Imagine you’re hungry. You look around for something to eat and spot a plate of cookies, unguarded and ripe for the taking. You ask yourself, “What’s the harm?” Grabbing the largest, chewiest looking one, you take a bite and…
Oatmeal raisin.
How do you react? Spit it out in disgust? Grimace and swallow reluctantly? Or enjoy it? Stereotypically, we would assume one of the first two options. After all, if you type “oatmeal raisin cookies are…” into Google, it will give you four options: flat, gross, healthy and good for you. None of these are appealing to your average student in search of a sweet snack.
Yet, the results of an informal poll done within the Argosy staff, out of twenty responders, only three expressed hatred towards the cookie. Five said they were “okay”, while the majority of voters, twelve, expressed their love for the cookie.
And why not? Done right, the oatmeal cookie is chewy, well-textured, and contains hints of warm nutmeg and cinnamon. It doesn’t have to be flat either: not only does a correct raisin to oatmeal ratio ensure that you have a sizeable cookie, but in addition, each bite carries that extra bit of flavour.
And yes, it can be considered ‘healthy’ (as far as cookies go). One responder to the informal poll noted that the oatmeal raisin cookie was “basically just vegetables.” But what’s wrong with that? Healthy isn’t a bad thing, and a healthy cookie only means you can eat more and experience less guilt. Another responder noted that they considered them breakfast-worthy; after all, it’s just a healthy bowl of oatmeal in cookie form!
People who love the oatmeal raisin cookie recognize that they may find themselves in a minority. This may lead some to express false dislike for the delicious dessert. But I say that the oatmeal raisin cookie deserves the same praise that the chocolate chip, peanut butter and sugar cookies earn. All cookies are beautiful and all cookies deserve to be loved. It’s time to end the cookie shaming.
Who’s with me? #YesAllCookies
Illustration by Anna Farrell.
