Moon Pies

A southern tradition, made in Chattanooga, TN. Are they sold outside the south? Any of y'all northerners and westerners have them available?

carl reitz

There's an incredible roadfood "hotel", though they call themselves a "B & B" (Beer & Breakfast) called The Shackup Inn. They put a moonpie on your pillow everynight.

carl reitz

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

A southern tradition, made in Chattanooga, TN. Are they sold outside the south? Any of y'all northerners and westerners have them available?

carl reitz

We can get them in the Peoria (IL) area at Save-A-Lot grocery stores as well as Deals and other "Dollar"-type discount stores. Most common are the banana or chocolate; rarely are the vanilla available.

I live in NJ and we can get them around here but u do have to search for them. They are the best though!

Oh yeah, moonpies and a RC Cola. Another fine southern tradition.

We have em here in Fresno, CA at several grocery stores.

Are moonpies the same as Whoopie Pies?

Anyone ever try microwaving MoonPies? It's one of the three top reasons for owning a microwave (popcorn and reheating being the other two, in my book). For the standard size pie, 12 to 15 seconds at full power ought to do it. You want the filling to puff up good, almost to the point of explosion, and the chocolate coating to develop a sheen. When those two things happen, they're ready.

Fred Sauceman
Johnson City, Tennessee

Fred, I don't know where you have been but I have missed your insightful posts. If I can't read your submissions here, where can I read about the places you are recommending?

carl reitz

I am use to the traditional but I really like the banana ones available now. They use to be associated with the RC Cola. That is not available now but regardless, my favorite drink is the Diet Coke

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Carl,

My newspaper columns on food are all archived on our Public Radio web page, wets.org. You'll see the button on the lefthand side of the page. I'm currently in discussion with a publisher who is interested in doing a collection of some of my food-related material, but I'm not sure what the timetable is yet. Thanks for asking.

Fred Sauceman
Johnson City, Tennessee

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

A southern tradition, made in Chattanooga, TN. Are they sold outside the south? Any of y'all northerners and westerners have them available?

carl reitz

[:P]Many (30) years ago, we had to cross the river into Kentucky to get moon pies, but they have migrated into Ohio since then, where they tend to be found along the north/south highways at truck stops and convenience stores. There used to be (is there still?) a real difference in quality among moon pies, some were made with cotton seed fiber and cotton seed oil and tasted like cardboard, while other makers used better quality ingredients and they tasted almost heavenly. Ya gotta love 'em.

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

There's an incredible roadfood "hotel", though they call themselves a "B & B" (Beer & Breakfast) called The Shackup Inn. They put a moonpie on your pillow everynight.

carl reitz

I love it!!! so---what is this place called and where is it!!!

quote:

Originally posted by RubyRose

Are moonpies the same as Whoopie Pies?

No---Moon Pie=graham cracker top and bottom--marshmellow interior--dipped in chocolate---and for you southerners---

Whoopie pie---sandwich made of devils food cake with whipped cream interior---the best being too sloppy to eat without a fork---or over the sink!

Their available in the Detroit area. I recently had one with orange flavoring.

I think it's Bell Buckle, Tn. that has an annual Moon Pie & Sundrop festival.

The Sundancer rode his bicycle to school in 1950 and I had a paper route at that time. I was eight yeras old and the route was eight miles long. I picked my papers up at a very rural country store across the road from Third Creek Baptist Church. Each day I would treat myself with a Moon Pie or a Mayfields vanilla cup ice cream with a wood spoon.. I did this paper route for five years, seven days a week. It taught me a lot on how to deal with people and how to focus. The ice cream and Moon Pie was a nickle. I made at the most $3.00 weekly if everybody paid for their bill which rarely happened.

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I had my first Moon Pie in Memphis in the early 70's- and an RC. As a kid i liked but i loathe them now. Any 7-Eleven around Chicago sells em. See em everyday but just can't stomach the imitation everything they're made with.

quote:

Originally posted by jeepguy

I had my first Moon Pie in Memphis in the early 70's- and an RC. As a kid i liked but i loathe them now. Any 7-Eleven around Chicago sells em. See em everyday but just can't stomach the imitation everything they're made with.

I am not going to debate the ingredients that you stated is imitation. The Sundancer has enjoyed this pastry for at least 60 years. I personally cannot tell the difference in the product now vs. then. I carried papers on my Schwinn bicycle for eight miles daily for many years and I had a Moonpie with a RC Cola for a nickel each almost every day. I alternated with a nickel cup of Mayfields vanilla ice cream with a wood spoon and a Grapette. It was wonderful and it was what I rewarded myself with on my $3.00 weekly if all my customers paid me which rarely happened.

I contacted the bakery and their response is that the product is the same as it was originally baked.

http://www.moonpie.com/hist_text.asp

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I like Moon Pies but don't have eat them very much. I prefer Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies.

Of course, without the Moon Pie, we would not have the NRBQ song, "RC Cola and A Moon Pie". And that would be a shame indeed.

RC and a Moon Pie is a very old expression that i always heard as a young man in Memphis. And as far as Moon Pie ingredients go, yes the same but still pretty funky with that waxy chocolate coating. Pretty gross in my book.

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

I think it's Bell Buckle, Tn. that has an annual Moon Pie & Sundrop festival.

Oh no...I was dragged to this on zero sleep after working an overnight at NewsChannel 5.
An interesting happening. I wish I remembered most of the occasion. It looked like fun, but I was hovering on the edge of reality and my boyfriend kept running over and laughing at the world's biggest Moon Pie. It was the size of card table. Bizarre.

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I am use to the traditional but I really like the banana ones available now. They use to be associated with the RC Cola. That is not available now but regardless, my favorite drink is the Diet Coke

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

RC never went away.

quote:

Originally posted by Poverty Pete

I think it's Bell Buckle, Tn. that has an annual Moon Pie & Sundrop festival.

It is Bell Buckle, TN and it is RC not Sundrop.
Last time I was on the Moonpie website you could buy a "Working Man's Lunch" It is/was a nylon lunch sack with the Moonpie logo and contains a doubledeck Moonpie and can of RC.

quote:

Originally posted by sauceman

Carl,

My newspaper columns on food are all archived on our Public Radio web page, wets.org. You'll see the button on the lefthand side of the page. I'm currently in discussion with a publisher who is interested in doing a collection of some of my food-related material, but I'm not sure what the timetable is yet. Thanks for asking.

Fred Sauceman
Johnson City, Tennessee


Fred, sorry for the late response. Good luck with your forthcoming book. I hope you'll let us know, especially here in East TN, when it is released.

quote:

Originally posted by tiki

quote:

Originally posted by carlton pierre

There's an incredible roadfood "hotel", though they call themselves a "B & B" (Beer & Breakfast) called The Shackup Inn. They put a moonpie on your pillow everynight.

carl reitz

I love it!!! so---what is this place called and where is it!!!

Another late response, but here goes, Tiki. The ShackUpInn is an incredible B & B ( Beer & Breakfast) just outside Clarksdale, MS. A guy bought some old sharecropper shacks and now rents them out for overnight guests. He's also just renovated an old cotton gin and has made about another half dozen units there. it's a funky little place but truly unique.

quote:

Sundancer7 Posted - 11/24/2004 : 17:59:42
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I am use to the traditional but I really like the banana ones available now. They use to be associated with the RC Cola. That is not available now but regardless, my favorite drink is the Diet Coke

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I regularly travel throughout the upper midwest, frequently stopping at filling stations and rest stops. Moon Pies have been a part of the northern snack food culture for as long as I can remember. Not only that but, RC Cola is still available up north, making this venerable southern combination more readily attainable in my neck of the woods than in the land of its origin. It's a crazy mixed up world ain't it? I've also heard that in some areas the preffered combination is a Moon Pie and a Yoo-Hoo. Any confirmation from out there?

quote:

Originally posted by Sundancer7

I am use to the traditional but I really like the banana ones available now. They use to be associated with the RC Cola. That is not available now but regardless, my favorite drink is the Diet Coke

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, I get RC Cola out here in Nebraska. Surely they have it in Tennessee?
Pat