taste test

one of my favorite things in the world is a bargain. but how is a consumer to know if that store brand "compare to" product is really a comparable product and not just a shoddy replica? well, in general, i don't know. but in the specific case of meijer-brand miniature fudge shortbread cookies, i can tell you definitively that they are indeed, a suitable replacement for the keebler brand.

now, i have a strong emotional connection to the keebler fudge stripes. my mom was a blood bank nurse, and she and my dad often worked opposite shifts. they used to joke that it was because they couldn't stand to be around each other more than that. at least, i think they were joking. i digress. when we would go into the blood bank, mom's friend beryl would stuff us with pops and cookies. i think she enjoyed hyping us up and sending us home with my mom. the fudge stripes were my favorite of all the cookies and we never had them at home so they were extra special when we could get them at the blood bank. so don't take this endorsement lightly.

i sometimes wonder if it was all this early exposure to the blood bank that made my brother and i so incredibly squeamish.