The one thing I didn't see listed here as food, but still a good one, is Twinkies. Twinkies were popular back when people were worried about the A-Bomb, and they probably have a half life that's just as long. During a tour of an old bomb shelter I took years ago, there was an old box of them {Twinkies, not A-Bombs :-) } sitting on a shelf in the shelter. The tour guide said that Twinkies are one of the longest lasting edible foods created, mainly because of all the preservatives. With that in mind, we have a Hostess 'thrift-shop' here that sells them for a dollar a box; I bought 20 boxes..

If anything else, you should get enough sugar in your sweat to attract bees from 100 miles away; then you could live off the honey..

Actually, twinkies are only good for about three months, IIRC.

they will keep for some length of time in the freezer, but not indefinitely, they do get stale

That whole thing about twinkies having a really long shelf life is a complete myth. I saw something a while back on the history or discovery channel that talked about it. I think the myth got started since twinkies lasted longer than most other baked goods at the time they were created since they don't have any dairy ingredients. I'd say any canned foods or properly stored dry foods or even other candy bars would last much longer.

And aside from the high sugar content, I think twinkies have partially hydrogentated oil, making them very unhealthy, especially if consumed in large amounts as you would if you depended on them as a survival food. In fact if you ate only high sugar foods for any length of time you'd start feeling very unpleasant before long.

Does this mean your going to share your Twinkies before they go bad? It is breakfast time and I could go for one <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Sugar rush, yes. Nutrients, no. FWIW

That was funny!

Classic !! <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Scott

Wow, that guy died and didn't even open the box of Twinkies! Actually, you all got me curious. Guess what's listed at Snopes.com... Turns out that Twinkies don't last that long at all. Well, they do, but they get dry. According to a Hostess guy, Mr. Twinky I think, they expire them 25 days from the manufacture date. Tests have been done and found that Twinkies are edible for years, but they lose their moistness and become hard/stale. Gee, thanks guys. What am I going to do with 20 boxes of Twinkies? I guess I could use them as sling shot ammo.. <img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

"What am I going to do with 20 boxes of Twinkies?"

If you are not willing to send them to me, put them in ziplock bags and toss 'em in the freezer. Frozen twinkies are a delicacy here. (better than chilled monkey brains).

My favorite frozen snack is Girl Scout Thin Mint cookies. We buy them by the case and put them in the deep freeze. Nothing like pulling out a box on a hot summer day and savoring this chilled treat. Yeah, after about a year they get kinda dry (the freezer tends to pull the moisture out), but nobody complains. Especially with a tall glass of cold milk.

mmmmm frozen thin mints and twinkies...gargle, gargle. (ala Homer Simpson).

TR

Have you tried a deep fried Twinkie? My kids love them! There are lots of Recipies on the I-Net.

"What am I going to do with 20 boxes of Twinkies?"

Sprinkle a deep-fat-fried twinkie with magnesium chips, vacuum package it (which will probably take it down to the size of a beadie weenie), now you have a fire starter! Or a self-heating snack! Or both.......

I've got a really good bread pudding recipe using twinkies (not as good as my crispy creme bread pudding recipe, though).

Twenty boxes of twinkies would make a lot of bread pudding, maybe too much. <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

I too had heard that the shelf life was years, 27 years to be correct...so...in 1989, I put a Twinkie in a jar and sealed it up, with the intent on opening it 27 years later to see if it survived. I still have it. Hard as a rock but I'm not opening the jar...

Great pic there.

Make sure you tell a friend to post the results here... I can't imagine you living through that. <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Elaine eats the 50 year old butter cream cake. Either that's going to choke you to death or tear up your insides if you can keep it down without blowing chunks.

Anyone remember the "Twinky Defense" from San Francisco? A guy named Dan White killed the Mayor and a member of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco. His defense was that he had consumed too many twinkies in the days prior to the double murder. He died in prison. Ironically, I now work with a guy named Dan White. It is funny to introduce him, as old timers in law enforcement in this area will look at him funny. Some will even ask "are you THAT Dan White"?

I thought twinkies lasting forever was a urban legend?

I wonder how long a ring ding would last? <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Anybody remember when ring dings was one LARGE round piece ant not 2 small pieces like today.

So, just how dry do they get?

Can they be used as a fuel??? <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Sue

Yeah, I think it would be rough to eat. Just seeing it right now, I can't imagine eating it EVEN to survive...

so much for the myth of 27 year life.