Don't Roast the Easter Peeps

Easter is around the corner. Store shelves are stocked with Easter Peeps, those sugary sweet puffs of fluff in a variety of colors and shapes. No one in my family is really a fan of Peeps so one Easter, several years ago, we decided to try an experiment with pink Peeps since the grandchildren were visiting. We sat around a fire pit and tried to roast them as you would a yummy marshmallow. Thinking they were a type of cousin to a marshmallow, we were shocked to watch in amazement that the fire didn’t roast them turning them into a soft, warm blob of sweet goodness but only melted them into a hardened plastic-like blob; rendering them rather indestructible.

Our Finding: PEEPS DON’T ROAST!

Which explains why this funny article in last month’s LDS Living Magazine caught my eye. I think it will give you a chuckle:

What Easter basket is complete without one of those gooey yellow chicks sitting contentedly on the plastic grass? But Peeps are more than just a lovable and tasty candy; in fact, thanks to research conducted in 1999 by Emory University scientists James Zinring and Gary Falcon, Peeps have gained a reputation for being nearly indestructible.

Strength: Most consumers of the marshmallow treat believe the candy is made primarily of sugar, a substance that dissolves in water. However, Zinring and Falcon found that the Peeps refuse to dissolve and instead merely float on top of the water, hot or cold. Peeps also cannot be dissolved in acetone, surfuric acid, or sodium hydroxide.

Weakness: Zinring and Falcon successfully deconstructed Peeps by dousing them in Phenol, a solvent with the ability to dissolve protein (coincidentally, this solvent is lethal to humans). The candy was dissolved within an hour, but left behind the wax eyes common to Peeps.

Americans, for the most part, are oblivious to this research and continue to buy over 700 million Peeps a year. In their 60 years of existence, marshmallow Peeps show no signs of losing their beloved status in Easter tradition.

And guess what???

SendOutCards has a PINK PEEPS greeting card so you may send a fun card to your favorite "peeps"!

Have a Sweet Easter! (inside message)

Happy Easter Card Sending!