Spring Break
Peep Show
Candy critters steer students into delicious debates
ASHLEY BEEBE
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A marshmallow doesn't usually inspire passion.
But cover it in sugar and shape it like a baby animal, and suddenly there's a line drawn in the fluffy, plastic Easter grass.
Ask anyone - these tiny chicks, known as Peeps, instigate passion more polarizing than the Coke or Diet Coke debate.
On one side of the great Peep divide is Haley McBrayer, a senior from Roswell.
"I don't know why they're still around," she said. "They're just nasty."
Representing the pro-Peep side is Claudia Mejerle, a junior from Alpharetta.
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"I was actually arguing with a friend the other day because I love them, and he didn't," she said. "They're colorful, and I like marshmallows."
The texture of the miniature morsels may be what parts people over Peeps.
"They have a unique texture," said Robert Shewfelt, a professor and the undergraduate coordinator for the Department of Food Science and Technology.
"It's the gelatin that makes the chewy, gummy texture," Shewfelt said. "Texture is very important in the acceptability of food."
Peep vs. Peep
Love them or hate them, Peeps have inspired a huge following on the Internet.
There are more than 200 unofficial Peeps Web sites in existence, and a Google search returns myriad Peeps trials and tests, stories and cartoons.
One of the most unusual sites introduces a ritual called "Peep jousting," found at www.punkasspunk.com/peeps
The site's creator pits purple Peeps against their pink counterparts in a Peep championship of sorts. He numbers each Peep and even creates a Peep jousting bracket.
Toothpicks are inserted in two Peeps, and the pair are placed side by side in the microwave. Once the heat is turned on, whichever Peep expands fast enough to be the first to poke the other with its toothpick is named the winner and proceeds to the next round of the bracket.
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In the end, purple Peep No. 4 was crowned supreme Peep jouster.
It had its picture taken and was promptly discarded.
Peeps might have some innate jousting ability, but Shewfelt said it's more likely the winner just contains the most water.
Microwaves create heat by making water molecules rub together. The more water a Peep contains, the faster it will heat and expand, Shewfelt said.
So many Peep possibilities
Peep jousting is just one of a plethora of possibilities for Peeps that land in the hands of people who refuse to eat them.
One Web site follows Peeps as they travel around the world, while the official Peep site offers recipe suggestions, including Peep cookies and cake - even Peep fondue.
Extensive research has been conducted on Peeps, and researchers have found Peeps show a surprising ability to float on water.
The bite-sized critters also are very resilient. Researchers found that while destroying a Peep is difficult, it can be done.
Nothing tried in their tests, however, could dissolve Peep eyes.
That resiliency may make some skeptical about the benefits of eating the candy, but students shouldn't worry. Peeps contain mostly sugar, and it's fine to celebrate with a few Peeps at Easter, Shewfelt said.
But beware the lure of consuming Peeps year-round.
"If you become a Peep addict, you're consuming more calories - you'll put on weight," he said.
Sources: www.marshmallowpeeps.com;
www.warmanphotography.com/kent/peeps/passport.htm; www.peepresearch.org.
