Friday, March 19, 2010

Dunking

I've noticed Oreos in the supermarket recently. As far as I know, Oreos only arrived in Britain fairly recently. They didn't used to sell them here. However, I was aware of them before that, because they were often advertised in the American Marvel comics I read when I was young.

I examined at the packet in the supermarket, and wondered about buying them, but was put off because they contain artificial flavours. I'm picky about artificial ingredients (Mostly for no good reason. I have many pointless food phobias.)

But while Oreos might be a fine product, they are associated with behaviour which strikes me as very strange. Their adverts say you should dunk them in milk. I've always regarded this as odd behaviour. Deviant in fact. The notion of dunking a biscuit - or cookie - in a glass of milk makes me vaguely ill. What's the point of dunking a nice biscuit in a glass of cold milk? Ew. You need tea to dunk cookies in. The drink needs to be hot, to be absorbed properly. It should be tea. (Possibly coffee, although I would regard that as letting standards slip a little)

There's no getting round it. Dunking anything in a glass of milk is just weird. But I'm quite suspicious of milk, generally, so perhaps I'm biased here.

Here is the cover for the American edition of Curse of the Wolf Girl, which is due to be published in August.

18 comments:

  1. Anonymous5:23 am

    I'd never dunk anything in coffee, that's just plain weird. Tea? Of course, makes the dunked item soft and warm and more delicious. Milk? When I was a kid I would have lived on a diet solely made from dunked cookies. Now, it's quite repulsive.

    Can't wait for the new book.

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  2. Anonymous8:09 am

    The type of small children who always have a lump of soggy biscuit in their hands... Biscotti in coffee maybe? It rhymes therefore must be worth consideration.
    I digress. The new cover, unlike twisted, licked and dunked Oreos, is very cool :)

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  3. Anonymous11:53 am

    Dunking anything in any liquid that one then is supposed to drink is DISGUSTING! It creates a sludgy mess at the bottom of the said liquid. Makes me sick, just to think about it. Oreos taste of perfume, to me. But I quite like them, too!!

    Buon weekend!! Gailxx

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  4. I may report as an American and longtime Oreo eater that they are not better when dipped in milk. (But I too am suspicious of milk - why must it be all white white white all the time? And why would anyone mix it with something delicious, like Oreos or vodka?

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  5. I can not eat oreos unless I have a glass of cold milk to dip them in. Delicious! Looking forward to reading your new book.

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  6. That's a lovely cover Martin! I'm looking forward to the book. Do you plan on any kind of launch?

    I'm with you on the milk dunking. Strange behaviour. In fact, I've pretty much gone off milk. If I have any at all in tea it's usually a small splash of skimmed, but milk for me is reserved mainly for cereal. I don't like Oreos either. Give me a good old chocolate digestive any day.

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  7. I must acknowledge everyone's own dunking preferences :-)
    (Though Gail, I particularly admire your uncompromising anti-dunking stance)

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  8. I'm glad you like the cover Sammi. I'm not sure about a launch. I think Piatkus will organise some events but I don't have any dates yet.

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  9. So is finally going to be published de sequel of "Lonely werewolf girl"? I really can't wait !!! One of my favourite books! Is it going to be publish even here in Italy?

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  10. Bea - yes, the sequel will be published in Italy, though I'm not sure when it will come out. It is being translated into Italian at the moment.

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  11. I'm picky about my biccy. And serious about my dunking. No to Oreos. Yes to Chocolate Digestives, Bourbons and Hob Nobs. No to dunking in cold drinks or coffee or any hot drink other than tea. A couple of biccies and a hot mug of tea is my welcome home treat after getting in from work. And watching Buffy on Sci Fi Channel at 7pm. Then watching more of her on DVD later. Yes, I'm a Slayer addict and need help.

    Love the US cover to CotWG. Hope our UK one is just as spiffy.

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  12. Ginger nuts are nice dunked in milk, but for anything else it should be tea, if dunking is going to happen. I am slightly suspicious of oreos - chocolate biscuits and white filling? That can't be right..

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  13. That cover is gorgeous. I can't wait for August.

    As for dunking, I don't drink milk anymore, unless it's been added into something (cereal, coffee, etc.). Come to think of it, I haven't had Oreos for a long time, too. I will occasionally dunk hard/crunchy cookies, like biscotti, into my coffe, just to soften it up. I agree with Gail, though, I dislike the sludge at the bottom.

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  14. Kathrynn2:19 am

    I am so excited for Curse of the Wolf Girl. Chances are I will be at the bookstore the morning of the release, looking for that beautiful cover.

    And I love Oreos, dunked or not dunked. The commercials here in the US suggest that they are properly eaten only if you twist the halves apart, dunk, lick, then reassemble before finally eating. I find this extremely odd.

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  15. Oreos may be something you have to grow up with. They are quite delicious dunked in milk, but: 1. the milk has to be quite cold, 2. you can't drink the last inch of your milk because it does leave cookie residue, and 3. you have to really enjoy milk as a beverage for it to work. I think a lot of people here in America eat Oreos primarily for the nostalgia value. I haven't had them for years but just remembering them now makes me hungry for them. I'm guessing if you tried to sell Americans "chocolate digestives," that wouldn't really work either.

    Are any cookies or biscuits these days NOT made primarily of artificial ingredients/preservatives?

    Beautiful cover. Congrats on the new book.

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  16. John Coulthart did a great job with that cover.

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  17. There is one trashed copy of "Love and Peace With Melody Paradise," supposedly autographed, wending through the byways of Santa Cruz county. One lonely copy. Will this terrific, fun book ever issued again?
    And is there any possibility that the Thraxas series will be reborn as a graphic novel?
    Deborah

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  18. Deborah - no, that's not likely to be reprinted in the near future. If you contact me however, I will obtain another copy for you.

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