Bring back the muffin top! Really, why should the cupcake be having all the fun? And get its own stores with tourists from across the country lining up around the block to purchase a compact, dense and invariably over-sweetened little number called the cupcake just because it has its own reality TV show? It's not fair...
Muffins are a societal mainstay, a tradition, a race against time, and a good, old-fashioned, yummy reminder of our grandmothers hunched over baking tins. Yet there they are -- stuffed inside their plastic containers lining the backs of grocery store shelves all across America. I know trends come and go -- ombre locks, orange lips, pencil skirts, no carbs, low carbs, high fat, low fat, no fat -- but the muffin top far surpasses trends and finally deserves a grand comeback.
This notion came to light as my family was slowly but methodically munching on a gigantic, hydro-charged, "extra-large gulp" of a muffin for breakfast. They were surprised to see the muffins invitingly inhabiting the middle of the kitchen table looking and smelling fresh and newly bought. It was so unlike me to present a carb-laden, sugar-infested, loaded gun at the breakfast table; yet it was an experiment and I wanted to see if they would power down the whole thing or stop at the top -- or the bottom. When I came across these muffins at a new organic, gluten-, wheat- and dairy-free market in Olney, Md. called Roots, I could not resist. So there they were that morning, lounging sinfully on the kitchen table waiting to be devoured by hungry pursuers.
I have to admit, the muffin top did look better than the rest because it was lightly dusted with crystallized sugar and loaded with berries, bananas and walnuts. I was even tempted myself to just eat the tops, but as this was an experiment for the family, I left them untouched on the kitchen table and patiently awaiting their demise. And sure enough, the muffin top won. That's all they ate, and maybe even all they noticed. The rest was left for dead, to be thrown in the trash.
It begs the question. How much is enough? How much should we consume each day when presented with more than we can handle? And should we always leave something on the plate? What will you leave on your plate today?
Email? Facebook ? Tweets ? Texting? Or the bottom of the muffin?
Is it too much consumption that gets in the way of living a mindful and happy life?
This is a question we could be asking ourselves daily.
Is it time to bring back the muffin tops? Or just not make the bottoms at all...
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