YEAH OUR IDEA OF HIGH CLASS LIVIN’
IS SITTIN’ ON THE PORCH ON A COOL NIGHT
OUR CHAMPAGNE AND CAVIAR
IS AN RC COLA AND A MOON PIE
~Tracy Byrd
Pal’s Lounge is once again parading in style
on Mardi Gras day
They’ll have Moon Pies available which prompted me to remember a childhood favorite combination of an RC Cola and a Moon Pie. Below is some fun info about the product. Millions are sold annually. Click on the moon pie costume on the left for a larger view. Click on Pal’s Lounge above for more info about their Mardi Gras Day revelry. ~Charlie London
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From Wikipedia… The Moon Pie became a traditional “throw” of Mardi Gras “krewes” in Mobile, Alabama during 1956,followed by other communities along the Mississippi Gulf Coast. The westernmost outpost of the Moon Pie as an important Carnival throw is Slidell, Louisiana, which has a parade by “The Krewe of Mona Lisa and Moon Pie.” Also, in the town of Oneonta, Alabama, there is a moon pie eating contest started by Wal-Mart employee John Love when he inadvertently ordered too many. This anecdote was featured in Sam Walton’s autobiography, Made in America.
Moon Pies have been made at the Chattanooga Bakery since 1917. Earl Mitchell Junior said his father came up with the idea for Moon Pies when he asked a Kentucky coal miner what kind of snack he would like to eat, and the miner requested something with graham cracker and marshmallow.
There is a custom for eating moon pies with RC Cola, although the origin of this is unknown. It is likely that their inexpensive prices, combined with their larger serving sizes, contributed to establishing this combination as the “working man’s lunch”. The popularity of this combination was celebrated in a popular song of the 1950s, by Big Bill Lister, “Gimmee an RC Cola and a Moon Pie.”
Big Bill Lister, who toured with Hank Williams and was billed as “Radio’s Tallest Singing Cowboy”. He was born Weldon E. Lister in 1923, and earned his radio nickname because he stood 6-foot-7 without his cowboy boots and hat. Texan Big Bill Lister is best known for his early 1950s stint as Hank Williams’ opening act and rhythm guitarist. In the video below he sings “Gimme and RC Cola and a Moon Pie”.
History of Moon Pies
Chattanooga Bakery was founded in 1902 in Chattanooga,Tennessee. There is an interesting story behind how the moon pies became their best known product. Coal miners were wanting something solid and filling, since they didn’t always have time for a real lunch break.
Mr. Earl Mitchell Sr. returned to the store after talking to the miners and noticed employees dipping graham crackers into marshmallow and leaving them in window to dry. They then came up with the idea of adding another cookie on top of the graham crackers and adding chocolate covering to the cookies. The first moon pie was sold in 1917 and went on to become one of the most popular products for the Chattanooga Baking Company.
Hundreds of thousands of moon pies were sent to soldiers serving overseas during World War II. Racegoers to NASCAR races in the 50’s were known to carry moon pies with them to the races.
The first Double Decker Moon Pie was manufactured in 1964. It has three cookies and two layers of marshmallow in each Double Decker Moon Pie.
Moon pies started being thrown in Mardi Gras parades in the 1970’s, since they were softer, than the Cracker Jack boxes that had been thrown in previous parades.
Courtesy https://nostalgia049.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/blast-from-the-past-rc-cola-and-moon-pie/
Yeah our idea of high class livin’
Is sittin’ on the porch on a cool night
Our Champagne and Caviar
Is an RC cola and a moon pie
You can hear the lyrics above in the video below:
