Bittersweet Departure

Blogger's Note: I remember working on a post about this subject sometime last yeabut have not been able to find where I published it. So if I have written about this before please forgive me. I may be having a "senior moment."

My sweet tooth is in mourning. They were here and now they're gone. Could be found everywhere and now they're hardly anywhere. I gorged on them and now I have to go "cold turkey". What am I talking about? Tastykakes. 

These snack cakes are made by a bakery in Philadelphia. Until the last few years, they were only available regionally in the Delaware River Valley area that includes Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. They are now distributed in many east coast states, Florida and even here in Kentucky. 

I have eaten Tastykakes all my life. I had them as snacks any time, day or night, On countless mornings during my twenties and thirties, two packs chased by a pint of chocolate milk was my breakfast.

When I moved to Kentucky in 1999 I left Tastykakes behind. They weren't sold any where around Bowling Green. I could only get them when I went back to the northeast to visit my family. 

The Tastykake banner covers a variety of exclusive cakes. There's the unique tasting chocolate cupcakes. As kids we called them "3 in 1" cupcakes because that's how many were in a package. All the other chocolate cupcakes came two per package. Real imaginative huh? 

Then there is, what was my dad's favorite, Butterscotch Krimpets. They're yellow sponge cakes topped with a butterscotch flavored icing (also 3 to a package). 

Then there are my favorites, Kandy Kakes. They are a trio of 3 inch diameter round yellow cakes topped with peanut butter and coated in chocolate. 

There are others as well but those I just mentioned are the most important to my story. 

Last spring my wish regarding Tastykakes came true. When Hostess bakeries went out of business the empty shelf space in many area stores was filled with Philly's best snack cakes. 

Convenience stores sold individual packages and grocery stores family packs. I was so excited. I quickly became addicted to them again. I had them quite often. 

They were delicious but awful for my waistline. I had at least one pack everyday; devouring a a family pack in 3 days. Is it any wonder that I gained weight over the last half of the year?

Then came July and "the sweetest comeback ever" when Twinkies and Ding Dongs and Ho Hos showed up again on store shelves. 

The days of access to a bounty of Tastykakes were numbered. Gradually I saw less and less of them in fewer and fewer stores. 

Yesterday, I realized that Walmart in Bowling Green no longer stocks them. As a matter of fact Kroger is the only place I've seen them in a while.  

I took a picture of the shelf so I could show you Kandy Kakes and Butterscotch Krimpets at the only place, I know of, that still sells them. :(

There are still other generic types of Tastykakes being sold  (powdered and chocolate covered mini-donuts and honey buns for example) but they no longer stand out on the shelves; no longer differentiate the brand.  

As you can tell by the way I've written about them, the sugar addict in me, is lamenting the disappearance of Tastykakes. 

But the other side of the issue is that the change comes at a good time. Given the fact that I can't seem to resist those delicious packaged bakery goods; not being able to get them will help my effort to lose weight quite a bit. 

Now it's obvious that my attachment these cupcakes is not just the sugar and taste they offer?

TastyKake reminds of the people, places, and things, I called "home" almost 40 years. They are part of my roots. In fact, I would venture to say that the emotional attachment is stronger than the biological. 

So, unfortunately I must say farewell farewell my delicious Tastykakes. Parting is such bittersweet sorrow.