http://puu.sh/oxPFK/22f84ca536.jpg

Uh... I didnt know we did?

Tastykakes are much better than Hostess.

grumbledook said it best. If you want good American food, that's not processed, homemade fried chicken and mashed potatoes is the only way to go.

As an American, those things are disgusting and I'm disappointed that there is an impression that such things are celebrated or representative of my country. I imagine poor taste in food products follows poor taste in other areas, so that's why they're still around. And while I certainly believe there are plenty with poor taste in our nation, I doubt we have a monopoly on that market.

though, I won't say no to a good, well made burger either....

Twinkies are so filled with chemical preservatives that they are still "edible" long after cakes. Although I prefer others as having more weight for your money in vending machines.

Their shelf life is 25 days and it's not from chemicals it's from packaging. If you hate small cakes I can imagine that you don't Iive in northern England.

Twinkies make men murderous. Twinkies killed George Moscone and Harvey Milk. Twinkies should be issued to all our troops, in place of fragmentation grenades.

I agree. They taste disgusting.

To be honest, I've not even seen one in years, much less know anyone who likes them.

As a child, Twinkies were a cherished treat. I truly remember that they were delicious. I then did not eat one for probably 20 years. Now, every couple of years, I am confronted with a Twinkie and I eat it...and I find it to be horrible. It is a combination of overly disgustingly sweet (like Jamie's personality transformed into a treat) and a strangely disgusting chemical flavor.

Twinkies are disgusting, but I have to believe that something has fundamentally changed about them from their origin....today's Twinkie is not the Twinkie of Twinkie past.

I remember when they put *real* cocaine into twinkies.

The fake stuff just isn't the same.

Maybe if I dropped acid and tried real hard Twinkies would be delicious again. AT least then I could pretend I was a jellyfish without taste buds.

There was a movie with Burt Reynolds where he was bitching about modern society, including processed foods. He was on an old battleship, like a tourist place, and said, "If I put a Twinky right here on this huge battleship, in thousands of years the battleship would have eroded away, but the Twinky would still be here!"

@jamie (and maybe @putin from his comment above)

I've not experienced the small cakes which (at least in my limited imagination) the British isles are famous for. Could you post a recipe to make a "small cake" or something from northern England? I'd love to give it a try.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/19046/eccles-cakes/

https://hobbshousebakery.co.uk/recipe/lardy-cake/

http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/lifestyle/14102591.Only_in_Scotland__Celebrate_Thanksgiving_with_a_deep_fried_twinkie/

Twinkie? No thanks.

A particular theatrical production I'm currently working on utilizes Twinkies in a specific act. Its so specific that Twinkies are the only thing they have found that make it work, as the show is travelling internationally I'm currently in the process of importing boxes of Twinkies around the world... (and yes like Jamie - I think they're disgusting!)

Zebra Cakes are better anyways.

Zebra cakes sound rather unpalatable, TBH. Like cow pies.

I can imagine Jamie & co snickering about twinkies as they drink their Irn Bru.

@putin & Octavious: Thank you!
I can't say that lard is used often in the states (or currants, for some reason), but I'll see what I can come up with.

@Buachaille: Texas will see your deep fried twinkie and raise you deep fried beer: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/foodanddrinknews/7973944/Deep-fried-beer-invented-in-Texas.html

@Litter Picker: Where I'm from, a Cow Pie candy is actually made. I'm not one for pecans, so I've never had one. But I'm told they're quite lovely.

I've been waiting since Wednesday for Yigg to prosthelytize about this. He's like the St. Paul of Zebra Cakes.

We are gathered here today to celebrate the delicious wonder that is the Zebra Cake. A moist light baked pastry, bisected with a layer of buttercream frosting. The exterior of the Zebra Cake is dipped in a white confectioner's glaze with drizzled chocolate lines dancing across its top, giving its namesake zebra appearance. This heavenly delight, to which no mere ambrosia could compete, comes to you in a box of 10 for the low cost of 2 American Dollars. And trouble yourself not with thoughts of "it is impossible for divine quality to be so cheap." Little Debbie charges this to simply cover the costs of shipping, as the world simply needs this baked delight to be in everyone's hands.