Peeping around for Easter

Sugar, sugar and more sugar. With the Easter bunny hopping into town on Sunday, many kids will wake to find baskets filled with candy.

Along with chocolates and jelly beans, youngsters may find brightly-colored, chick-shaped marshmallows in their baskets.

Peeps, as the gooey treats are called, come in yellow, pink and purple, but their squishy sweetness polarizes the University community.

Susan Austin (sophomore-human development and family studies) revealed the two sides of the Peeps issue: "They're disgusting," she said. "They're marshmallows with funny sugar on top, but my roommate loves them."

Every Easter, John Brady's mom buys Peeps for his entire family. Brady (junior-administration of justice) loves Peeps.

"It's that sweet marshmallowy stuff," Brady said, attempting to explain his affection for the candy. "They're even good when they're hard."

While Brady thinks Peeps' sugary taste is their allure, others see deeper, more psychological reasons for the appeal of the candy.

Parisa Farhi (sophomore-premedicine) likes Peeps because they put her in a festive state of mind.

"The colors represent a happy, springy, holiday mood," she said.

At least one University professor agrees with Brady and Farhi. Barbara Rolls, professor of nutrition, said a combination of nature and nurture play a part in Peeps' appeal.

"We inherently like sweets," Rolls said, "but culture is the main determinant of what we eat. People enjoy them because they remind them of Easter. They're a tradition."

However, the appeal of Peeps is not universal. Some students don't like the taste, while others don't like the colors. Jason McCallum (sophomore-telecommunications) just doesn't like the shape.

"I have a problem eating something that looks like a little chicken," he said. "I don't like the taste because I can't get past eating a chicken."

McCallum added that he does eat actual poultry.

Strong feelings abound on both sides of this issue, and it looks as if the pro-Peeps and anti-Peeps will not being reaching any kind of an agreement soon.

Students who are unfamiliar with the marshmallow creatures can find them at local department stores, supermarkets and pharmacies.

Theresa Harper, a manager at K-Mart, 100 Valley Vista Drive, said the store's Peeps have been selling well.

"Peeps," she said, "are one of the first things we sell out of."