Having Friends on the Inside

Means that I get gems like this HOT OFF THE WIRE!!

¶ BOSTON (AP) _ It's creamy, sweet and it's become a staple of lunch boxes for generations of New England school children.

¶ Now, the beloved Fluffernutter sandwich _ the irresistible combination of marshmallow Fluff and peanut butter, preferably on white bread with a glass of milk handy _ finds itself at the center of a sticky political debate on Beacon Hill.

¶ State Rep. Jarrett Barrios, D-Cambridge fired the first shot, vowing earlier this week to file an amendment limiting schools to serving Fluffernutters just once a week as the main meal of the day.

¶ Barrios decided to take action after his third-grade son Nathaniel was given a peanut butter and Fluff sandwich at the King Open School in Cambridge. Barrios acknowledged that while "it seems a little silly to have an amendment on Fluff" the issue of school nutrition is serious.

¶ Barrios' amendment seemed anything but silly to Democratic state Rep. Kathi-Anne Reinstein, D-Revere, whose district is near Lynn, home of Durkee-Mower Inc., the local company that has produced the marshmallow concoction for more than 80 years.

¶ The day after Barrios announced his amendment, Reinstein fired off an e-mail announcing her own legislation designating the Fluffernutter the "official sandwich of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."

¶ "I believe we need to preserve the legacy of this local delicacy," Reinstein wrote in the letter to fellow lawmakers. She noted Fluff is free of artificial preservatives or colorings.

¶ In an interview, Reinstein said she felt the need to defend the honor of Fluff, protect the rights of parents, and protect a local company.

¶ "I'm going to fight to the death for Fluff," Reinstein said. "It's out of control. It's ridiculous that with all the things going on in the state and in the world, we're having this conversation. It's insane."

¶ On Tuesday, an aide to Barrios said the senator is not anti-Fluff. He said Barrios plans to sign on as a co-sponsor to Reinstein's bill, although he still believes schools should ration Fluffernutters to one per week.

¶ "He loves Fluff as much as the next legislator," said Barrios aide Colin Durrant.

¶ The wrangling over Fluff is part of a stalled debate over a bill that would limit the sale of junk food in public schools in Massachusetts.

¶ Fluff has a long history in Massachusetts.

¶ The treat was popularized by H. Allen Durkee and Fred L. Mower, both World War I veterans, who cooked up the treat in their kitchen at night and sold it door to door during the day.

¶ Durkee and Mower purchased the recipe for Fluff for $500 from another Massachusetts man, Archibald Query _ who lived in Somerville, part of Barrios' current district _ who also sold it door to door before the war shut down his operations.

¶ The company didn't immediately return a call for comment Tuesday.

¶ Since its invention, legions of New England kids have grown up on Fluffernutters. Parents have used the sandwich as a food of last resort for finicky eaters, sometimes adding banana slices to compliment the protein of the peanut butter.

¶ If Reinstein's bill is approved, the Fluffernutter would join a long list of official foods of Massachusetts including: the corn muffin (official muffin); the baked navy bean (the official bean); and the Boston cream pie (the official dessert or dessert emblem).


I cannot tell you how proud I am to live in the state who's offical sandwich is the Fluffernutter, not to mention the CORN MUFFIN.