The Foodology Collective

Imagine yourself hungry. You hop into your car, onto your bike, catch a bus or strap on you shoes to walk to the nearest grocery store. You’re thinking you’ll pick up some pancetta, maybe some eggs, a good, crusty loaf of french bread. As you approach the door, something doesn’t seem quite right. Out of the corner of your eye you see a flash of hunter green. Then another. All of a sudden you almost trip over a whole gaggle of young girls waving boxes hued all colors of the rainbow in your direction. Their siren song lures you closer. Mothers stand attentively behind them, sentinels of the goods between you. You cannot resist. Money falls from your pockets in exchange for boxes and boxes of minty, caramel, coconut, chocolate goodness.

I think, by now, that you realize that I am referring to Girl Scout cookie season and, if you are anything, like me, this scenario has played out a number of times in the past few weeks. However, this post isn’t about Girl Scout cookies per se. It is about cookies in general and my inability to stop eating them. The Girl Scouts have been peddling their wares for over 80 years now; however, the cookie as a delicious treat has been around for quite a bit longer. The earliest cookie-like creation is thought to date back to the Persian empire. Variations on these small cakes were enjoyed for centuries and it wasn’t until much later that the modern concept of the cookie evolved. The word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word keokje, meaning “little cake” which was meant to denote the small test cakes used in baking. These then eventually evolved into the individual treats we know today.

I suppose you could call me a Cookie Monster. My mother did (and does) from time to time, and it has never really bothered me. I love all types of cookies whether they be hard or soft, cakey, sandy or cut in shapes. Different cookies remind me of various times of my life or bring feelings of certain seasons. Currently, I’m thinking Girl Scout cookie season. If I made Swedish pepparkakor, I would think about the holiday season and so on. Indeed, I think most people have some sort of cookie or another which they associate with the warm, fuzziness of a happy place or time. I use cookies as a form of currency. I bake cookies for presents (don’t you just love cookie gifts?), ask for them in exchange for services rendered and even use them as a bartering tool.

I understand that the real Cookie Monster of Sesame Street fame is now peddling a philosophy that cookies are “a sometimes food”. Now, being a student of the nutritional sciences, I can comprehend how it is important to teach young minds that they need to eat a balanced diet. I just think that cookies CAN and ARE an ALWAYS food. Just don’t eat too many, even just one can bring you back to that happy place. And don’t fret if you can’t bake your favorite varieties. These days cookie delivery is available worldwide from vendors such as David’s Cookies and people ship cookies in all sorts of varieties including gift baskets and cookie jars. Viva la Cookie!