There is something going on I was not aware of and I don’t want you to be puzzled when this hits People magazine, as I was when Adele (Adele who?) swept the Grammys. Those little pastel marshmallow chicks are making noise, louder noise than the traditional peep. And they are going global with it. There is a Peep subculture and it is not only thriving it is having one heck of a good time. People are bonding with Peeps. Sometimes to eat, but mostly to get all crazy with.
I first became aware of this phenomenon when a friend posted on her Facebook page a photo of a pile of Peeps at Costco. She was smiling. This friend brings reindeer Peeps to Christmas parties and soaks them in the chocolate fondue. And people thank her. Her husband prefers them stale, crusty on the outside and soft in the middle.
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I sent a general email asking friends and neighbors their feeling about Peeps and was met with either silence, disgust or disbelief.
But thank goodness, there are people out there whose job it is to make us lighten up and I thank them for that. And this column is a tribute to peeple [sic] with a sense of humor.
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Not all Concordians object to eating gooey sugary little chicks. Helen Hutchinson works at the and not only sells Peeps but eats them, though she admits it has been a while. Her husband, also a life-long Concordian, likes them crusty, Helen likes them soft. He was brought up in on the Concord Center side of Route 2 and she to the west of Route 2, so there could be a cultural difference.
One Concord friend admitted that she would not allow them in the house but she peeps at the on-line Peep sites. She has school age children, so that explains why she doesn’t allow Peeps in the house and why she knows about Peeps sites. For instance: http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/136304.html. Check out the Strange Thoughts and Observations at the same site. An example: What does Geronimo shout when he jumps out of a plane? What do they use when they ship Styrofoam? How do we know it is new and improved dog food? Yes, there is more on this site than card playing Peeps at a night club (X rated). But we digress.
The Episcopal Diocese of Maryland thought it easier to have the children read the Bible if they had fun doing it. The result was All God’s Peeps, and all that is needed is some Peeps of any type, a shoe box and a bible story, parable or psalm.
The results are posted here.
Entries include: Noah leads the Peeps to safety. Moses leads his Peeps across the Red Sea and the Peeps; the Last Supper; feeding the 5000 Peeps.
This could make a convert of me.
The Washington Post is in its fifth year of a Peeps Diorama contest. Check out past winners at Washington Post Peeps Contest. Among them: Peeps go through airport security, the Mad Hatters Peep Party, Marie Antoinette, Peeps negotiating an Escher staircase.
And then there is www.peepresearch.org. Examine the effects of smoking and alcohol on Peeps, and go inside the surgical unit as conjoined Peeps are separated. Fear response in Peeps subjects a volunteer Peep, with permission of course, to light and heat at increasing rates of intensity. The researchers found a fear response exhibited by implosion and change of exterior color when in the experimental chamber, aka microwave.
For creativity at its Peepy best, the award goes to The Peep Show, and creator David Ottogalli.: tulips, valentines and color arrangements to die for.
And then there is the classic: Lord of the Peeps.
Anyone thought of a Peeps theme park?
Afterthoughts
What happens in the microwave? It turns out that it is possible that my own microwave or that of someone near and dear to me has been used to microwave this defenseless pseudo poultry. I have no proof but there have been some slips of the tongue. It took me a while to get over that wrenching feeling that something evil had occurred in my kitchen, and I had to remind myself that Peeps do not breath or have a heart beat. They are just sugar and other chemical stuff.
For those of you who would like to see the results of a nuked Peep I refer you to the many Peeps in the microwave sites. Particularly www.Peepsresearch. Bon appetit!
