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• Revel in a deep-fried delectable

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Under the buzzing fluorescent lights of Big Mouth’s Dogs and Burgers (408 E. Green St.), I peruse the menu. Hot dog. Char dog. (Twinkie.) Char burger. (Twinkie.) Double char burger. (Twinkie, Twinkie.)

“What can I get for you?” says the boy behind the counter. His eyes are partially obscured by his cap.

“I’ll have a hot dog. With everything,” I say. (Twinkie, Twinkie.)

“Is that it?” he asks, jotting my order onto a slip of paper.

“Yup.” He starts to turn away. (TWINKIE.)

“Uuuh, actually!” – I play innocent – “I think I want to try one of those Twinkie things.” I tilt my head and try to see his eyes. Judging eyes?

I sit at one of the picnic tables, turned slightly away from the counter but slightly toward the counter, eyes to the back in anticipation of my treat.

I lied. I have tried one before. Many times. Deep-fried Twinkies. Those “golden sponge cakes with a creamy filling” that are dipped in batter and fried like the best corndog you’ve ever had. Those reported as containing 425 calories – almost as much as a whole meal to a girl my size who is counting her calories. (Not that I am…) That being said, who wants to be the girl that comes into Big Mouth’s for the deep-fried Twinkies?

But, even so, who can resist? A deep-fried Twinkie is slightly crispy on the outside where the batter has fried to a gorgeous golden-brown and slightly sticky from the chocolate sauce that has been drizzled over the top and soaked to just under the surface.

And the heat has performed some kind of miracle, because what is on the inside is no longer a Twinkie as we know it. The sponge cake has become part cream, the cream has become part sponge cake, and the famous cake with a creamy filling has somehow become a filling in itself. It’s moist and sweet and airy, like a bread pudding, and it’s not too heavy – not unless you think about it too hard.

So it’s a little bit of a guilty pleasure, to say the least. I still don’t want to be that girl, but I’m willing to buy a hot dog every time I go to Big Mouth’s to get one. (Not that I’ve ever said no to a Chicago-style hot dog…)

It’s worth it. I think it’s safe to say that those who have tried them love them, and those who scorn them probably haven’t actually tried a deep-fried Twinkie.