Rest In Peace Hostess~~The Maddening Loss Of Another American Icon

I know it is just another troubled American company closing its doors. Another victim of the economy closing its doors and with it a piece of Americana is lost. Joining Oldsmobile, Pontiac and all the other recognizable American brands that have slipped away from us to become memories we tell our grand kids about until we all pass and an accidental google search lets future Americans say, "WOW that must have been a cool thing to eat!".

Those of you reading this are probably saying, 'Jeez Randy get a grip! It's a freaking snack cake!'. That is true; Hostess makes snack cakes. Oldsmobile, Pontiac and American Motors made cars. Braniff, Eastern, PanAm, Frontier and Laker Airlines graced the skies. Atari introduced us to vidio games. Crazy Eddie taught us that yelling during commercials sold electronics. Schwinn put most kids on two wheels and gave them the freedom to travel their environs. Converse slipped away to foreign shores. Bethlehem and Northwestern Steel are gone.

Montgomery Ward, Polaroid, Spiegel, Bennigans, Circuit City, Olin Mills, The Sharper Image and Borders Books have all passed into history.

Many of the brands we grew up with are now gone. To me Hostess is not just a snack cake; it is a fond memory of my youth. Growing up on Marcy Avenue in  Brooklyn, NY we had a Hostess bakery around the corner from us. The odors of baking filled the air. This bakery had a store attached to it and once or twice a week our parents allowed us to go there and pick out what ever snack cake we wanted.

The choice was hard for an 8 year old. For me it always came down to whether I wanted a Twinkie or a Devil Dog.

Fifty years later I still struggle over my choice. So Hostess is not just a snack cake. It is a childhood memory that I and many others are losing.

I have not eaten many of these since I got sick because I have had a drastic diet change but today I went out and bought an assorted supply of Hostess products so I can pass my memory, even in a very small way, to the kids in my neighborhood who stop by everyday to say hello.

Randy