by Mel R

Created on: May 14, 2009

You can trick some of the taste buds some of the time, but you can't trick all of the taste buds all of the time. That doesn't stop some folks from trying.

One instance of taste bud tomfoolery that cannot be forgotten has to be the women's magazine recipe section inspired Ritz Cracker Apple Pie. There were no apples in it. It was generally considered to be quite crafty and sly in the world of extension club meetings, and church carry-in suppers to pull off a ruse of this kind. Ladies that lunched for a cause would sit around with their snack trays balanced on their laps and exclaim how you couldn't tell the difference from the real thing. It should be mentioned that during most of these occasions the rainbow sherbert punch wasn't even spiked.

Looking back at those days, one has to wonder what the point really was of apple pie without the apples. Apples have never been especially expensive, and have always been available throughout the year due to their excellent storing qualities. They have always been a popular fruit and considered very healthful. Not since Snow White have there any reports of apple poisoning.

Convenience? Pouring apple juice over ritz crackers may be more convenient than peeling all those apples, but it starts to look like a bit of work when you consider that canned pie filling was available. Not to mention that electric can openers were standard in every kitchen at that time. I suppose there would be advantage in the shorter baking time, but once something is in the oven it's not really that taxing to wait for the timer to go off.

Did it taste better? I can't imagine that it did. It might have tasted something like apple pie, but not exactly like apple pie. the texture couldn't have been anything to get excited about. But it was good enough, and in that time, as now, for some folks that is all that mattered.

Apple pie without apples was good enough. That is the answer. That is why some will continue to try to fool the taste buds without any good cause. If you are willing to settle for crackers when you could every bit as easily have apples not only can your taste buds be fooled, they can be controlled. Does Hamburger Helper Stroganoff really taste anything like beef stroganoff made with beef fillet, handmade noodles, and real butter? Can you even answer that question from experience? Have your taste buds been fooled?

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