It's Peanut Butter Jelly Time

       Stephanie N. Holmes, born June 1, 1980 in Camden, NJ has always had a knack for writing.  As a young child, Stephanie began writing short stories in the privacy of her home.  In middle school she was a very active contributor to the schools newspaper as well as held the title of Junior Editor.  As a honors high school student, Stephanie could not phantom why her school did not have student paper that was being produced.  Stephanie, along with her honors English teacher and a group of her peers advocated heavily for a student paper to be instituted.  This fight was won and she was named Editor of the paper and given the privilege of naming the paper “The Tornado Times.”  Stephanie’s love for writing did not end there.  In community college, Stephanie majored in English and graduating in the top ten percent of the class.  Today, Stephanie is continuing her education at Farleigh Dickinson University where she is pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Education.  Her goal is to become and English teacher where she wants to teach students in inner city schools.

            Every adult has a favorite food that brings them pure happiness when they relate it to their childhood.  For me, peanut butter and jelly was my all-time favorite then and a guilty pleasure now.  Thinking back to the first time I ate it takes me to a moment in time when there was no worries about work, bills, or relationships.  As an adult I make variations of the classic sandwich as I contemplate what the history of the sandwich really is.

            When I was younger, maybe around 4 or 5 years old, I initially wasn’t too fond of jelly. To me, it looked weird and I didn’t want to even take a chance to taste it.  My older sister had a little to do with my dislike of jelly as well.  As far as I can remember she would put jelly in her mash potatoes and taunt me with them when she was eating them. I was, however, a huge peanut butter fan. Any chance I would get I was eating peanut butter in some form or fashion.  I was known for dipping my fingers in the peanut butter behind my parents back and acting innocent when they start yelling over finger imprints in the jar.  One day my aunt was babysitting us and decided to give us sandwiches for lunch.  Quite naturally I requested peanut butter on plain bread but what I got was a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  I cried repeatedly for about a half hour because I hated jelly.  My aunt told me to not move until I ate my lunch.  After hunger pains and hours of listening to my friends play outside the window I reluctantly took a bite. At the first bite of that sandwich my life was changed forever. The creaminess of the peanut butter smashed together with the sweetness of the jelly was amazing. I instantaneously related the sandwich to a dessert because of the flavor and stickiness.  I ate that sandwich so fast I don’t think I even took the time to chew it. Because I made such a fuss about eating the sandwich in the first place I was scared to ask for a second sandwich even though I really wanted one. From that day on, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches was my sandwich of choice.  Every time I could I would request one and be elated when I got it.

            As an adult the peanut butter and jelly sandwich became a guilty pleasure of mine. Initially I would just make the traditional sandwich that I was given as a child.  As time progressed I figured I’ll take my sandwich making to completely different level. There are different variations of this sandwich that I make depending on my mood.  Of course you have the basic peanut butter and jelly sandwich made with different flavored jellies, preserves, or even apple butter. One of my favorite variations of the sandwich is to add marshmallow cream in between the jelly and peanut butter.  To some people this variation of the sandwich is too sweet but I love it. I love the sweet taste and the extra stickiness of the marshmallow.  Although I am not a big bananas fan my nephews love them.  To give them an extra special treat I will add a few cuts of bananas to their sandwich.  My all-time favorite variation of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich is to grill it.  If you have never had a grilled peanut butter and jelly sandwich you have not experienced life yet. Just imagine how buttered toast taste covered in peanut butter.  The bread is nice and buttery with warm creamy peanut butter dripping off the sides of it. Now imagine how hot buttered toast taste when covered in sweet jelly. Those two squished together creates something so heavenly words alone can’t explain. Crispy buttered bread with creamy peanut butter and sweet runny jelly oozing out of the sides.  This sandwich is just astounding and hands down is the best variation of them all.

 When making my own variations of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I can’t help but to think how the original sandwich came into play. How did the peanut butter and jelly sandwich actually originate? The history of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich dates back to 1941.  During World War II food was scarce for Americans.  As a result, food rationing was instituted in the United States during that time.  The basics used to make meals were rationed and became extremely expensive for the average person. However, peanut butter was not only cheap but considered a good source of protein as an alternative to meat.  Peanut butter was one of the things that were not rationed.  Peanut butter and jelly were listed on the United States Military ration menu during the war (What's Cooking America).  During those times peanut butter was extremely thick and not as tasty as it is considered to be this modern day.  To make the peanut butter more appetizing the American soldiers added jelly to complement their peanut butter. This instantly was a hit. Returning solders created a buzz and made peanut butter and jelly sales soar in the United States (Kitchen Project). Previous to the 1940s there were no ads or anything else mentioning peanut butter and jelly sandwiches found (What's Cooking America).

            The peanut butter and jelly sandwich is and will continue to remain an all-time favorite. All ages, races, and classes of people at some point will find themselves indulging in this classic sandwich.

Works Cited

Kitchen Project. 6 February 2012 <http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/PBJ/peanut_butter_jelly.htm#history>.

What's Cooking America. 2 February 2012 <http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Sandwiches/PeanutButterJellySandwich.htm>.