Councillors Lorrie Williams and Betty McIntosh fight the good fight
When the Girl Guides introduced a new cookie in 1995, a national debate ensued. Which is better? The Classic or the Chocolatey Mint? We brought this important question to the Main Stage of the 2011 New Westminster Festival of Volunteers.
City Councilors Lorrie Williams and Betty McIntosh rose to the challenge, with Lorrie taking the side of the Classic, and Betty relishing the chance to defend the honour of the Chocolatey Mint. Trish Kinsey of the Girl Guides moderated.
The Opening Statements
For her opening salvo, Lorrie cracked open the dictionary to read us the definition of classic:
- a) Belonging to the highest rank or class.
- b) Serving as the established model or standard:
- c) Having lasting significance or worth; enduring.
This describes the Classic Girl Guide cookie perfectly. Enduring. Of the highest rank. The standard to which all cookies should be held.
Betty countered with the devastating revelation that the Classic cookie recipe has changed many times since it was originally baked in 1927. In her opinion, the “Classic” cookie is not Classic at all, which leaves the field open for a new cookie favourite: the Chocolatey Mint.
The Categories
The debate raged on to the Category section, where Lorrie and Betty fought it out in the categories of Appearance, Deliciousness, and Cultural Relevance.
Category 1: Appearance
Betty opened up a box of Chocolatey Mint so we could all admire the smooth and silky melted chocolate covering. Shiny is good.
Lorrie pointed out that the Classic cookie comes in Vanilla and Chocolate, creating a visually appealing light/dark pattern in the box that is a feast for the eyes as well as the tongue.
Category 2: Deliciousness
Lorrie drew wild applause from the audience with her observation that there are many Chocoholics, but no such thing as Mint-oholics!
But as Betty pointed out, mint is a wonderfully sophisticated flavor that pairs perfectly with chocolate.
Category 3: Cultural Relevance
Betty’s argument hinged on Christmas, a very culturally relevant time for many. Chocolatey Mint cookies come out right before Christmas, and make a great addition to the festivities of the season.
For Lorrie, the Classic is the cornerstone of the Girl Guides cookie tradition, which is a mainstay of Canadian life. Whether you grew up selling Classic cookies as a Girl Guide, or just buy them whenever you see them, you are taking part in a Canadian cultural tradition that stretches back to 1927.
The Closing Statements
With no clear winner, the closing statements were key. Lorrie held up a sprig of mint and asked the question on all Classic-lovers minds: “What kind of a cookie is made from a leaf anyway?” But Betty was not phased, and defended the delicious of the mint/chocolate pairing.
The crowd gave a narrow victory to Betty’s Chocolatey Mint defense. In the end, everyone agreed that whichever cookie you buy, you are supporting a great cause.
Your next chance to buy Girl Guide cookies starts on April 1, when the Classic cookies go on sale again!
I vote for the Classic
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It’s certainly a hard choice! As a fan of chocolate, both definitely have their benefits but I must lean towards the refreshing flavour of the Chocolatey-Mint. They are fabulous cold as well!
my family loves the mint cookies, but when my daughter’s guides troop sold them this past fall, many customers were allergic to chocolate and a few were allergic to mint. we will be selling the classic cookies this spring, but i think more profits could be made for guiding groups everywhere if both kinds were available at both times of year
I tend towards the Classic Cookie, especially the vanilla ones. I’m not a big fan of chocolate. There are many people who have a preference for one or the other. It works out nicely in the end. Everyone has a choice of chocolate or vanilla. That’s called sharing a box.