Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the
Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined),
and Manipulated into What America Eats
By Steve Ettlinger (Hudson Street Press, $24)
At a family picnic, Steve Ettlinger was perusing the label of an
ice-cream bar. "Whatcha reading, daddy?" asked his then
six-year-old daughter. His son, in sixth grade, chimed in, reciting
some of the ingredients: high-fructose corn syrup, polysorbate 60
…, when his daughter asked, "Where does polysorbate 60 come from,
Daddy?" Ettlinger felt chagrined that he had no idea.
Hence, Twinkie, Deconstructed. The guts of the book consist of 24
chapters that tie in each Twinkie snack-food ingredient - not only
polysorbate 60 and corn-derived sweeteners but also sodium stearoyl
lactylate, monocalcium phosphate, and cellulose gum, to name a
small sampling. Ettlinger is not picking on the Twinkie snack cake;
he could have chosen numerous other
food products that contain
similar processed ingredients. He settled on Twinkies partly
because they are so well known and have spawned so many legends,
such as that of their alleged shelf life of 25 years, even when
unwrapped from their protective packaging. Although not trained as
an investigative journalist, Ettlinger digs deep. He does not,
however, adopt a prosecutorial or moral tone. He accepts that most
modern foods available in supermarkets contain processed
ingredients that find life in laboratories as well as in the soil.
The original Twinkie snack lacked many of today's ingredients. But
it also spoiled on the shelf within a week. The contemporary
Twinkie does not spoil as quickly, and it's still pleasing lots of
palates and is not causing much harm when consumed in moderation.
At the end of the book, Ettlinger can proudly make the statement,
"At least now you know what you're eating." - S.W.