a bit of a heater the next few days here in NYC so be safe and stay cool!

Filed Under: Bullet Lists Tagged With: EMS Culture, Facebook, Feedly, Flipboard, Habit List, Twinkies

Twinkie The Kid Rides Into The Sunset

November 19, 2012 By Dave Konig 1 Comment

As you may have already heard, Hostess Brands announced on November 16, 2012 that they are liquidating their assets and closing up shop. They will no longer be producing a long line of products including such iconic snack brands as Twinkies, Sno Balls, and Devil Dogs (under the Drake’s Cakes label).

Friday night I attempted to get my hands on just one more Twinkie.

Just one more….

Over a dozen stores and stops later, including places that I normally would not look to buy foodstuffs from, I ended up only with a couple packs of Sno Balls, a few Ding Dongs, and some much misaligned cupcakes. Prices on EBay and Amazon for a box of Twinkies has increased over one hundred fold.

I have, for all intense purposes, eaten my last Twinkie… and I didn’t even know it.

Here is the letter to the customer that appears at HostessBrands.info:

Letter to Hostess Brands Customers

Dear Loyal Customer,

I must regretfully inform you that Hostess Brands has shut down all operations and will be pursuing the sale process of all of our brands and Company assets. Many people have worked incredibly long and hard to keep this from happening, but now Hostess Brands has no other alternative than to begin the process of winding down and preparing for the sale of our iconic brands.

For many months now, the Company has been working with our unions, lenders and other stakeholders to reach a consensual resolution to legacy costs and labor contracts. Despite everyone’s considerable efforts, when we began implementing the Company’s last, best and final offer, the Bakers Union chose to stage a crippling strike. This affected our ability to continue to make products and service our customers’ needs and pushed Hostess Brands into a Wind Down scenario. As a result, the Company was forced to proceed with an orderly wind down and sale of our operations and assets. We deeply regret taking this action. But we simply cannot continue to operate without the ability to produce or deliver our products.

Hostess Brands will sell its popular cake snack brands, including Twinkies®, CupCakes®, Ding Dongs®, Ho Ho’s®, Sno Balls®, Donettes®, Drake’s® cakes and Dolly Madison®. Bread brands to be sold include Wonder®, Nature’s Pride®, Merita®, Home Pride®, Butternut®, and Millbrook®, among others.

This Wind Down announcement brings our current relationship to an end and I want to take this time to thank you for your continued support and loyalty throughout the past several years.

It has been a great pleasure working with you and I wish you all the best in the future. Attached is an information sheet to help address your concerns.

Sincerely,
Rich Seban
Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer
Hostess Brands, Inc.

I think it’s important to take this letter somewhat for what it’s worth, but realize that there are always more sides to the story. While the management will lay blame on the laborers, and the laborers will lay blame on the management, it’s important that they all accept the fact that they are all to blame. This was an epic team failure which resulted in a smaller market share due to higher priced products compared to their competitors. This became obvious when every store I went into had a Hostess “shelf” or two as opposed to a floor to ceiling display like a few other brands.

You know the brands I mean… the “Little” one, the “Enten” of “Manns”, and of course those “Tasty” brands all had more prominent placement and displays than Hostess to begin with. This has sadly been a long time coming.

In a few weeks, Twinkies will be but a memory… and Twinkie the Kid will ride off as something of a lost legend…

Filed Under: Death, Fud Tagged With: Devil Dogs, Sno Balls, Twinkies

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I'm a New York City based EMS provider and this is a weblog, most commonly referred to as a "blog". The opinions and thoughts expressed here represent my own and are NOT those of my employer, any associations, or any volunteer organizations I am a member of. Read More…

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Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

by Benjamin Franklin

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