Move over, steakhouses. Make some room, half-smokes. Thanks to McLean-based Mars Inc.’s acquisition of Kellanova, the Kellogg Co’s recently spun-off snack business, Cheez-Its, Pringles, and perhaps most crucially Pop-Tarts are now arguably local to the DC area.
What does that mean in a region that’s fortunate enough not to have an official food, the way Baltimoreans prize crabcakes or Philadelphians eat whatever it is they eat? It means we get to make it up as we go along, one reason that the Washington area’s restaurant scene is often recognized for its breadth and quality. Pop-Tarts are a similarly blank-ish canvas: The recent film Unfrosted took so many liberties with their origin story–would it be too much of a stretch to reposition the toaster pastries as food that’s kind-of, sort-of native to the DMV?
Many of the DC area’s most beloved institutions come from elsewhere: The District’s wide boulevards and grid-busting state streets were the brainchild of a Frenchman. Our football team began in Boston; our baseball team used to play in Montreal. Why can’t Pringles move here and get their birthday in Playbook?
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
