supply and demand

a lesson from the cookie aisle

I am aware that I appear to write only about gloom and doom: climate deterioration, interest on the national debt swallowing up ever more resources from our federal budget (and taxes), political polarization, China’s behaviour, Vlad the Impaler's menacing actions at home and abroad, and so much else.

Today, I bring you evidence of success and innovation.

Perhaps I frequent the wrong grocery stores too often or am simply too focused on what I will offer you as a topic for the day (a most common concern). This morning, however, on the first day of unofficial summer, I note an incredible achievement over the course of my long life.

Someone in America (I am confident this is an American thing as so much innovation riff off us) has mastered Oreo cookies.

Back in the pre-Cambrian era, I recall Oreos were an amazing indulgence we rarely had but often longed for. My father and mother were children of the Depression. To this day, I can neither read nor watch The Grapes of Wrath as it was the Watsons embodied, except my Watsons only made it further into the Dust Bowl in either Kansas or Oklahoma. Our ‘sweet’ following dinner was 2 graham cracker squares sandwiching peanut butter as that was what my dad had as an occasional treat as a kid. He did not think we needed to buy cookies. I suspect other things only reinforced memories of how little they had when he was a child.

My mother, on the other hand, worried about my weight from when I turned 10 until she died. She wouldn’t buy them but talked about them when adverts were on tv (go figure). We did not eat Oreos except when we were at someone else’s house as if those little darlings were a cause of my chunky bod. So, like all deprivation scenarios, Oreos became a highly desirable longing.

I don’t think I really had them all that often when I got out on my own but certainly did eat them on occasion. Thus I knew they were two black crisp portions surrounding white crème filling. They were to be dissembled to lick off the crème, then eat the sacred sides carefully and slowly. Kids and young adults may not like science in school but have their scientific rituals to enhance flavour.

I think I realized around 2005 that there were actually additional types beyond black and white snadwiches. Since ‘black and whites’ are a different type of cookie one finds in New York and surrounding areas, I realized that we called what I thought were the only variety of Oreos ‘original’. So descriptive but rather bland in name, just like the cookies themselves.

I realized they were making creme-filled vanilla Oreos. Wow. That was news to me, indicating I obviously was no longer spending as much time in the cookie aisle while shopping for food. Come to think of it, I also saw Oreos Thins. These presumably spread out the splurge since thinner equaled fewer calories so one could have more with no additional guilt (I am an analytical person).

One of our loyal ACC readers actually cites his ‘Oreo Index’ to measure how other states are behaving. I hope he will send me an entry to explain it for a future column as I do not want to misrepresent his theory.

All of this brings me to a relaxing trip to Safeway this morning, in search of frozen guava for smoothies. Our nearest location has an amazing array of foods aimed at the various populations of this town beyond Caucasians and African-Americans. There are two frozen food displays for cuisine from various subregions of Latin America. The international aisle has Asian, South Asian (which I only noted this morning), Mexican, Central American, and Kosher options. This Safeway has had such a run on guava that I have not found it since October but figured I knew where that was so I would look at remainder of the store en route.

We may not have solved world peace but Nabisco has managed to create six shelves of about six feet in length for the varieties of Oreos. Chocolate on chocolate. Vanilla and cream. Double stuffed Oreos. Thin Oreos. Thin mint Oreos. Cakester Oreos. Don’t think they forgot Gluten Free! Perhaps I also saw Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

During special times of the year, I suspect they have pumpkin-flavored. I believe they probably will get Easter-coloured with pastels, too, if this trend continues. I wouldn’t be surprised if they have bacon-flavored in honour of the millions of people who seem to inhale the stuff. The sky is the limit!

Oreos show the power of supply and demand—and unending American business ingenuity when it comes to meeting a demand not yet raised by the consumer. Sure, we all like Oreos but did we know we needed all of these varieties? I doubt it.

Yes, the little yellow tags you note are sales tags. No, I did not buy any Oreos of any flavour, size, or weight. I have a matzoh nightly, usually whole wheat. The crunch appeals to my sense of transition from the main meal so I know I am done eating for the day. I probably could keep the cookies in the house but know my husband prefers thechocolate chip variety so the Oreos would go stale. I did have tea with a neighbor last week where she offered Oreos. I enjoyed one with her and savoured it slowly, but doubt I will have another for years.

We are an amazing country of abundance and creativity, especially in the realm of food. Is there some product you see as have exploded in variety, then demand over the years? Do share!

Thank you for reading my whimsy today. We cannot exist only on a diet of doom. Thank you for sharing any column if you see it valuable for someone else. Thank you so much to the subscribers whose commitment encourages me every single day.

It was an amazingly colorful sunrise in the Chesapeake this morning. We are so lucky.

Be well and be safe. FIN