The Great Debate

Every week before I head out to the grocery store to stock our cupboards with nutritional food that will fuel my family, I ask the same question..."Does anyone have any special requests?". I don't stop asking until everyone youngest to oldest has either given me an idea or I have received an unequivocal "no". Before you begin showering me with accolades in regards to my mothering skills and asking me for advice, I must divulge the true reason behind my search for special grocery/meal requests. First, each week I hope they have a better meal idea than I have thought of myself. Secondly, if they don't contribute to the plan, then they have no right to complain about what is prepared for them.

While I didn't receive a meal idea this week, I did have a request for Oreo Cookies. They didn't stop there, they specified "NOT KIDDO's". For those of you who are not familiar with Kiddo's, I will enlighten you. They are Kroger's answer to the Oreo (what some of you may call store brand or less favorably generic). For years I have purchased Kiddo's and for years my family (and extended family) have heckled me. Yesterday, I had had all the ribbing I could take. You might say I cracked. I was bound and determined to get to the bottom of the great cookie debate.

I returned from Kroger with both Oreo's and Kiddo's in tow and a taste test ensued. I had 9 test subjects, that included Scott and our boys, David, Colleen and Michael, and Colleen's boyfriend Nelson. I had them each close their eyes while I fed them a cookie (yes, I fed them because I didn't want the test skewed by reading the name on the cookie with their fingers--this is a highly accurate test we have going here).

I know you are dying to find out the results so I won't delay in telling you that it was a close call, but the Oreo did come out on top in a 5 to 4 split decision. I tried to argue that it wasn't an overwhelming win, but Jacob had a really good point. The people that I buy for are the ones that can tell the difference. He had me there. It was at that moment that I vowed to never again purchase Kiddo's over Oreo's unless of course it came down to Oreo's vs. Diet Coke and then Oreo's are out.

Stay tuned...next week we will contemplate the virtue of Apple Jacks over Apple Dapples.