Molly MacRae Monday: Gas Station Food

Note from Amy: As it happens, I suggest to folks at my talks that they may find some interesting treats at gas stations, like Hostess Pudding Pies. I didn't say delicious, I said interesting. Enjoy Molly's usual fantastic humor and outlook on food!-AA

My husband and I just got back from a road trip to Rocky Mountain National Park. We saw mule deer, pikas, marmots, magpies, chickarees, chipmunks, and hundreds of elk,. We also saw a bear, which might have been scary, but there were other people around who looked slower than us so we weren’t too worried. The aspens were turning golden and we were surrounded by russets and greens and a brilliant blue sky for two glorious weeks. The Rockies are absolutely gorgeous – everything John Denver ever sang about it (vintage music reference!)


But what does our trip have to do with vintage recipes? Not a lot, except that it explains why I’m late getting this blog piece to Amy.

Then again, it’s October, month of Halloween, perfect time for scary food of any kind, and we found ghastly stuff in spades at gas stations from Illinois to Colorado and back again. The “treats” they sell at filling stations/convenience stores give new meaning to the term “gas station.” Actually, some of the “goodies” given special placement near the cash registers look homemade, and I bet whoever makes them uses cookbooks Amy would covet.

Here’s a short list of what we avoided (like the plague): Rice crispy treats of every variety you can imagine; plastic-shrouded sandwiches; very large, dubious-looking cookies; hot dogs we could smell while still outside pumping gas; jerky made from any kind of animal with hoofs someone felt like shooting, fluorescent “juice;” soft drinks sold in cups the size of buckets; anything spelled with a k that should have been spelled with a c.

It was a great trip and now we’re home again, safe and sound. But wait, what’s that in the kitchen cupboard? Yes! There are still a few Moon Pies from the box Amy sent last month. Dig in!