Sophia Rosenbaum takes a bite out of a new Twinkie. “It’s pretty gross. You can tell it’s completely fake,” she said, folding the wrapping back over the uneaten morsel. (David McGlynn)
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Twinkies returned to shelves yesterday, but not all New Yorkers were sweet on the spongy new treats.
“They’re not as good as when I was a kid,” said accountant Karen D’Aleo, who munched on one of the free, cream-filled cakes being dished out of a Hostess truck at the corner of 48th Street and Sixth Avenue. “I grew up on Twinkies.”
Many said the treats were smaller, and New Jersey resident Kevin Grady, who once worked as a cook, said they were chewier than he remembered.
“I like them a little more spongy, like angel food cake,” he said.
Hostess said changes to the size and shelf life, which increased from 26 to 45 days, had been made before the company tanked in November.
To herald the storied snack’s return, the new owners drummed up hype using billboards, social media and an appearance on the “Today” show.
The Hostess truck, set to embark on a cross-country tour, was armed with 20,000 of the yellow logs, free T-shirts and the snack’s own mascot, Twinkie the Kid.
CUNY student Sophia Rosenbaum waited in line for a free shirt — only afterward biting into one of the snacks for the first time.
“It’s pretty gross. You can tell it’s completely fake,” she said, folding the wrapping back over the uneaten morsel.
In contrast to the Midtown feeding frenzy, only a fraction of the city’s supermarket chains were stocked with Twinkies yesterday.
And the few shops that were had no problems with hungry masses. A display at an Upper West Side Gristedes sat largely untouched throughout the day.
Outside the five boroughs, however, Twinkies were flying off the shelves.
Selvin Bell was hunting for the cakes at a Valley Stream, LI, Walmart for his wife. After coming up empty, he finally got a manager to hand over a box.
Outside a New Hyde Park, LI, Stop & Shop, which also stocked the treats, some residents said they would rather see Twinkie the Kid ride into the sunset.
“I think they are horrible,” Mark Brynien said.
“They cause health concerns and should be off the market, to be honest.”
But Twinkies are here to stay, says snack-food enthusiast Jaxon Jenkins, who followed the Hostess saga on his blog, Junk Food Critic.
“One word: nostalgia,” he said.
Additional reporting by Leonica Valentine and Kevin Fasick