Comments on: Dialogue, while packing lunches

By: jab

jab — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 23:02:01 +0000

KevinF, I heard the young-marrieds ward in our stake is has a Pinewood Derby every year for their “manrichment”. So maybe you just need to suggest it to the right person…

By: meems

meems — Sat, 07 Apr 2007 16:37:47 +0000

I just ate a box of them and they were called Samoas.

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:54:11 +0000

THe are Caramel Delights in some locations and Samoas in others. Supposedly, the names all depend on the baker a counsil uses.

By: An observer

An observer — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 04:32:30 +0000

I just thought I should mention that the caramel ones used to be called Samoas, but now they are “Caramel Delights.” I don’t have the expertise of a girl scout, but I did buy 8 boxes of them.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 02:34:14 +0000

Ah, Kevin, I knew I could count on you!!

By: Matt W.

Matt W. — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:42:43 +0000

Samoas…. Oh so deliscious…. *drool*

By: Kevin Barney

Kevin Barney — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 00:52:29 +0000

Kristine, you’re right, although it’s not that complicated or even grounded in Greek. The expression was supposed to be strain out gnats, and due to a printing error it became strain at gnats. But that wording became traditional, so it has been left in the KJV. (IE people will strain gnats out of their cup of water before drinking it, but they’ll swallow camels.)

Thin mints are great, but my favorites are those caramel ones.

By: Kristine

Kristine — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:41:43 +0000

Sam, I agree–it would be straining at gnats* to find anything objectionable about Girl Scout cookies. I am completely in favor of everything about them (especially Thin Mints).

*Kevin B., I know there’s some complicated Greek linguistics/NT cultural history problem with this phrase–I just can’t remember what it is. I don’t mind you correcting me in the comments, but I can also go look it up. Just thought I’d save you the trouble

By: Kevinf

Kevinf — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:42:09 +0000

Matt W,

Scout troops in the church get nailed on Friends of Scouting as well, in the form of an assessment generated by the local council, and all money raised goes directly to the council. Unlike GS Cookies, there is no benefit to those who donate, other than the tax write-off. As to whether or not the programs are sexist, I’d pretty much say that the way cub scouts and boy scouts in the church are run on a very sexist basis. Great idea of having a pinewood derby for the primary girls. Of course, after witnessing and presiding as cubmaster at way too many pinewood derbies, I really believe that they should also have a derby just for the adults, so they can compete with their extended wheel base, polished axle, narrow tread tire cars, and let the boys (and girls) actually do their own.

By the way, I make some pretty mean chocolate chip cookies. Does that make me non-sexist?

By: Sam B

Sam B — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 18:41:29 +0000

Kristine,
Except that, if you read the recent NY Times article on Girl Scout Cookies, whatever its provinence, cookie-selling has become a great way to train girls in the ways of business. It detailed a number of mini-CEO seminars set up for girls (especially in light of flagging sales by teenage Girl Scouts in light of the cuteness factor of little Brownies).

There’s no pretense that the Girl Scouts are making the cookies themselves, or otherwise engaged in stereotypically female endeavours–rather, they’re selling. To the best of my knowledge, Boy Scouts also sell (when I was in the program, Scout Fair tickets and popcorn; I know the popcorn’s still around). It actually strikes me as a reasonable balance between the two programs.