Ode to the Oreo

This week we had the honor of visiting with Aunt Cookie and Uncle Don who were here from Ohio. As long as I can remember we have enjoyed a special oreo tradition with them as well as the rest of my dad's side of the family when we have the pleasure of seeing them. This visit, I learned how "The Order of the Oreo" began ....

I grew up in a beach going family near the Southern California Coast. When relatives visited in the summer - like Aunt Cookie, Uncle Don, and my cousins, a trip to Doheny Beach was usually part of the itinerary - complete with sunshine, body surfing, camp fires and s'mores of course! Well one particular evening, we had run out of s'more parts with too much evening left to play. So ..... Uncle Don and my Dad made a quick trip to the nearest grocery stop in San Clemente for some more s'more stuff. Only there was NO MORE S'MORE STUFF IN THE STORE!!! To avoid facing 6 hungry cousins back at the beach they quickly decided on a worthy substitute - a package of Oreo's and a jar of peanut butter. Upon returning we were quickly instructed how to disassemble an Oreo, spread a thin layer of peanut butter on top of the creamy filling, and then reassemble the Oreo. This new beach tradition was such a hit, that we decided that any new members added to the family - by marriage, adoption, or abduction would be instructed in this new Oreo snack discovery during an official Order of the Oreo Induction Ceremony - and so it has been every since .....

Some Order of the Oreo trivia you might care to know are .....
1. Some family members have been excused from the peanut butter step due to severe peanut allegies ....
2. Other Oreo fillings have been experimented with - dill pickles, onion slices, even bologna, but none equal the texture and taste of peanut butter.
3. Peanut Butter short cuts are often attempted - such as spreading the peanut butter on top of the cookie, or dipping the cookie into the jar - but these attempts often result in inferior peanut butter quantity and placement.
5. Oreo came out with a cookie that includes a peanut butter and cream filling - but it pales in comparison to true peanut butter that is hand spread onto a traditional Oreo. It is rumored that the idea for this "new" cookie was stolen from the Order of the Oreo founders.
6. President Nixon's Secret Service squad was sighted during the initial trip to purchase Oreo's and peanut butter. It is possible they may have been buying s'more ingredients, hence the reason there were none in the store that fateful night ....

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