Hostess vs. Drake's Comparison, 20 Years Later

(Second of two parts)

The second half of the article I wrote for my college newspaper 20 years ago:

In cases of clear defeat, the losing bakery will occasionally lower its prices to attract customers. A two-pack of Twinkies costs $0.59, while two Zoinks can be purchased for only a quarter.

At least one retail food expert, though, believes that price is not significant.

“It all depends on the taste of the people,” UFM manager Phil said yesterday. “If people like the taste, then price don’t mean nothing.”

Phil, a self-proclaimed Entenmann’s lover, is happy with business generated by the battling bakeries.

“All those cakes sell good,” he said.

While the foodstuffs may sell well, not all the products taste good.

In my own little taste test conducted recently, I compared Hostess Twinkies to Drake’s Zoinks, and Drake’s Ring Dings to Hostess’s King Dons.

In the comparison of golden sponge cakes, surprising results were attained. The Twinkie, America’s darling, was resoundingly defeated by the upstart Zoink. I found the Twinkie to be extremely bouncy, and its elasticity was quite bothersome. Furthermore, the Zoink had a more favorable texture, and its overall flavor was subtle, yet effective.

The outcome of the cream-filled chocolate taste test was even more decisive. The Drake’s Ring Ding was delicious. The cake was fluffy and a nice chocolaty aftertaste was experienced. The Hostess King Don, however, was horrible. No chocolate flavor was evident, and the cream filling was overpoweringly sugary.

Since Hostess uses the same cream for all of its treats, the sweetness problem is uniform to all of the bakery’s products. Drake’s creme (the company uses a different spelling) has a less overbearing flavor and is easier to stomach.

While my opinion now leans towards Drake’s products, the debate about which bakery is king will endure as long as man exists and Hassan Duncombe eats.

UFM’s Phil agrees.

“To each his own,” he said.