Fat Kid Favorites

  In this section, we'll take you into a bit of the history (once again, probably jacked straight from Wikipedia) of some of the essential food for any and every fat kid.  If it tastes good, we'll tell you about it.  Tasty pictures included.

Burgers.

Originating in Hamburg, Germany, Hamburgers originally consisted of roast pork on a roll.  The lower class, however, used meatscaps in lou of pork.  Meatscraps were, over time, replaced with ground beef.  Hamburgers were introduced into America by German immigrants in the 1800's.  The oldest hamburger chain in America is White Castle, who started selling burgers in 1921.  Cheeseburgers were invented by a curious 16 year old in 1924.  Burgers didn't become the popular food item they are today, however, until McDonald's came along in the 1940's.

Cake.

Cake dates back centuries.  It is so old, that I couldn't even find out the history of it.  People just don't know.  There are literally thousands of kinds of cakes.  Cake is the traditional dessert of both birthdays and weddings.

Chef Boyardee.

Believe it or not, Chef Boyardee (born Ettore Bolardi, 1897 -- 1985) was a real person.  This Italian chef immigrated to America at the age of 16, and quickly rose to fame in New York City for his cooking skills, so much that he became the head chef at the world famous NYC Plaza Hotel.  Bolardi opened his first restaurant in  1926 in Cleveland, Ohio.  His spaghetti sause was so popular that he began selling it in old milk bottles in his restaurant.  Demand was so great, he opened his own factory in 1928.  At the time of his death, Chef Boyardee products were bringing in $500 million a year.

Chocolate.

Chocolate was first used by the Aztec and Maya.  They took the seeds of the cacao tree (aka...  Chocolate) and mixed it with water, to make a bittersweet drink that only the highest noblemen and clerics were allowed.  As a matter of fact, the word Chocolate comes from an Aztec word meaning "Bitter water."  So, why do so many people like chocolate so much?  Because chocolate's melting point is just below the human body temperature it triggers the release of Serotonin in the brain.   Serotonin is responsible for mood, sexuality, and appetite.  Straight up, chocolate chemically brings you the feeling of pleasure.

Little Debbie/Hostess.

Little Debbie was founded by McKey Foods in 1928 in Chattanooga, TN.  Little Debbie was named after the founders then four year old granddaughter.  The little girl in the logo is physically based off of the child as well.  Hostess' history takes a little more explaining.  In 1925, a bakery known as Taggart Bakery started selling their own brand of white bread, Wonder Bread.  Taggart Bakery was bought by the Continental Baking Company (which later merged with Interstate Brands Corporation to form the Interstate Baking Corporation).  Continental Baking Company invented Hostess Cakes to try to boost Wonder Bread's popularity with vendors.  In 1930, they introducted Twinkies.  Twinkies were originally filled with a banana-flavored filling, but were forced to switch to the cream filling they have now during a banana shortage in World War II.

Hot Dogs.

Hotdogs are also called Frankfutters/Franks, named after Frankfurt, Germany, and Wieners/Weenies, named after Vienna, Austria (which is called "Wien" in Germany).  Like burgers, hotdogs were introduced to America by German immigrants in the 1870's.  Hotsogs are most popular in America.  Micky Mouse's first spoken words were "Hot Dog!"

Ice Cream.

Before modern refrigeration, ice cream was a luxury item.  It was originally made with ice and salt and took quite and ordeal to make.  In 1846, an American inventor named Nancy Johnson invented the hand-cranked churn, allowing ice cream to be mass-produced -- making it a the popular dessert item it is today.  The sundae, ice cream cone, and banana split were all invented during the late 19th/early 20th century.

Macaroni and Cheese.

Urband Legend says that Macaroni and Cheese was invented by Thomas Jefferson.  The oldest known record of a recipe, however, dates back to 1802.  Boxed Mac and Cheese has been around since 1937. 

Pie.

The pie has been around since about 2000 B.C., around the time of the ancient Egyptians. At some point between 1400 B.C. (the time of Greek settlements) and 600 B.C. (the time of the decline of Egypt), the pie is believed to have been passed on to the Greeks by the Egyptians.  From Greece the pie spread to Rome, somewhere around 100 B.C. by which time pies had already been around for some 1,000 years. The first known pie recipe came from the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.  Pies appeared in England in the 12th century and were predominantly meat pies. The crust of the pie was referred to as the “coffyn” and there was generally more crust than filling. Sometimes these pies were made with fowl and the legs were left outside the pie to act as handles. For a long time the pastry crust was actually not eaten, serving only to preserve the moisture and flavour of the filling.  Pies went to America with the first English settlers. As in Roman times the early American pie crusts were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling. Today, virtually every country in the world has some form of pie.

Pizza.

Pizza dates back to 14th Century Italy.  The first modern Pizzaria opened in Naples in 1830.  Italian immigrants introducted pizza to America in the late 19th Century.  America's first pizzaria was founded in 1905 in Little Italy, in Manhatten, NY.  At first, only Italian immigrants ate pizza.  It wasn't until World War II -- where soldiers stationed in Italy discovered the food -- that it became popular to the general public.

Potato Chips.

It is believed that the original potato chip recipe was created by Native American/African American chef George Crum, at Moon's Lake House near Saratoga Springs, New York on August 24, 1853. He was fed up with a customer who continued to send his fried potatoes back, because they were too thick and soggy. Crum decided to slice the potatoes so thin that they couldn't be eaten with a fork, nor fried normally in a pan, so he decided to stir fry the potato slices. Against Crum's expectation, the guest was ecstatic about the new chips. They became a regular item on the lodge's menu under the name "Saratoga Chips". They soon became popular throughout New England. Eventually, potato chips spread beyond chef-cooked restaurant fare and began to be mass produced for home consumption; Dayton, Ohio-based Mike-sell's Potato Chip Company, founded in 1910, calls itself the "oldest potato chip company in the United States".

Tacos.

Believe it or not, I couldn't find any info on the history of tacos on Wikipedia.  So, let me tell you this:  They are from Mexico and they are delicious.  That's all you need to know.