end of innocence...

Peeps..I absolutely LOVE them. Always have, in fact. Even when I was a kid, on Easter morning when my brother and I would come downstairs to discover that the Bunny had left us a huge basket of goodness, I immediately went for the bright yellow chickens. After sitting open in a basket all night, they would acquire the crispy staleness that enhanced their flavor. I remember once, in kindergarden, my mom put some peeps in my lunch. For some reason, I, and the two or three other people who sat at my table (Alania Bartley and Fasil Toor were two of them) went and got our lunches and began eating during class. I don't remember much about it, but I do know that I was eating my peeps, and had just finished licking all the sugar off when the teacher came over and made us put our lunches back. She wouldn't even let me finish eating the peeps I had just prepared for consumption.

In high school, I discovered a forbidden love--the frozen peep. After Easter, I would buy them on sale at kmart for ridiculously low prices, and then freeze them to carry me well into the summer. I would ration them out, one peep a day, in order to extend their pleasure. This, of course, was before the world became inundated with peep-culture. Back in the day, you could only get peeps (either chicks or rabbits, and only in pink or yellow) at Easter.

Yesterday, I was in Target with a friend from work, and she was buying baskets for her kids. I, of course, picked up some peeps (on sale, 5 packs for 4 dollars-yellow chicks and pink bunnies only). Everything was peeps! There were large stuffed baskets, ink pens, key chains, beanie toys. They were in pink and yellow, but also in blue, white, purple, and a special "target red" edition. It was peeps overkill--and I have to say that I think a little part of me died yesterday. Peeps were the last innocent vestige of childhood that I think I had been able to cling to for all these years, and now, they, like most everything, have sold out. I don't know if I'll be able to enjoy them in the same capacity again.