Note: The following is a theory that arose in a discussion of why Girl Scout Cookies have the names that they do. Anyone who has read or knows about this, please let me know. I have yet to research it myself.
Growing up, I remember how great it would be the (few) times my brother and I could convince my mom to buy an over-priced box of Girl Scout Cookies. My favorites have always been Caramel Delights, with Grasshoppers coming in a close second.
What struck me as odd was seeing a box of Caramel Delights a few years ago, but noting that they weren't called "Caramel Delights," but rather "Samoas." My first response: WTF is a Samoa?
And what the heck is a Tagalong? I have a vague recollection of that cookie, but certainly not that name. (I am also not sure Thin Mints were "Thin Mints" but rather "Grasshoppers".)
It was joked that in Connecticut, there was a movement to remove us from racial or ethnic sounding food, as my friends here in NYC had always eaten "Samoas" and had never heard of "Caramel Delights". Who in Winsted ever heard of an ethnic restaurant besides all-you-can-eat Chinese? Taco Bell? Italian certainly. Samoa cookies??? No.
My friends thought we were/are too white for our own good. Perhaps, but I don't see the need to have a different name for a cookie based on the region of the U.S. in which it is sold. That just smacks of... something bad, particularly when the name in question is ethnic.
Is my memory distorted or what? Correct me, my faithful readers. Those who grew up with me in Connecticut, come to my defense (if that is possible). The responses of current or former Girl Scouts are given more credence.
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Ever since Wednesday Adams asked the girl-scout who was trying to sell a box of her Delicious Girl Scout Cookies: "Are they made from real Girl Scouts?" I am wondering not so much why they are called Girl Scout Cookies but rather What Are They Made Off...
good point. what are samoas really made from? certainly not caramel delight. ;)
Fact: Girl Scout Cookies are made from Girl Scout.
Fact: Samoa is an island in the South Pacific.
Therefor the people living there must be called Samoas.
Thus coming to the conclusion:
samoas cookies are really made from Samoas.
So, the answer to this cosmic question is this. The Girl Scout Cookies are produced and distributed by two different national bakeries: "ABC Bakers Company" and "Little Brownies Bakers", the latter being the better of the two. This explains why you may have heard different names for the cookies. And also, certain cookies are only available from each bakery. The thin mints, peanut butter sandwiches, and shortbread are required to be baked by both bakeries because they are the most popular.
Cookie Name - Also Known as
Caramel deLites - Samoas or S’mores
Peanut Butter Patties - Tagalongs or Hoedowns
Shortbread - Trefoils
Thin Mints - Thin Mints
Peanut Butter Sandwich - Do-Si-Dos or Savannahs
So, what's funny Josh, is that I also grew up in Winsted but only knew Caramel deLites as Samoas because my family only bought girl scout cookies if they were made by Little Brownies Bakers. One other piece of girl scout cookie info:
"No one was allowed to sell cookies before the 14th, and punishment is very stiff. Any troop members caught selling before "cookie day" lose all the money that their troop would have earned."
amazing.
i also wonder if girl scouts wouldn't just reap the benefits of constant cash flow if they sold year round.
i am sure that their strategy is "sell only once per year and everyone will stock up." however, i feel the reality is closer to the situation with the repealing of the blue laws in new england states.
when maryland first repealed it's blue law forbidding the sale of alcohol on sunday, many economists thought that the total alcohol sales would remain the same, with the daily amount slightly lower as it would be spread over 7 days rather than 6.
the reality was that the daily sales rate remained the same, and sunday was basically just bonus sales.
i bet girl scout cookies would work that way.
http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_history/
The name 'Thin Mint' is the same name for these cookies dating back to the 1960's in Connecticut. I was a Girl Scout and sold cookies back then. Since I craved these cookies at times of the year when they were not being sold, I discoverd Grasshopper cookies. Grasshopper is Keebler's version of the Thin Mint cookie, though they are coated in dark chocolate.
I also remember the strict guidelines of not selling cookies before a certain date. And a box of cookies cost $.50. I used my allowance to buy as many boxes as I could. And we had to wear our uniforms to sell these cookies door to door.
aaah, that's where i get the name "grasshopper."
mom, i forgot you were a girlscout.
i've always eaten samoas and tagalongs. when i saw caramel delites on a box for the first time last year...i convinced myself they were an inferior cookie
The true cookie: http://paducci.textamerica.com/?r=4331437
And what about the lemon cremes...didn't they have lemon cremes? Now they have these stupid powered wedges that taste lemony...but definitely are NOT cremey.
This has made made so hungry.
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