The ultimate Canadian comfort food?
Written by: Julie Ovenell-CarterThe world divides into sugar-and-butter people and salt-and-butter people.
Those who, like me, fall into the latter category do not heed the siren call of those bags of little chocolate bars that seem to be everywhere at this time of year.
We are not tempted to tiptoe into our sleeping children’s rooms and steal from their trick-or-treat bags. Unless…unless there is a small bag of Hawkins Cheezies in there among all the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Glosette Raisins. Then the gloves are off.
Made in Belleville, Ontario, with “real Canadian cheddar cheese” and without preservatives, these venerable and delicious neon-orange sticks of crunchy corn meal bear all the hallmarks of genuine comfort food: carbs, crunch and calories.
In fact, they are so incredibly lacking in nutritional merit–a small 45-gram bag contains 25% of your daily fat allowance and 16% of your sodium allowance–that I’m a little surprised they are still so popular.
I eat them anyway and comfort myself that they are so filling I can’t eat too many.
So keep your mere candy. Give me food that schmecks and bring on the Canadian Cheezies.
Only in Canada, eh?
(Disclosure: Sadly, the Hawkins Cheezies people did not give me free Cheezies. But if they did, I’d take them and wouldn’t share.)
Ms Traveling Pants
on October 29th, 2009I don’t crave the Halloween candy either. I am originally from Wisconsin, the Cheese State just South of your border. I would love to try those Canadian Cheezies.
Julie Ovenell-Carter
on October 29th, 2009We should do a trade…what’s a uniquely American Halloween treat? I’ll send you mine if you send me yours!
Erika Wah
on October 29th, 2009Huh – this is the first year I actually bought Cheezies to give out, Julie. Come on by! I love the chocolate myself.
And, I admit I do love Reeses but too many peanut allergies abound (even in my own house!) At the store last night stocking up for H’ween, my sister and I met another mom confessing hiding those sweet and salty Reeses peanut butter cups from her allergic son!
Kathryn Aberle
on November 22nd, 2009Well after Halloween but just found this thread now. There was a time a number of years ago when I was addicted to Hawkins Cheezies. Yes, addicted! Oh, I said I was pulling into the Chevron station for gas, but really … every day on my way home from work? Let’s be honest here. The back seat of my car was littered with Cheezie bags. It was disgusting. I was ashamed to offer people a ride. But something happened. Now, I can barely stand the things.
Randall Shirley
on November 23rd, 2009Despite being Amernadian for more-than 8 years, I was only introduced to Hawkins Cheezies this most recent Halloween. I’ve always loved Cheetos, but am now officially in love with the Hawkins product. YUM YUM YUM. I ate several small bags before allowing myself to look at the nutritional info, and stopped immediately. They will be a very infrequent, but muched craved treat!