5 ms·

I grew up close to Winston Salem, North Carolina. The city with two cigarette brands named after it. Everyone died of emphysema or lung cancer there. As a 10 ye

I grew up close to Winston Salem, North Carolina. The city with two cigarette brands named after it. Everyone died of emphysema or lung cancer there. As a 10 year old kid, I could buy cigarettes from stores. In the 6th grade, our class took a tour of the RJ Reynolds factory in Tobaccoville, NC (yes that is an actual place) and we watched as our school teachers were given free sample packs of cigarettes. I tell that story because it is true. And I wonder... is there a town named Twinkieville in the USA where everyone dies of obesity and/or diabetes and kids can buy pounds of candy at the store without an ID? Or, is every town in America Twinkieville?

nebula8804 8mo ago
Twinkies are just a simple yellow spongecake filled with cream. They are so unhealthy because in the quest to keep the price something that people can afford (or for greed in profits) companies are forced to turn it into processed zombie garbage but if you break it down, a Twinkie was only just originally a simple yellow spongecake with some cream. A treat served to guests during coffeetime. Its financialization of everything including food, government tipping the scales against peoples well being and a declining purchasing power of the average american that has resulted in this awful reality where food isn't food.
- yowayb 8mo ago
  I read there was an actual original Hostess bakery. Imagine a fresh all-natural Twinkie. Mmmmm
  - deleted 8mo ago
    [deleted]
  - nebula8804 8mo ago
    So there isn't a free lunch in life but you can fight back against financialization. In the case of a Twinkie follow this guide to make a proper twinkie at home: https://youtu.be/lD2OOTx2G9k?t=592 https://youtu.be/lD2OOTx2G9k?t=592 You will be spending your time but you basically "reverse" the financialization of the product in a way. You could also pay someone to make it for you but then you'd be spending more money (again no free lunch so you have to pick what you want to sacrifice: your time or more money) I've been trying to do more of this at home to cut out anything processed at home but I have to accept that given limited time I have to let some food items I used to enjoy just go by the wayside. I've also been trying to do this elsewhere such as "home cooked software" thats tailored to me only and does not include ever increasing junk I dont want.
  - fuzzfactor 8mo ago
    A lot of the nationwide products that got started a century ago were first produced without any artifical ingredients. Until years later as each additive creeped in. I imagine a lot of them under persuasive sales presure from the vendor of the additive. Doesn't mean they were not yet seriously processed or truly the healthiest to consume. OTOH there's always vegan Twinkies now: https://oopsydaisysweets.com/products/vinkies https://oopsydaisysweets.com/products/vinkies So attractively priced at only $30.00 a half dozen, they just sold out :(
    - nebula8804 8mo ago
      Thats one of the points im trying to make. Incomes have stagnated, people at the lower end already were kind of splurging, now they cant justify it at all. So further cost reductions have to go into the product. COVID also masked the ability of companies to just extract more profit out of the product due to the price shocks that never went back down.
- thaumasiotes 8mo ago
  > They are so unhealthy because in the quest to keep the price something that people can afford (or for greed in profits) companies are forced to turn it into processed zombie garbage Well, sort of. That processing is generally there not so much specifically to keep the price down as to prolong the shelf life. But it's true that without the preservatives you'd be paying higher prices.
  - alamortsubite 8mo ago
    Tastykakes[1] are about the same price as Twinkies but have half the shelf life (or less, depending on the product) due to fewer preservatives and better ingredients. They don't have the distribution that Twinkies have, but it's grown to include the entire East Coast at this point, I think. Still pretty bad for you but several rungs up the garbage ladder, for sure. I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastykake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastykake
    - ChoGGi 8mo ago
      > I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market. Branding is very powerful. (Never rebrand, it'll just disturb pleasant memories)
      - alamortsubite 8mo ago
        True, I imagine the Twinkie Pavlovian response is a tough one to shake.
    - nebula8804 8mo ago
      I don't think thats true, I looked them up and this looks just as processed: https://www.heb.com/product-detail/tastykake-butterscotch-krimpets/1558612 https://www.heb.com/product-detail/tastykake-butterscotch-kr... (scroll down to see the ingredients) Perhaps you are referring to a Tastykake from a bygone era?
      - 8mo ago
- array_key_first 8mo ago
  The un-ultra-processed version of Twinkies are also going to contribute to obesity and heart disease. Sponge cake and cream is high in empty calories, very high in saturated fat, and all around bad for you. I think people sort of miss the forest for the trees with this stuff. Making your own milkshakes, or ice cream, or fried chicken, or Twinkies, will not save you from obesity. It's not the processing per-se. All these foods are ultra-palatable, readily available, and high in calories/saturated fat.

nebula8804 8mo ago

Twinkies are just a simple yellow spongecake filled with cream. They are so unhealthy because in the quest to keep the price something that people can afford (or for greed in profits) companies are forced to turn it into processed zombie garbage but if you break it down, a Twinkie was only just originally a simple yellow spongecake with some cream. A treat served to guests during coffeetime. Its financialization of everything including food, government tipping the scales against peoples well being and a declining purchasing power of the average american that has resulted in this awful reality where food isn't food.

yowayb 8mo ago
I read there was an actual original Hostess bakery. Imagine a fresh all-natural Twinkie. Mmmmm
- deleted 8mo ago
  [deleted]
- nebula8804 8mo ago
  So there isn't a free lunch in life but you can fight back against financialization. In the case of a Twinkie follow this guide to make a proper twinkie at home: https://youtu.be/lD2OOTx2G9k?t=592 https://youtu.be/lD2OOTx2G9k?t=592 You will be spending your time but you basically "reverse" the financialization of the product in a way. You could also pay someone to make it for you but then you'd be spending more money (again no free lunch so you have to pick what you want to sacrifice: your time or more money) I've been trying to do more of this at home to cut out anything processed at home but I have to accept that given limited time I have to let some food items I used to enjoy just go by the wayside. I've also been trying to do this elsewhere such as "home cooked software" thats tailored to me only and does not include ever increasing junk I dont want.
- fuzzfactor 8mo ago
  A lot of the nationwide products that got started a century ago were first produced without any artifical ingredients. Until years later as each additive creeped in. I imagine a lot of them under persuasive sales presure from the vendor of the additive. Doesn't mean they were not yet seriously processed or truly the healthiest to consume. OTOH there's always vegan Twinkies now: https://oopsydaisysweets.com/products/vinkies https://oopsydaisysweets.com/products/vinkies So attractively priced at only $30.00 a half dozen, they just sold out :(
  - nebula8804 8mo ago
    Thats one of the points im trying to make. Incomes have stagnated, people at the lower end already were kind of splurging, now they cant justify it at all. So further cost reductions have to go into the product. COVID also masked the ability of companies to just extract more profit out of the product due to the price shocks that never went back down.
thaumasiotes 8mo ago
> They are so unhealthy because in the quest to keep the price something that people can afford (or for greed in profits) companies are forced to turn it into processed zombie garbage Well, sort of. That processing is generally there not so much specifically to keep the price down as to prolong the shelf life. But it's true that without the preservatives you'd be paying higher prices.
- alamortsubite 8mo ago
  Tastykakes[1] are about the same price as Twinkies but have half the shelf life (or less, depending on the product) due to fewer preservatives and better ingredients. They don't have the distribution that Twinkies have, but it's grown to include the entire East Coast at this point, I think. Still pretty bad for you but several rungs up the garbage ladder, for sure. I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastykake https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tastykake
  - ChoGGi 8mo ago
    > I don't understand how Twinkies are able to compete in their market. Branding is very powerful. (Never rebrand, it'll just disturb pleasant memories)
    - alamortsubite 8mo ago
      True, I imagine the Twinkie Pavlovian response is a tough one to shake.
  - nebula8804 8mo ago
    I don't think thats true, I looked them up and this looks just as processed: https://www.heb.com/product-detail/tastykake-butterscotch-krimpets/1558612 https://www.heb.com/product-detail/tastykake-butterscotch-kr... (scroll down to see the ingredients) Perhaps you are referring to a Tastykake from a bygone era?
    - 8mo ago
array_key_first 8mo ago
The un-ultra-processed version of Twinkies are also going to contribute to obesity and heart disease. Sponge cake and cream is high in empty calories, very high in saturated fat, and all around bad for you. I think people sort of miss the forest for the trees with this stuff. Making your own milkshakes, or ice cream, or fried chicken, or Twinkies, will not save you from obesity. It's not the processing per-se. All these foods are ultra-palatable, readily available, and high in calories/saturated fat.