Stellarossa: Piggly Wiggly
 

Hallo all, <BR> <BR>I'm off to the Midwest and South in a couple of weeks and I was wondering if the supermarket chain known as 'Piggly Wiggly' still exists and, if so, where can I find one? <BR> <BR>Thanks

Yo, Tony.. <BR>All over the place. http://www.pigglywiggly.com <BR>

I can't help but wonder why you want to know this, Tony?

I forgot about the ol' Piggly Wiggly. It reminds me of something else. Do they still have tea-berry gum in the States? How about Corn & Rice Chex?

Corn and Rice Chex, most certainly. Teaberry gum, too, but it's hard to come by. There are internet sources, though.

Thanks John. <BR> <BR>Jen, it's a great name, isn't it? Where I come from the moost exciting supermarket name is ASDA so something like Piggly Wiggly sounds great. <BR> <BR>There appears to be one in Danville, Kentucky which I can visit.

Tony, <BR> <BR>Isn't that a great name!!!! We still have some in North Carolina, in fact, there's one in northeast Raleigh. Forty years ago or so, Piggly Wiggly had the cutest television commerical - piggy ballerinas in a line doing high kicks ala the Rockettes. Does anybody else remember that? I moved up North as a teenager, came back a few years ago to NC, was thrilled to find my Piggly Wiggly stores still around, though not so many anymore. Ya'll come, Tony! Love to have you in Raleigh!

I live in in Memphis, the Mecca of any Piggly Wiggly pilgrimage. Clarence Saunders built the first self service "supermarket" downtown in 1912. He made a fortune with the Piggly Wiggly chain but went bust during the '29 crash. At the time he was building a pink granite mansion in midtown which he was unable to finish. He donated the house to the city and it is now a great history/science museum that has a reproduction of the original Piggly Wiggly store. Come check it out.

Tony, <BR> <BR>I must correct myself. I told you we have a Piggly Wiggly in Northeast Raleigh. My husband says the address is probably Wake Forest, NC, north of Raleigh. But anyway, it is close by! Have a great trip!

Tony: Piggly Wiggly still exists in many areas, but the company has closed many stores because of competition from Kroger and others. Even though the firm was very common in the Southeast fr many years, it has pulled back in several market.My city (Athens, Ga.) is one of them: victim to competition from Kroger. (The building is now used by the University System of Georgia School of Nursing at Athens -- SONAT) <BR>I just returned from Louisiana and found that the chain is alive and well around Baton Rouge. <BR>Just for laughts my dear mother was always getting names mixed up. She referred to Piggly Wiggly as Hoggly Woggly. Unfortunately the chain does not serve hagis in a tube. I doubt if many of the butchers even know what it is.

PS. Tony, you got me curious. <BR>Piggly Wiggly has a web page that you can find at: <BR>http://www.pigglywiggly.com/ <BR> <BR>Piggly Wiggly stores are not found nation wide. There is listing of locations and a map showing the states that have stores. Most of them are in the south and southeast, but there some in a narrow band up into Minnesota. <BR>Because no store exists in my area any longer, I have not shopped them in many years. The one I was in when we were in Baton Rouge was an average supermarket. <BR>

Hoggly Woggly: a higgly piggly version of Piggly Wiggly?

I forgot to say that the museum is called The Pink Palace. Go to www.memphismuseums.org.

Hi Tony <BR>It's nice to see you over on this Forum too, I thought you were just a "Europe Forum" person. I hope you enjoy visiting Piggly Wiggly - personally I've never been in one, but that is only because we have not traveled in a part of the US where they had them I guess. Since I always visit the supermarkets in the UK (or other countries too) I guess it is only fair you visit Piggly Wiggly :-) I wonderif they give double coupons too ........

And in those southern locations, is it known by locals as "The Pig," as it is up here in Wisconsin? And where, b/t/w, you may not find haggis in a tube, but you would be able to buy a bag of cheese curds, a kringle or (of course) a package of brats. <BR>Thanks to Tim for the history lesson - interesting!

Thanks everyone <BR> <BR>I checked out the website - excellent ! <BR> <BR>This trip is sort of a dry run of my famously mooted 48-states-in-90-days trip that I have scheduled for spring of 2001. I promised myself that if I gained my Masters in Transportation then I would go do this trip. Work seem to be ok bout me taking 3 months off (unpaid), so watch this space for more news. If anyone wants to feature in my writing just let me know, I will drop by. <BR> <BR>thanks <BR> <BR>Tony

If you shop in a Piggly Wiggly in the South, you are virtually obligated to try a Moonpie. The staple refreshment of working folks for years was an RC Cola and a Moonpie. I don't know if RC Cola is still on the market, but Moon Pies are.

Bob or anyone..... <BR> <BR>What is or was.. kringle, brats and moonpie?

Hi Tony, <BR>A brat (sounds like "brought") is similar to a hot dog/weiner but it's bigger, white and tastes different. Great description, huh? They're popular at cookouts and church festivals around here. I'm sure you can try one sometime during your travels. <BR>BTW, I didn't realize that my mother is part of Piggly Wiggly's problem: she works for Kroger's corporate offices in Cincinnati. She should tell them not to mess with the Pig. <BR>Emily

Oh, yeah forgot about the moonpie. It's a dessert treat, marshmallow and chocolate I think. <BR>Years ago, a friend's dad (who is a country boy at heart) couldn't believe that I had never tried an 'RC Cola and a moonpie', in fact I had never even heard of it. He felt it was his duty to right this wrong; the next time I was there, we sat on the front porch in rocking chairs, listening to country music, drinking an RC cola and eating a moonpie. <BR>RC cola is still around if I'm not mistaken.

Hi Tony, <BR> <BR>Glad to see you're making it to the Midwest this year - hopefully you'll get to Chicago. Brats are the German pork sausage bratwurst - pronouncing it brought would not be quite right - too long of a sound. You might want to try Germanfest in Milwaukee or Heritagefest in New Ulm, Minnesota for brats, kraut, beer, and polka music. Kringle is a pastry. And if you get up to Minnesota you should try a Pearson's Nut Goodie - my favorite candy bar growing up - it is maple cream covered with chocolate.

The above descrition of a Moonpie is good. There are two varieties - a chocolate covered one and more of a vanilla one. But the chocolate one is the one I knew as a boy. The story I heard is that the Moonpie had its origins in the coal mining areas of Kentucky where the miners wanted a big snack -- one as big as the moon. <BR>Moonpies are sort of like Hagis. You have to be bred to the culture to appreciate them. After years of not having had one, I bought one just to try again. Either I have changed or the Moonpies have changed. I guess maturity and greater affluence have altered my tastes from rural to urban. <BR>Of course other stores other than Piggly Wiggly have them. I know the local Food Lion market has them in boxes of a dozen. They are high in fat.

Sign of the times: they now make low-fat moon pies. <BR>Also, there seems to be a sort of flavor-of-the-month moon pie at certain points. Banana, for instance. Stay away from anything from the regular chocolate ones, which you probably won't like either. I think you have to be started on 'em while still a toddler.

Seemed like a question for me Tony, since I have lived in Wisconsin and North Carolina. Alas, you have already had all the questions answered. Kringle is very good. Someone I know here in NC just brought us some from a recent trip to Wisconsin. You can get brats here pretty easily now too, but no one seems to appreciate them the way they do in the MidWest (lots of German ancestry there). Try the Johnsonville brats. Have had many moonpies but not in a while. They are ok, but not nearly as good as kringle. Another local delicacy to try: Krispy Kreme doughnuts - started in NC and have now expanded to Las Vegas, New York, and elsewhere - heat them hot. A lot of groceries sell them cold. Also, pizza is great in Illinois and Wisconsin - lots of cheese. Where are you visiting exactly? If you get to Wisconsin, you should stop at Madison. I think you would like the college atmosphere, and the city is attractive and has good food.

Oh God, Tony, if there's one thing you eat on your trip, make sure it is a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme donut. Do not by one from a grocery, only from a Krispy Kreme store with the red "Hot Donuts Now" sign iluminated. And don't bother with any of the fancy variations - the original glazed is what you want. <BR> <BR>I gotta stop now before I drool into my keyboard.

Ok, I have to take the time to proofread better. I said "heat them hot" and meant "eat them hot." How else are you going to heat them?

I'm fat enough !!! - aha we have a wiener!! <BR> <BR>With a little help from a friend of mine I will be in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana and, I hope, Tennessee this time around. <BR> <BR>The book I just finished, Iced Tea and Elvis by Nick Middleton, suggests that the Southern diet is pretty unhealthy and contains large amounts of fatty meat and sugary things. Would this be correct? <BR> <BR>Tony <BR>

Kringle is, at its best, is made in a Danish bakery, (such as Einer Larsen or others)especially from Racine, WI. It is a pastery that is in the shape of an oblong ring, the pastery istself is about 4-6 inches across, & the kringle itself maybe about a 12 inches across-including the hole in the middle, usually with a filling/paste inside of things such as cheese, pecans, & various fruits - blueberry, raspberry, apple, etc. & is delicious. <BR> <BR>If you want to try brats, there are a number of local brands in various cities in Wisconsin. Johsonville will do in a pinch, but are marketed across the United States. Some of the better ones in Wisconsin are Klements(my personal favorite) brand or Usinger brand brats. Brats are boiled in beer & onions & then cooked on an outdoor grill. The pre-cooked brats are ok, they are usually white in color but have alittle bit of a mushy consistancy. It is best to start with the uncooked variety & cook them completely before eating.

I think the southern diet is the inspiration for the "Four Food Groups of Country Music"--alcohol, sugar, caffeine, and fried foods. <BR>The healthfulness of this diet may depnd on your genetic programming. My grandparents proved that a steady intake of Cross-Creek Cookery's "Utterly Dealy Pecan Pie" can see you well into your 90s. Be sure to follow with bourbon.

Tony, no part of the United States has a lock on unhealthy foods. New England is the home of Dunkin Donuts, which probably has more heart-attack-inducing fat per ounce than any other substance on the face of the earth. And, there is one Dunkin Donuts outlet per 8,000 people in Massachusetts, a greater store density than even McDonalds. <BR> <BR>But I jump into this fray because you mentioned ice tea. You may or may not have noticed it on previous trips, but America is divided into two zones: sweetened and unsweetened ice tea. This is perhaps our country's ugliest secret: those who drink sweetened ice tea cannot abide the unsugared variety, and those who prefer their tea "straight" will gag at the sweetened product. <BR> <BR>The line demarcating sweetened and unsweetened veers and swerves through the nation's heartland, splitting states and even counties. You will be in the border area. Ohio is definitively an unsweetened state, Tennessee is sweet. I have been served (and offered) both in Kentucky; sometimes waitresses carry two pitchers. Louisville is an unsweetened tea city; Lexington is sweet. <BR> <BR>You must decide early on into which camp you will fall; a Scottish accent will not save you from having to decide. You should probably try it both ways (though not in the same restaurant as this will cause talk). Above all, in a border zone, you have to ask. Do not think that you somehow "look" like a sweetened or unsweetened person and will automatically get what you want. You have been warned!

Since you mentioned Elvis, don't forget to try one of his (alleged) favorite snacks -- a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich!

Some places offer both sweetened and unsweetened ice tea. I always get the unsweetened variety and add my on. <BR>Fortunately, the cafeteria here at UGA serves both. <BR>The best mix of iced tea you will ever taste, however, is a tea drink served by Carol's Catering in Atlanta. Too bad she does not have a public restaurant that I know of. I tried some of tea drink at the buffet that her firm serves before Atlanta Symphony concerts at the Woodruff Arts Center on Peachtree. Combined with her chocolate torte, it makes a very tasty desert. <BR> <BR>Low fat Moonpies? Wow. I may try one of those. I don't like them any more, but to maintain my membership in the "club" I am duty bound to try one. <BR> <BR>One of my son's friends, who is now a cardio-thoracic surgeon, is/was a Moonpie aficionado. He used to show up at band practice handing out Moonpies when the members of the "mob" (my son and his gaggle of friends) were playing in the Georgia Red Coat Band. I never have thought to ask Steve if he eats those things now now!! <BR>

Tony: Going to the midwest and the south will be an excellent contrast for you to experience. I'm originally from Michigan and then moved to North Carolina, so I'm familiar with both. It's always fun to try to figure out where the REAL dividing line is between the north & south. Forget the state lines -- you will find southern accents in southern Indiana and Ohio, and I have been served sweetened tea there too. It is possible now when offered tea in North Carolina to ask for "half-and-half" (half sweetened tea mixed with half unsweetened) -- the sweetened stuff alone is too syrupy for me. <BR> <BR>The midwest and the south have different food "issues." In the midwest I have noticed that quantity/portion size is highly valued and that food praise/insults often revolve around how MUCH of something there is rather than about the quality of it. By contrast, food insults/praise in the south tend to be quality-related; a famous put-down of a Southern woman is to say, "She puts dark meat in her chicken salad." Southerners seem to be less into chocolate desserts than midwesterners -- while you're in the south you may see desserts like chess pie, Coca-cola cake, and red velvet cake. They are all good. If anyone ever offers you homemade pralines, do not turn them down. <BR> <BR>My mother is a native southerner and her favorite food memory is that where she lived, when folks went to the movies they would buy a little bag of peanuts and a bottle of Coke and pour the peanuts into the bottle of Coke. Why, I do not know. <BR> <BR>Speaking of peanuts, boiled peanuts are another southern food and you will occasionally see them sold at roadside stands. I have failed to discern their appeal, although I have tried. <BR> <BR>

If you wander far enough south and west you may end up in "Frito pie" land - another low fat (ha ha) American classic. Nothing like a Moonpie, and I think not available in low fat. (Still good with a RC Cola, though.) Worth a try though, if the opportunity arises.

There used to be an actual chain of convenience stores in the south called Hoggly Woggly. I haven't seen one in a while, but they may still exist. Many of the Piggly Wiggly stores in Florida and Alabama have been bought out by other grocers or have closed.

WOW---what fantastic tasty memories of Wisconsin Bill Irving brought to mind. Racine Kringle (especially the almond)and brats cooked in beer..... <BR>For Christmas, my dear cousin sends us Kringle and we carefully enjoy each piece--(a little butter on top, and microwave for 15 seconds=heaven !) <BR>Hey Bill---are cheese curds still being made?

Hey Tony - nice to see you on the US Forum. OK - now what kind of pastry is a Kringle?! Never heard of it. Is it a commercially made thing - like Hostess or just a local Mid-West thing? Also, what's a Frito Pie - we have a disgusting concoction of chili poured hot into a bag of Fritos and topped with sour cream and cheese, is it the same thing? (Tony - you're going to be big as a house if you try all of these "delicacies". You should post your itinerary and have the forum give you a list of local specialties.) b

oops - got the description on the Kringle. Now what's the Frito Pie? b

Aw come on guys, Rice Chex? Coca Cola cake? Chess Pie? Moon Pie? Peanuts in coke and sausages in beer, this is threatening to get out of hand. <BR> <BR>When I was in Arizona I stopped at a reservation and tried something call fry bread, ostensibly dough and what seemed like honey. I always say I'll try anything once (except incest and Scottish Country Dancing - and even then my mother forced me [the dancing I mean]) so be prepared for fat(ter)Tony when I get back.

Tony: <BR>No one ( I think) has ventured into the land of GRITS if you are headed South. My husband said that at school in DC all the kids from the South would ask "Where's your McElheney?", referring to the hot sauce they sprinkle atop their grits. Everyone in the South eats grits....all different ways. Breakfast food....with hot pepper sauce.