Happy Birthday, Oreo!

The Oreo turns 100 today.  One hundred years of yummy goodness. 

I can remember growing up with Oreos.  Loved dipping them in milk, waiting until just the right amount of sogginess, then letting them dissolve into my mouth.  That was MY favorite way of eating them.

I never much liked twisting them open first.  I preferred the BLEND of the two flavors together.

A little black, a little white.  A perfect marriage of sweetness.

I liked stacking them, seeing how many I could stack before they'd fall over.




How has the Oreo impacted my world?

Well, I can remember their comforting me in my misery while lying in the bathtub, covered to my neck in an oatmeal and Aveeno bath, suffering from a horrible outbreak of adult chickenpox while seven months pregnant.  (There wasn't an inch of my body, it seems, that wasn't covered in itchy, stinging, oozing chicken pox!) 

I was miserable, and the only way that I felt comfortable was covered to my neck in an Aveeno bath.  I distinctly remember laying there, eating Oreo after Oreo -- yes, while in the bathtub -- worrying myself to death over what effect my chickenpox might have on my unborn child. (My doctor gently informed me that a baby could potentially be born blind if the mother was infected with chickenpox during pregnancy!) *

Oreo after Oreo, crunch after crunch, until alas they were all gone.

I had eaten the entire bag.  All.By.Myself.

Calories were the least of my concerns.

(* Incidentally, my son was born with perfect eyesight, Praise the Lord!  It was my first question, as soon as I gave birth in the delivery room, "Can he see?  Can he see!"  And everyone assured me he was as healthy as can be -- and continues to be to this day. )

I remember mushing them up in vanilla ice cream as a kid.  Later...the "Dairy Queen Oreo Blizzard" is born.

Since then I have discovered the recipe for infamous Dirt Balls made with Oreos, cream cheese, and coated in chocolate.  Always a huge hit at any party, and my son's favorite dessert at Christmas.

It's odd that Oreos are one of the most popular cookies in the world, with over 95 million sold every day, yet no one seems to know where they came from or how they got their name.

Alas, the long forgotten history of the cookie boasting the most significant reputation all across world.

Oreo Lovers Unite. 

Long Live the Oreo.