Oldie, but a goodie:

Once upon a time there was a man who ran a hot dog stand. This man ran one of the finest hot dog stands in the whole city and, strangely for a hot dog stand, he even used real meat in his sausages. People came from miles around to get tasty hot dogs that were freely covered in onions and sauces. In fact, the man was so successful that he could afford to send his son to Harvard. His son even went on to finish an MBA.

After graduation the son came back to work with his dad. "Dad", he said, "based on the current economic statistics, we're heading for a recession. You've got to stop using all that sauce, and you dish out onions as if they were free."

The father was torn. He'd always been generous to his customers, but his very bright boy didn't get all that education for nothing. So, reluctantly, he cut back on the sauces and the onions.

His son moved him to buying a cheaper brand of hot dog with a more traditional sawdust ratio. It was just in time, because it turned out his son was right-his business took a real dive.

I absolutely looooooove peanut butter! (But really only the Peter Pan kind with honey)

I will eat a spoonful (or three) as dessert most nights.

Geez Ben, quit knocking the peanut butter. If you tasted my cookies you'd appreciate how good it is.

@LiC: Do you do milkshakes as well? In the yard, perhaps?

They must get the munchies even worse than I do. Maybe they can hook me up....

uh, when did peanut butter become a bad thing? it's not the worst thing in the world for you, it's fairly inexpensive, and it's delicious. plus, that peanut butter/milk chocolate pudding looks good enough to nom.

~oh noes, cheap food, clearly a sign of the times~

@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: Hah, I always think of a scenario like that when I go to Subway and see them counting out my damn turkey slices. Dude, it's a damn sub.

@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: I remember hearing a story of two girls in Pittsburgh who sold hot dogs from a stand in bikinis around the business office districts. From what the news report said, they were doing it to put themselves through college, and had a large clientle who didn't mind paying 1.50 or so(1996 money) for a hotdog from a girl in a bikini.

@The Name's Ash78, Housewares: Photos or it didn't happen.

@hovy: Huh? in the yard?

I don't do milkshakes because when I buy milk it has to last me a certain number of days going in my cereal. But when I do...mmmmm, boy.

PB&H FTW! Seriously though, it's good for you, is delicious, I NEVER get sick of it... WTF is not miraculous about that?

Also I only eat the natural stuff. WAY better tasting (no hydrogenated oils either)

@katieoh: When you bought PeterPan or got it from WalMart and it SuperSalmonella-y instead of SuperCrunchy. ;)

Peanut butter is awesome. Just stay away from the Jif and Skippy and eat the real stuff. I'm lucky enough to have a local store that has a peanut butter machine on premises, but if you're not, you can always opt for the "natural" peanut butter, or hell, get a bag of peanuts and make your own in the food processor.

Peanut butter is the perfect food. You can use it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I'm talking about the all-natural kind, of course. If I want icing sugar in my peanut butter, I'll make peanut butter icing.

And for some, peanut butter is a fantastic weapon.

I can't think of how many times I've gotten up in the middle of the night hungry for a snack, and just grabbed a spoonful of peanut butter to tide me over till morning.

@Rhayader: Yep, and that is precisely why I go to an independent deli and pay $5 for an 8" sub rather than the Subway that is right next door to it. I'd rather have an 8" sub chock full of good stuff than a 12" sub that they threatened with a slice of cheese and almost put some olives on.

@LiC: you totally didn't get that did you?

It was a song a few years ago..... Google it.

Yeah, I rediscovered peanut butter over the past year or so. I rarely eat it on bread - just a spoonful as dessert or for protein after the gym.

@kc2idf: yeah, i stopped going when 'lots of olives please' became 5 slices of olives.

SUPER CHUNK SKIPPY! damn you all for hating.

@kc2idf: Yeah good call. I would be happy to pay a little more for a well-made sandwich. I mean, I know you can pay extra for "double meat" or whatever at Subway, but that's not the point.

The point is that I want a well-proportioned sub without having to ask for extra everything. It should be made that way by default.

@Skankingmike: Google what, milkshakes in the yard? Peanut butter cookies? Peanut butter milkshakes?

@LiC:

Never mind. the event horizon for the joke has passed.

@Skankingmike:

Good play.

"Hamburger Helper"?! Who the heck can afford ground beef anymore? My entire animal protein supply is solely offal these days. But that's only when I can wrest it out of the hands of local chefs out to make poor men's food expensive (I'm looking at you Matt Dillon).

Bon Apetit oughta take a gander at that stuff for actual poor people.

I had peanut butter for breakfast this morning. I figured it was healthier than a snickers.

@Rhayader: I like when you ask for tomatoes, and they carefully place exactly 4 slices on your 12" sandwich. Then you as for cucumbers, and you get the same 4 slices. The only thing they're generous with is lettuce, since its dirt cheap - even when you don't ask for lettuce!

But, I did find a great solution, which is to never, ever, EVER again go to Subways, even though there are 4 within walking distance to my office.

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★:

I was visiting inlaws north of Seattle and there was a news story about a espresso stand that had opened up and was run entirely by girls in bikinis...There was a little public outrage from the "whiners", but as far as I know its still open...

...that said, is it a good idea to have only 1 sq ft of clothes on when working with hot coffee, or frying onions on a grill? Lucky they're not making fries...

@katieoh: It actually *IS* a sign of the times. You can actually track relative economic prosperity by the protein choices people make. When the economy is good, people buy more chicken, beef, and expensive proteins. When it starts to waver, ground meat, frozen meats, and cheaper cuts come in vogue. Eventually on the bottom end are legumes and peanut butter. They even talk about this on Consumerist. Don't you read this site regularly?

:-p Gross, I hate peanut butter. It tastes bad and smells even worse. It is one of those smells like microwaved fish or overcooked cabbage that we shouldn't be subjected to.

@kc2idf: There's a local hot dog joint here. You will be FULL from one dog. Its crazy.

@ludwigk: i do read the consumerist regularly. but i don't see how this is as bad as people try to make it sound. the blurb is written as though peanut butter is a bad thing in and of itself. is the protein in peanut butter not just as good as the protein in meat? when the public starts killing squirrels for meat, maybe that would be worthy of noting.

also, what about vegetarians? hmm.

@shorty63136: Relatively speaking, its really good for you - considering most desserts.

peanut butter cookies mmmmmmmm
peanut butter sandwich mmmmmmm
peanut butter sauce on ice cream mmmmmmmm

@Parapraxis: I got the joke :(

@TheName: In one of my local grocery stores, a pound of bison is cheaper than a pound of beef. I usually pick up two pounds (around $9) and make a week's worth of chili.

@TheName: Hamburger Helper is perfectly fine without the meat in it. (My family was vegetarian for years.. a box of that, a can of tomatoes, and you have some really good stew)
Its a box that serves 2-3 people rather well and its $2 or so. That doesn't count as poor food?

@docrice: While I can't speak from personal experience, when the local club had a hot oil wrestling, they didn't have any re-matches.....

For years I hated peanut butter, and then I think one day I realized the silliness in hating peanut butter when I really liked peanut butter items such as Snickers and peanut butter cookies. I think peanut butter is one of the most resourceful food items because you can utilize it in so many ways. In a cookie or cake it can be dessert, on bread it can be a meal. And it can be smooth or crunchy, it can be buttery or sweet (when it's with honey). Good stuff.

@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: I want to visit a maid cafe in Japan someday.

Or start one up here. Unfortunately I'd have to find good looking girls for that and here in the sticks they are hard to find.

@Parapraxis: maybe if (s)he brings forth a payment you can teach her/him.

@docrice: I live just north of Orlando and we had the exact same thing. Except it was only one chick in a bikini...but she made up for it by wearing a very small bikini.

Shortly thereafter, she was shut down by all the "whiners". To be fair though, I recall the issue being that the school bus routes went right past her.

@lpranal: Peanut butter and Ham? That doesn't sound very good to me.

@battra92: Me, either. But peanut butter and bacon are awesome. Two of the best foods on earth combine in synergy.

I tried to read the article but I couldn't stop singing

Do the peanut butter jelly, peanut butter jelly,
Peanut butter jelly with a baseball bat..........

Now I have to go to the store for some Skippy Super Chunk and grape jelly. Damn it.

Proclaiming peanut butter the dessert of the year shows a shocking lack of sensitivity. Deathly severe and untreatable peanut allergies have been increasingly tenfold in recent years among many young children. I'm not saying people everyone shouldn't eat peanut butter. However, the fact that peanuts and peanut butter are being added to, not removed from products has made it harder and harder for the parents of allergic children to find foods their children can eat, raise awareness, eat in restaurants, and keep their children safe.

This has less to do with a recession, and more to do with whats "in" this year in culinary circles. Some up and coming chefs have decided to reinvent peanut butter not because they're poor, but because it's new

@lmarconi: Joke post?

@james: BLASPHEMY!!!!!!

Seriously, peanut butter is awesome in every way. You either have been exposed to really poor peanut butter or your just crazy.

@lmarconi: I wouldn't say it's lack of sensitivity. Certainly that doesn't seem to be the intention behind it being dessert of the year. Lots of people are allergic to different things. It's sort of if the magazine named Sirlion the steak cut of the year and someone said it was insensitive of the millions of people living with heart disease and who must stay away from meat.

Peanut products can be avoided, it's the peanut oil and the peanut processing byproduct that happens to be near other kinds of food that are not wholly peanut in nature (i.e. peanut butter) that are what parents have to watch out for.

But as for that super fudge chunk peanut butter cream cake...yeah, junior can avoid that. The rest of the country can grab a fork. The magazine serves readers, whether they're allergic to something or not. Diabetics can still read magazines about dessert, it's not insensitive.