Peeps: The King of Easter

Imagine an Easter without Peeps. I weep for the thought. I personally am a Peep-loving convert. I used to hate the foamy, gritty little sugar bombs when I was a kid. But strangely, as an adult I have come to love them. Even more strange, the reasons I used to hate them (in short, the color, flavor, and texture) are now the very same reasons that I love them.

Peeps have an amazing malleability, which is what spurs a lot of the non-eating Peep-related activities every year. The Seattle Times holds a Peep diorama contest, and Peep jousting is a popular Easter pastime. Something about these sticky, foamy treats just begs to be used in bizarre ways.

There are Peeps available for a wider variety of holidays now, but they just aren't the same. For me, Peeps are Easter, and Easter means Peeps, and that's that. You can keep your Christmas tree Peeps and your Jack-O-Lantern peeps. Just leave me the bright yellow and hot pink chicks and bunnies! I'm a traditionalist that way.

Some people like to age their Peeps by leaving the package open for a few days. Personally, I prefer my Peeps fresh. But as someone who likes a nice toothsome well-ripened Red Vine, I respect those who prefer to eat their Peeps after they have gone a bit stale.

Peeps are going upscale, though, have you noticed? A few years ago they started dipping Peeps in chocolate, and then dark chocolate, and let me tell you, those things are delicious. I also appreciate Peeps that come in single serving packages. Because if you want to get technical about it, every package of Peeps is a "single serving package" at my house. So being able to buy individual Peeps (even chocolate covered) is definitely a plus for my diet.

This year they introduced Giant Peeps. I don't know exactly how giant these things are, but I seriously want one. It says they are "big enough to share," but I won't.

Image courtesy Flickr/slolee