Papaw used to take me on little fishing trips when I was a kid. He’d load the truck with fishing poles, tackle boxes, bait, packed lunches, and me. Then we’d head off to the Pigeon River up above Lake Logan. That’s where I learned to bait my own hook. It’s also where I had my first RC Cola and Moonpie.
Papaw and I sat on the river bank, lines in the water, enjoying one of the South’s most traditional treats. I imagine we looked like a scene straight out of a Norman Rockwell painting.
I bet Papaw had similar memories of growing up. He was born in the early years of the Great Depression. That is when RC Cola and Moonpie became a famous duo among Southern blue-collar workers.
The combo cost just 10 cents back then. It was a filling snack that could be had for cheap, and Southerners fell in love with it.
It was such a well-known meal that Big Bill Lister released a song about it in 1951.
Daddy was a fan of the famous combo too. He often carried “the working man’s lunch” with him when he headed off to work in the morning back in the 1980s.
RC Cola and Moonpies are still pretty popular. Mama Clark usually keeps Moonpies stocked at her house. The girls grew up on them too.
How about you? Did you grow up on this beloved treat?
I was never much of a Moon Pie eater, but I have consumed my share of Saltine crackers and Vienna sausages in Sunburst with my father and grandfather. My father’s maternal family worked for the Suncrest Lumber company and lived where Lake Logan is now. I have several old pictures and information about the area.
I love that! My Mamaw lived out that way when she was little too. I believe Papaw Cochran worked for the same company. 🙂