'S'moresgate': Healthy s'mores recipes fire up GOP critics


Who doesn't love a good s'more fresh from an open fire?

20th Century Fox: "You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then you roast the mallow."

Personally, I like my marshmallows extra crispy on the outside. (Video via Howcast)

And nothing's better than the warm, melting chocolate.

Err, apparently there is. Fruit. That's according to recent suggestions from the U.S. Forest Service.

But media outlets aren't finding the ideas very sweet, and let's just say they're making a pretty sticky mess out of it.

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Yes people ... this is happening. Controversy over s'mores. So let's break down what some are calling "S'moresgate," and you can choose how you think that graham cracker should crumble.

Aug. 30: In honor of National Roasted Marshmallow Day, the U.S. Forest Service asked "How Does Your Marshmallow Roast?" The piece gives a brief history of America's beloved s'mores, talks about the traditional way to eat them then gives a few healthier recipes.

You can take a look at those recipes on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website yourself, but they basically included ideas like substituting roasted pineapple for chocolate or using angel food cake in place of graham crackers.

Oh, but no one gives Americans healthy s'mores ideas and gets away with it.

Fox News asks, "Is nothing sacred?" calling the chocolate "the third sacrament in camping's holy trinity." We honestly don't know what to make of the article, but it ends by speculating, "If the Obama administration has its way, future generations will be sitting around a computer-generated fireplaces [sic], roasting kumquats and sipping shots of wheatgrass."

Fox News: "Our viewers are fired up. I'm fired up, too. You cannot take chocolate out of my s'mores. It's ridiculous. ... They want you to put fruit in there."

"What? No."

And according to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy this is everything that's wrong with America.

Writing in a memo to GOP House members, "This perfectly captures what is wrong with our government. Hard-earned tax dollars supporting bureaucrats who can’t pass up an opportunity to tell us how to live our lives."

All this over a few suggestions involving graham crackers?

A writer for The Washington Post admits maybe "the Forest Service post does veer into overbearing nanny territory. ... But for rallying the Republican base, it's no Obamacare."

CNBC: "Look I love s'mores but I hate to see it politicized."

"Well I can't even believe we're having this conversation."

And neither can we. After all, this is the land of the free so go out there and have your s'mores the way you like it.

This video includes images from Getty Images and seelensturm / CC By 2.0. 

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