My favorite cookie, and a contest!

Gentle readers,

You probably don't know that my first coherent word was "cookie." This is an amusing but horrifying fact to me, a fact that speaks volumes about the sort of thing I am wont to eat.

Hopefully you've heard of the company Harry & David? No? Well, most people are familiar with their fruit delivery service, because somehow they manage to procure the tastiest fucking pears and apples you will ever eat. They are UPSed from Utopia. Unfortunately most of their products are very expensive. For example, my favorite cookie in the world, the Galette, is $32.50 for a tin, which probably holds thirty cookies (they don't specify). That's $1.08 per cookie. Not bad, right? Um...how do I break this to you gently...each Galette has about the same diameter as a regulation yo-yo (regulation? like I'd know!) but only half as wide. Yes. A small cookie. I'd only pay a dollar for a cookie if it was as least as big as my hand.

But friends. The Galette is The Perfect Cookie. Therefore, there is no price too high.

I first became acquainted with Galettes when I was young and my aunt would send us the Harry & David Cookie Book - it was a box shaped and designed as a huge book (reference-section huge) that was filled with all the varieties of H&D cookies. There were three stacks of Galettes, and I'm pretty sure no one got ahold of more than one, because I was on that shit. One year my aunt decided enough was enough with the Cookie Book, to my great disappointment. My favorite moment with Galettes was when my mom sent me a whole tin during my freshman year in college. I think I cried.

I'd like to direct your attention to the Galette description hot off the Harry & David website. I'll be analyzing these declarations point by point.

"Sometimes our bakers show no mercy." These H&D people know that their bakers have devised the perfect cookie. They know it is impossible to eat just one. Shit, try stopping at five. Won't happen.

"Tender and buttery on the outside, spread with delectable fruit fillings on the inside." This filling they speak of? Utterly delightful. In no way, shape, or form does it resemble jelly or any equally disappointing substance. (Don't get me wrong, I love me some jelly, but if they attempted to put it in a Galette it would be wrong. WRONG!) The filling is fruity, light, and extremely smooth. And damn, are they understating the truth when they say "tender and buttery." There is nothing more tender and buttery in all the land.

"We bake these delicate cookies gently to prevent browning or crisping." This is perhaps the best part of the Galette concept. This technique is spot on. It is everything a homemade batch of chocolate chippers is not. Because, come on. We know you forgot about the cookies because Flavor Flav was seriously considering that crazy bitch New York. Harry & David never forget.

"Five flavors: Raspberry, Blackberry, Apricot-Pineapple, Oregold® Peach and Orange-Cranberry." Well shoot! Even I was surprised at this one. I've never tried Orange-Cranberry! Hm...maybe I should tell my mom the only thing I want for Christmas is a couple tins of Galettes. Not really a fan of the Apricot-Pineapple, but the Oregold Peach is very nice, a delicate flavor. The absolute best are Raspberry and Blackberry. I love them so much I want to line up everyone I know and hand them a Raspberry Galette, because then they'll really know how much I love them.

Aren't you just dying for a picture? I thought you'd never ask.

My loves, meet the Galettes!*

*I would just like to say that I feel Harry & David have misrepresented the Galettes in this photo. The filling does not run and sag out of the cookie like that, because it's not present in such copious amounts. The filling is very discrete, like your S&M habit. You barely notice it's there and then WAH-ZOW, it adds all the excitement you needed from a cookie.

------In Other News-------

I am conducting a contest! With PRIZES! (Don't ask. Not sure yet. But you'll be happy you got it. I'm not going to give you my nubbified wool socks.)

Rules and Guidelines

1. There will be one question at the end of every post this month. Today there will be two to make up for yesterday.

2. The questions are completely arbitrary and can cover any topic. Some might be trivia, some might use pictures.

3. You should answer only on the day they are asked.

4. Obviously I can't stop you from hunting answers on the internet or wherever. Since I won't know if you did or not I can't punish you. Just remember nobody likes a cheater.

5. Comments will be moderated so that you can't "share" answers. Please put your initials or some other obvious identification with your answer. I will post the comments to the blog the following morning so you can see the other answers.

6. At the end of the month the person with most correct wins the prize.

Any questions?
Onward, then, to the first questions! Consider these a warm-up.

1. What is this?

2. The first McDonald's restaurant was founded in 1955 by Ray Kroc, in the suburbs of which city?