Several weeks ago, I read an article concerning fried Twinkies. A gourmet chef by the name of Sells who is a 36-year-old of Rugby, England discovered this taste treat while he and his cohorts were experimenting with a deep fryer. Previously, they had attempted to fry Peppermint Patties, M&M's, and Mars Bars which are a Scottish delicacy. The Patties were a total, gooey disaster, and the M&M's fell through the fry basket and turned into crispy critters.

While reading the article, I discovered that, after frying the Twinkies, they sprinkled them with powdered sugar. Apparently, the fried Twinkies were a huge success as they were sold in New York for three dollars each.

Last Wednesday, I encountered another reference to fried Twinkies which sent my curiosity over the edge. I hadn't eaten a Twinkie in years and only remembered them as a gooey, greasy pastry that I couldn't enjoy without leaving evidence around my mouth. Maybe fried Twinkies were worth sampling. Off I went to the nearest convenience store.

Upon returning, I found a pan and placed what I thought was a sufficient amount of oil in it. Later, I discovered that the Twinkies should be cooked at 400 degrees, but I didn't know that at the time and cranked up the heat. When smoke began to rise from the oil, I decided that the temperature was about right.

I placed the first Twinkie into the hot oil. Obviously, the temperature of the oil was a bit extreme because before I could turn the Twinkie over, it was more of a charred color than a golden brown. Being of the true male nature, instead of letting the oil cool, I viewed the turning of the Twinkies before they burned as a challenge. In went the next Twinkie that I quickly turned over and retrieved from the oil before it could be charred. Viola! A perfectly fried Twinkie!!

Quickly, I grabbed for the third Twinkie, but unfortunately, the bottom half stuck to the cardboard surface it was on. Too bad, in went the bottomless Twinkie. Again I successfully plucked it from the searing oil before it was charcoaled. I was a success! However, I was standing in a smoke filled kitchen. Quickly, I took the pan outside and placed it on the step.

After clearing the smoke somewhat, I took my first bite of a fried Twinkie. It was surprisingly enjoyable. The next bite reminded me of French toast with powdered sugar and syrup. The third bite seemed to resemble pancakes and syrup. The fourth brought back memories of waffles topped with syrup and whipped cream. The fifth of corn fritters covered with powdered sugar. Before I realized it, I had consumed two of the three Twinkies, and only the burned one remained.

This placed me in a dilemma because my wife would soon return, smell the smoke, and want to know what I had been cooking. I couldn't present her with the single burned Twinkie. Off to the store I went for more Twinkies.

While in the store, I began to consider what folks really enjoyed consuming that might possibly be fried to enhance its flavor. On my way to the Twinkies shelf, I discovered the answer to my question: Bottled water. If folks are willing to pay seventy-nine cents for a bottle of plain water, maybe I could sell fried water for $1.50 per bottle!