An egg is an egg is an egg…………..not so fast!
Asher’s Coconut Cream Egg
When I was growing up, on Easter morning, we would rush downstairs to raid our Easter baskets. In the center of the basket was always a large chocolate egg. You know, an egg, made out of chocolate, shaped like an egg. An egg as an ovoid, not simply an ellipsoid. …..impressed? Actually I needed to look those words up! Simply stated, an ovoid is a fully shaped egg and an ellipsoid is an oval, slightly egg shaped, which can be flat in form.
Do you want an egg in your Easter Basket or an ellipsoid?
Today, I have my own children and I, uhh, *cough* the Easter Bunny rather, has a preferred egg; Asher’s coconut cream. Asher’s chocolates has been making chocolate Easter eggs in Pennsylvania since 1892. Recently however, I noticed a change in the eggs from ovoid to a hockey puck like ellipsoid. It appears that for the mass market, the eggs have been flattened like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg. Don’t get me wrong, I love a peanut butter egg, but they are accessories to the basket, usually left in their packaging, not the centerpiece.
The ellipsoid (Flat) Asher’s Egg
Retailers need to produce as much revenue per square foot as possible, especially in today’s economy. I understand that more than anyone. Flat packaging can pack more inventory into every square foot. It appears, however, that packaging has dictated the product. That is completely counter intuitive to everything I believe in as a former merchant and a current consumer. A flat egg is no longer a centerpiece, but an accessory. Would you want to be the bride or always the bridesmaid?
Thankfully, there is one place I have found where you can buy the original, old fashioned, Asher’s chocolate Easter eggs. That place is The Pennsylvania General Store in The Reading Terminal Market. The Pennsylvania General Store is an eclectic mix of products and specialty foods made in the great state of Pennsylvania. They also have a mail order company which ships Asher’s Easter Eggs, as well as, many other Pennsylvania goodies all over the country. The company has a great story.
Asher’s Egg from The Pennsylvania General Store
The good news is that not only does The Pennsylvania General Store carry ORIGINAL Asher’s eggs, they are also on sale! Check out their online sale here. They are also offering free samples of the eggs in their Reading Terminal Market location on Saturdays between 11AM and 1PM from now until Easter.