Reese Peanut Butter Cup

When I was a kid I was diagnosed with add/adhd. Whatever. I was (am) a wholly terror. My mom's solution was to enact the Feingold Diet; Which meant for my brother and I: no preservative, no additives, no artificial colours. It was effective, placebo or not.

Incidentally our available options for candy were made infinitesimal. Of note: Reese peanut butter cups. All pure and natural, just yummy chocolate and peanut butter (oh and lots of sugar ).

So, I am predisposed to enjoy Reese peanut butter cups as an adult. I love them. So I tell all my friends about those islands of “pure food” in an increasing artificially manufactured world.

But I'm also a big skeptic, even of my own convictions. So I double checked my assumption recently and was dismayed to find polyglycerol polyricinoleate and TBHQ in my beloved cups. Both of which I do not recognize.

Polyglycerol polyricinoleate is a manufacturing aid, added to make manufacturing easier and cheaper http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PGPR and TBHQ is a preservative http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TBHQ

I'm dismayed. I blame capitalism. I am now less likely to grab a Reese peanut butter cup for a snack.

I'd like to also point out that I can recall in recent years getting a "bad" package of cups. The product had gone rancid. I’m sure with TBHQ on my side that will never happen again.

Here’s why: http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=hershey's+recall&btnG=Search+Archives&ned=us&hl=en&scoring=a

The ideal food product for a people in the business of food, is the product that never goes bad. To heck with the consequences, protecting our profit is more important. Can you imagine the corner store guy checking all the little knick-knack candies he/she has once a week and throwing out all the bad chocolate bars? Ain’t gonna happen.

So you are an industrial chemist, you love your job, you buy in. Technology is great. It make life better. Dave’s all wrong abut PGPR and TBHQ; They are no more dangerous than fat or sugar, and TBHQ inhibits carcinogenesis in some cases.

That’s not my point. Who knows and who cares about how dangerous PGPR and TBHQ are? Not me. I just want a simple frikken Reese peanut butter cup. The cup I want will cost more because it will cost more to make, and it’s possible it will go bad (like normal food).

Why make food complicated? What do we do now? Are we too deep in this? Are we doomed to capitalistically engineered food?

The irony is those fools at Hershey’s broadcast their secret on how to make the irresistible treat for yourself anywhere; at home, at work, at the movie theatre:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWMM7HPeTHQ

Now where did I put my HUGE glasses from the late eighties?

One final curious note: It has come to my attention that late at night, if you are quiet, and catch her unawares, you can spy my wife in the kitchen alone with a jar, consuming the nutritious goodness of peanut butter tout seul.

Fate? You decide.