Legend of the Moon Pie - Page: 2
Alluding to the old proverb about eating the moon
- A Moon Pie is a miniature full-moon-shaped, edible, sticky, somewhat crunchy concoction of graham cracker cookie dough and marshmellows which is covered with chocolate.
Born in Tennessee in the early nineteen hundreds, Moon Pies were originally made for coal miners as a special treat to brighten their black days under ground. Legend has it that the name Moon Pie originated with a miner who once said, "I'd like a cookie as big as the moon."
Well, the Moon Pie is not as big as the moon but it is big on flavor. After the first bite into a Moon Pie the flavor explodes, filling the mouth with a delectible taste that is pure bliss. It is no wonder that Moon Pies have held their popularity since their genesis in the early nineteen hundreds.
Country folk swear that after the first bite into a Moon Pie, an image of the Man-in-the-Moon appears on the surface of the pie--and winks.
- Once a long time ago, there was an old man named Plumion who lived alone, for he was unmarried and very poor. In winter he made his living by gathering wood and selling his bundles in the market place for a few precious coins with which he would purchase food.
One day Plumion was busy about his work when the weather turned terribly bad. The snow swirled around him with stinging fingers and the northwind howled like ravinous wolves. Plumion was shivering from the harsh wintery blast. His only warmth came from a flimsy woolen neck scarf, a time-worn hat and thread-bare gloves which had long ago seen a better day. He was thankful for the heavy sack of wood on his back which gave him some extra warmth and protection. Plumion's vissage did, indeed, speak to his poverty.
Now it happened along the way that Plumion came upon a ragged old woman who asked him for a handful of wood to burn for heat. He was filled with compassion and gave unto her his entire sack of wood. In return, she gave to him a bag of sweet crumbs which he placed in his deepest pocket. Plumion was so taken with this humble act that he removed his scarf and placed it around the hag's neck.
A little farther down the road, he met a cat who had lost its mittens. The poor cat, between licking frostbitten paws, implored the stranger for his gloves. Plumion took pity on the half-frozen cat and placed his mousquetaires on its freezing front paws. The cat was very thankful, but had nothing with which to repay the woodsman. He picked up a handful of pure white snow, rolled it into a sphere and gave it to Plumion, who dropped it into his deepest pocket with the crumbs.
Some distance along and around a bend, Plumion came upon a bird entangled in a berry bush. He freed the bird and received in thanks a scoop of sweet brown snow-berries which she had gathered for her babies. He dropped the berries into his deepest pocket with his other two considerations.
Not far from the berry bush, Plumion came upon a black mongrel dog sitting on a snowbank by the side of the road. The dog asked the man for a morsel of food and his hat to stave off the cold.
It was now dark and the moon had risen, but the poor woodsman placed his hat on the dog's head. He then began going through his pockets in hopes of finding something to give to the poor hungry dog.
Feeling something flat and circular in his deepest pocket, he pulled out and saw in the moonlight a large perfectly round, brown, cookie-like edible. The crumbs, the snow, the brown berries and the moonlight had combined with compassion to form what we know today as--a Moon Pie.
Plumion gave the treat to the dog who left not a crumb. Placing his cold hands into his pocket, Plumion felt another cookie and left it with the thankful dog.
Then another came, which he enjoyed.
Well, to Plumion's surprise, the round chocolate cookies continued to come from his pocket! A gift from the moon, the wind seemed to whisper to him. The poor woodsman took sight of his new opportunity.
The next day, and for years to come, from a booth in the village square Plumion sold his cookies from sunup to sundown as he called out to the passersby: "Moon Pies here. Come and get your Moon Pies. Moon Pies, Moon Pies." And Plumion and all of the people lived happily everafter.
It is true that since Moon Pies hit their zenith in 1950, in excess of 125 million of these sweet treats are bought yearly. The two Carolinas eat more Moon Pies than all of the other states combined. Moon Pies are a Southern phenomenon.
In days past, the four-inch in diameter Moon Pies were nearly always eaten with an RC Cola--Royal Crown Cola. Today, it is hard to find an RC Cola, though Moon Pies are still strong on the shelves.
Of the three flavors--chocolate, vanilla and banana--the original chocolate remains the all-time favorite, as well as my favorite.
The next time you visit your favorite market, look for Moon Pies. Your won't be sorry. In fact, buy several boxes of these individually wrapped Moon Pies and give to the little goblins as they arrive at your door for Trick or Treat.
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