Apparently the economic “slow down” has spared no industry. Snack foods are also feeling the pinch.

I was on the phone with my aunt and she was munching on something. I finally asked “is it good?” because her smacking grew increasingly. She chuckled and apologized.

“You know what I’m eating…”

OREOs, of course. Her favorite. Then, the conversation took an unexpected turn. She launched into an earnest tirade about how Nabisco has been cutting corners.

“Did you know that the cookies are thinner?” I did not. “They’re the thickness of the knockoffs that you can get in the same aisle.” Interesting…

And apparently that isn’t the worst of it. The imprint on the cookie that was always placed ever so precisely, is sometimes off-center and she even saw one that was inverted so it read backward! Further, they’d become so chinchy with the icing, that she now buys Doublestuff. You heard me.

“Those used to be disgusting with too much cream filling, but now they have the same amount the regular ones used to have.”

This part of the conversation lasted about an hour- I promise you. At first, I was a bit concerned by her level of sincerity. Then, I found it amusing but I dared not laugh. This was serious, a sign of the times. And Auntie does not excite easily.

¡Ay Dios Mio! Where will it end?!?