#pizzabon

a food that I have not quite

'Pizzabon' tested in Atlanta, get lukewarm reception from foodies

This might seem like a stretch or that I’m making quite a fuss over the “concept” behind a dumb food stunt, but that’s condescending to the amount of thought, money, and cultural power that goes into fast food. Amidst all of the arguments around Chik-fil-A recently, I heard more than few people argue that it was “just a chicken sandwich.” Sure, that sounds nice and simple, but food is an expression of culture, values, history, and class when a celebrity chef or a fast food joint makes it.

Fun fact: Cinnabon was the first American business to open in Libya after Muammar Gaddafi’s regime was overthrown last year. They’re owned by Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm named for the protagonist of Ayn Rand’s insufferable novel The Fountainhead. So, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say these guys are acting as America’s cultural ambassadors in the rest of world and they’re sending Honey Boo Boo Child to represent us.

Commentary: I ate Cinnabon's Pizzabon so you won't have to

From the post:

There’s something insidious to me about the self-aware logic that underpins the stunt sandwich: It’s asking the customer to be in on the joke of fast food. The concept is practically yelling, “You remember how gross and unhealthy and environmentally unsustainable fast food is? Well, this is, like, TWICE as gross as that. Come eat it.” The Pizzabon asks the consumer to acknowledge the unappetizing absurdity of fast food while participating in it. It’s the same logic that operates in reality television: encouraging us to pity and laugh at people while participating in their glorification. The Pizzabon is the Honey Boo Boo Child of food.

Read Wyatt Williams's blog post

Five important questions about Cinnabon's new Pizzabon

1. Is there cheese on the inside, or is it just a doughy mound of dough made mostly of dough but with a bit of stuff on top?

2. Could one request a Cinnabon-Pizzabon hybrid? A Cinzabon?

3. Will there be pizza-sized Pizzabons, and could this open the door to pizza-sized Cinnabons?

4. Does Cinnabon plan to expand the “bon”-brand to any other common fast food items? Bagelbons, for instance? Burgerbons? Burritobons?