Goodbye Twinkies, Hello Bingles

I discovered something wonderful while on vacation - Carrot Cake Bingles. (I know, I know, you all are probably thinking, "Carrot Cake Bingles, why, they've been my favorite snack food for years!" As usual, I'm late to the party.)

I used to believe in the following: 

I think that I shall never see
A snack as lovely as Twinkie.*

But then Carrot Cake Bingles entered my life. For those of you poor, deprived people (as I was, a mere five days ago), a Carrot Cake Bingle is exactly like a Twinkie, but instead of a golden yellow cake outer layer, scrumptious carrot cake surrounds the yummy filling.

I have two words to describe the person who created the Carrot Cake Bingle: Pure Genius.

You're probably thinking, "What does a Carrot Cake Bingle** have to do with writing?"

I thought long and hard about that too. Finally, I came up with something. My description.

"...a Carrot Cake Bingle is exactly like a Twinkie, but instead of a golden yellow cake outer layer, scrumptious carrot cake surrounds the yummy filling."

Simple, direct, easy to understand. As long as you know what a Twinkie looks and tastes like, you're, um, golden. (And let's face it, who doesn't know about Twinkies?)

Isn't that better than, "a Carrot Cake Bingle is about five inches long and an inch-and-a-half tall (and wide), with a sort of oblong, rounded top. Inside is a vanilla creme filling that tastes vaguely of food-grade chemicals and furniture polish. The cake itself is somewhat reminiscent of carrot cake, if you have a good imagination. Warning: Ingesting too many Carrot Cake Bingles may be hazardous to your health."

It's so much easier to compare a new, unusual item to something that everyone is familiar with. That's a technique I try to employ in my novels, and it cuts down on wordy descriptions. (I like my novels tight, unlike my blog, where I tend to get a bit wordy).

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to breakfast. There are a couple Carrot Cake Bingles calling my name.

Footnotes
*Sorry, Joyce!

**I enjoy writing/saying "Carrot Cake Bingle." Try it, you'll like it, too!