A Myth Busting Birthday

Most 16-year-olds are probably celebrating the fact that they can now pursue their driver's license, but in my family this sweet 16 was more about busting a long standing myth.

This past Sunday my oldest nephew turned 16 and though the birthday was mostly about getting money and eating cake, in the midst of the festivities an urban legend that was laid to rest.

Somewhere along the line you most likely heard theories on the shelf life of a Twinkie. Perhaps you even saw the Family Guy episode where a nuclear holocaust due to Y2K leaves the Griffins to rebuild their lives in a town centered around a Twinkie factory.

But how long do Twinkies really last?

The theory that Twinkies had a 16 year shelf life was a pretty popular one back when my sister was pregnant with her first child. So as any good best friend would, hers bought her newborn son (my nephew) a package of Twinkies labeled "to be opened on his 16th birthday."

And that day came this past Sunday.

Well sad to say we will not survive a nuclear holocaust on Twinkies like the Griffins, because this bad boy did not hold up to time very well.

As you can see in the pictures a 16-year-old Twinkie loses all of its golden cake color. It also becomes as hard as a rock as the cake apparently absorbs the creamy center. It was just plain gross and though I initially thought it would be hilarious if my nephew ate it after 16 years, I'm definitely glad he did not!

Would you take a bite of a 16-year-old Twinkie?