Wednesday, July 7, 2010

I'm a Peanut Butter Snob


It's true. I'm pretty frugal (read cheap) when it comes to the food we eat. But when it comes to peanut butter, well, I'm a snob.

One day, a long time ago (the 80's is now a long time ago), my Mom came home with 2 different brands of peanut butter. Our family had been die hard Skippy fans for years. However, I guess Mom decided that it was time to venture out and try some new flavors. After all, she didn't want us to grow up to be Those Kind of People, the kind who get squemish at the thought of trying a (gasp) new type of french fry!

So she pulled all 4 kids into the brown and yellow striped wallpapered kitchen, individually, so that the taste test could be authentic and void of any older brother bullying. I remember when it was my turn I felt really excited that I got to be a part of such an important decision in the family. Peanut butter! I was helping decide the fate of which peanut butter brand would be slabbed onto my lunch sandwich everyday! For a 7 year old, it's a big deal.

My Mom told me to stand still and close my eyes. She carefully turned around and faced the yellow Formica countertop. There were 2 opened jars of peanut butter. One read Skippy; the other Jif. She dipped a spoon in one jar then proceeded to tell me to "Open your mouth." I stood with my hands behind my back, and relished the joyous peanut butter taste in mouth. It wasn't every day my Mom let me eat peanut butter straight from the jar!

Next, she took out another spoon and had me taste the 2nd peanut butter. After scrapping every last glop from my mouth, I told her which one tasted better and she sent me on her way. After each sibling had a turn in the Peanut Butter Taste Test Laboratory, Mom revealed the results. Jif won in a landslide victory of 4-0! Ever since that day, I've been a devout Jif fan. There is just something perfect about this peanut butter.

And lucky for me, Hy-Vee is having a sale this week: 2 Jif peanut butter jars for $4! Sure, it's more than the Aldi brand peanut butter, but if you are a snob like me, it's worth it!

1 comment: