Deep-Fried Twinkies

By Glenn Miller

GOD’S WORD: “This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.” – Exodus 12:11

On the weekend preceding the first Monday of every month, thousands of people from all over the country converge on the small East Texas town of Canton to visit the hundreds of acres of “the world’s largest garage sale.”

One can find just about anything there. From used stuff to brand new stuff; from lawnmowers to lithographs; from dominoes to dinglehoppers. It’s a cross between a country fair and an old-time bazaar. As I entered the gate a few years back, I saw a lot of things I’d never seen before.

There was a coffee table made out of an elephant’s foot, homemade eggplant preserves, velvet paintings of the president, and rows upon rows of folklore artisans that would rival any of today’s classical artists. And then there are the hundreds of stands selling everything from hot dogs to corny dogs; from BBQ to ice cream; from gyros to hoagies. But it was one of these stands in particular that caught my eye. I thought in my years I had seen it all, but apparently I hadn’t been to Canton before. There in one of the corners, next to Aunt Beulah’s Quilts, was a vendor selling…DEEP FRIED TWINKIES!

My curiosity had the best of me, and I just had to try one to see what it was like. (I don’t need much of an excuse to eat, but this was in the name of science!) At first, it reminded me of a Mexican Sopapilla, but then came the familiar taste of the creamy center that only a Twinkie can have. Something just wasn’t right. The texture and the taste just didn’t belong together. It was culinary sacrilege. Mustering the courage to continue investigating, the second one was about the same as the first and left me with no desire for a third. So, I moseyed down the row to see what I could find to cleanse my palate. (Word of advice: Margueritas are not good deep-fried-Twinkie chasers.)

So how do I tie this into a spiritual matter? Oh, ye of little faith! I suppose that there are just some things that don’t need to be improved upon. God created things that man can never replicate: a sunset, a sunrise, a cool rain on a hot summer day, and any number of things found in nature. But quite often, man believes he can improve on God’s creation and only ends up making things worse.

God created the world that we may enjoy Him and live abundantly in it.