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It's more humid than a hippo's armpit in NYC today. Sweating bullets, but blogging nonetheless. Just a quick note about something extraordinarily mundane to the casual reader in search of something more substantial about diasporadic dilemmas. Sorry, but I can't think in this oppressive climate. I'm all for green buildings and renewable energy, but I really need to partake in some deep, energy depleting A/C saturation right about now. I am not a big fan of fans.
Anyway, bring on the trivial!
I have noticed in the past 2 years of grocery shopping that an old favorite cookie of mine, the Peek Frean fruit creme, has disappeared from the shelves of all area grocery stores. I don't know when this happened, or why, but I can't find their standard, butter cookie surrounding red fruit center with delectable creme filling (of a kind unparalleled in any other cookie I've had, even my other favorite, Vienna Fingers). In recent years (before the untoward disappearance), I found Lime, Mango, and Lemon variations on this theme, and discovered that a co-worker was also a huge fan of the cookie (though she preferred to refrigerate them, turning the center into a harder, chewy substance that rivals most candies of the same consistency).
What happened to these cookies? I can't find anything from the company on the shelves in Brooklyn, and I don't know if they have stopped supplying companies here, or what the deal is. Thanks to the internet, a few passing moments of realization and then contemplation are now replaced with overzealous fixation, resulting in some partial answers, but still no cookies.
I found out that Peek Freans was a British company established in 1857 (what a year), and that there is in fact a desi connection (their first "international" factories were created in Calcutta in 1924. Great. Even in my hazy, sugar-craving dizziness, I can't believe that this was a "nice" company to the local folks). Anyway, they've since been swallowed up by Nabisco.
I haven't asked my local grocers what's up (though I don't remember seeing the cookies on these shelves at all, so I may have to see if they ever carried them). I plan to email the company to see what gives, but meanwhile, I've found that they are not available on Fresh Direct or Peapod, either, so I'm fresh out of ideas. Got any to spare?
Jul 18, 2005
Got Peek Freans?
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16 comments:
I think that it's the same kind. They were the best, and I am not prepared to mourn them yet. Check out the pictures here. It's now Nabisco owned, but the brand remains the same.
Come on - an outstanding Peek Frean cookie tops 10 oreos anytime.
Nice Seinfeld reference, by the way.
GROSS seinfeld reference. Now I'll be thinking of Today sponges as I chew the fruity peek frean center. blech.
I'm not sure about BKLN, but in QNS I have spotted a variety of flavors! Those and those killer digestive tea biscuits. yum yum.
REALLY??? WHERE IN QUEENS?!
I have to have them to take the edge off of this heat... Do tell!
I think the relatively-new Stop N Shop off Union Turnpike (east of Metropolitan Blv) and the Trade Fair at Metropolitan past Lefferts both had them.
Next time I'll make a mental note.
Fresh Direct sucks. Don't even get me started. I could open my own blog and rant on that for months.
Okay - I have to go there, TODAY. definitely let me know if there's any other location. I really thought that they'd been banned by Bloomberg or something (maybe as a result of London winning out for Olympics 2012).
Haven't used Fresh Direct, and didn't realize that it's a NYC thing only (was looking for friends elsewhere). Do feel free to share your horror stories, though. :)
well. If your NY friends don't count! ;)
the problem is, there are no proper grocery stores in the city. Maybe the sole thing I miss about living elsewhere in the country, nice, clean, big, wide-aisled, varied-stock grocery stores...and helpful little old men in the produce and deli areas. sigh.
Every time I go to the local place it's like gastronomical roulette. Never ever will I find the same product twice, so I've learned the buddhist skill of not becoming attached to a favorite product.
But Stop n Shop doesn't have any decent ethnic groceries. Hello, we're in Queens?! I can't live on triscuits alone...
As for FreshDirect? One word: Fuckers.
I hear you on the large grocery stores, but I definitely prefer getting my produce in NYC - there are cheaper, less waxed options, especially in the Chinese, Korean, and desi markets.
FreshDirect seems like a losing proposition all around. I don't like it because driving around all the trucks in my quaint-streeted neighborhood is really tough, not to mention that it seems to stamp "yuppie" on the forehead of the receiver, and I'd rather support the local immigrant grocers anyway.
I like naming things too! The cookies themselves don't do anything for the heat (save when I freeze them, mmmm, frozen fat).
Great. Cookie lawyers. Just what I needed.
Jeez. I might have to get my lawyer to take a look at that and issue an addendum.
Who knew the fruit creams could be so risky?! Do I need CGL for that?
as far as blog- I so enjoy both of yours, and I am secretly insecure that nobody would give a shit about my regular rantings. I'll stick to my random freelance bolly-snark, commenting on Rage's sweet tooth, and beating up on people who aren't down with the term "south asian"
Well - thank you for tuning in, and hopefully we'll be a little more interesting in the future, but you should write! We're consistently amazed that anyone tunes into our stuff, though it would be tremendously intimidating if more people started tuning in and I couldn't keep up with demand...
Agreed. But commenting definitely is more fun, unless you have a brilliant revelation (or rant) that spews forth with great gusto.
true, true. But then I could just ask you 2 fine fellows with blogs I love to indulge me in a large rant :)
All of this talk about cookies lately prompted me to bake some chocolate chip cookies today. Wish I could share, since I'm going to have carrots instead...
dd: Name the rant, and I'm sure that we'll oblige.
Okay then... I'll say that guest rants are MOST welcome on this blog - we can even make it a guest entry or something. :)
I'll blog about why Salman Khan feels the need to take his shirt off in every movie he comes in, and that he seems to think nobody notices his Costco hairplugs.
And Raspberry Milano cookies.
Mmmmm... Salman Khan, er, I mean, Raspberry Milanos...
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