Cream Puff Consumerism
The new cream puff renaissance is news to me – but according to this SF Chron article, the proverbial prodigal puff hath returneth to San Francisco with a vengeance. The epicenter of this epicurean event, according to the article, is Beard Papa located on Mission across from Yerba Buena Gardens. Thousands of 220 calorie cream puffs have been sold to ready and waiting (some up to 2 hours) customers.
After chowing down on a half-dozen puffs, one person interviewed in the article declared it to be “one of the best days in my life.” Others, however, aren’t sold, saying “it’s a fad, cream puffs are not a staple.”
Beard Papa’s is a Japanese chain:
“It’s a very Japanese phenomenon,” said the 38-year-old Ongpin. “They take a Western product that’s been around for a long time, they engineer it and they bring it to the top level.”
Wow, first cars, now dessert. Who knew one could re-engineer a dessert.
So, San Franciscans, have you puffed yet? I’m eager to hear confirmation of this cream phenom. Perhaps a field trip is in order . . . .
Yeah, Nicole wrote about it a month or so ago: Beard Papa
They’re very tasty, I agree. I think that many people just haven’t had them as fresh as Beard Papas makes them… still warm, slightly crisp on the outside and soft inside… with the cool cream piped in after you order ‘em. Mmm, I want one now.
Whoops, sorry Nicole, my biggest MB pet peeve is when people don’t run a search to see if the gang has already scooped the issue (I plead my recent out-of-the-country-ness). I do think, however, that the article is entertaining as hell anyway.
Picked up a few a couple of weeks ago. Very tasty, very very.
It’s totally worth the field trip – do it on a thursday at noon and get free international music in Yerba Buena too :)
The interesting part about the advent of a place like this in the Yerba Buena area is how indicative of the Fisherman’s Wharf-ization of the Yerba Buena area it is. Stores like this, selling a single useless, un-nutritious type of junk food (cf. Mrs. Fields, Jelly Belly) are typical of the kind of touristy crap sold around Fish. Wharf.
I think the idea is to take advantage of over-stimulated, jaded tourists who ordinarily would not eat such crap, but since they’re on vacation and it seems “unusual” to buy a cream puff, they go for it.
Of course, for all I know, cream puff are all the rage in the malls of America. But the whole idea reminds me of the crap sold at Fish. Wharf.
No worries, CD. I’ve been meaning to give a “review” of it anyway, so this works as a follow-up :)
Note on crap sold at fish wharf: I was just scooped on the “cracked crab” at Alioto’s from some longshoremen-fisherman folk that I recently befriended. I’m dying to go down there and check it out. While I usually abhor the wharf, I’m finding more and more reasons to shop there: Peets at Boudin bakery, and fish insider tips!
Just noticed this on the SF Gate’s “Shanghai Diary” column: “Beard Papa is all over Shanghai.”