What's a Twinkie?

Many people assume that B and I met in school or, at the least, somewhere in the US. We didn't, of course, but that doesn't stop people from assuming B is either from or has lived in the US for a significant amount of time. He hasn't. And that fact often leads to conversations like the following.

The scene: It's a normal Sunday, which means that B and I are hanging out inside, with our Rollbladen down to block out any potential sunlight (nothing else positively identifies that we are not authentic Swiss more than this - no Sunday nature hikes for us!).

B is using his headphones to listen to a podcast about gaming by Total Biscuit, a British man with an American wife. He begins to giggle to himself.

Me: What are you laughing about?

B: This guy is talking about when he visited his wife in the US. Apparently, she had him eat a deep-fried Twinkie [link NSFW due to language].

Me: Yech, that sounds about right. She probably took him to a state fair. <returns to reading>

There is a pause of several moments.

B: Hey, so...what's a Twinkie?

Me (in all my cultural understanding): YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT A TWINKIE IS!?? How can you not know what a Twinkie is?

B: Is it like some sort of pastry?

Me: No. Ok, yes, but only in the vaguest sense. You wouldn't recognize it as such.

Several days later, I confronted him about his lack of Twinkie knowledge and he defended himself.

B: Well, I'd heard of Twinkies, I just didn't really know what they were. I thought they were chocolate dipped sausages.

Me: EWW, that sounds disgusting! Why would anyone make that? It would taste so gross!

B: Exactly! I thought that's why people said they were gross. And I was like - well, yeah, they're meat dipped in chocolate.

Me: Actually, that would probably taste better than real Twinkies. Touché.


PS: Apparently sausage+chocolate has been tried (more common is the bacon+chocolate trend).

PPS: If you don't know what a Twinkie is, may I suggest revisiting this classic scene in Ghostbusters: