Hey, I’ve had some experience writing crime novels, but here at Guilty Eats, you all usually read my pieces specifically for the one thing that brings us together, and that is of course the wonder that is F-O-O-D. But what if the realms of the mysterious and guilty eating pleasures collide? What happens then? Well…you get the Stovetop Stuffing Mandela Mystery, that’s what.
You must be wondering just what the heck I’m getting on about, but bear with me dear readers, because this is interesting and a tad creepy to say the least. I guess I’ll proceed with a question and a pretty big one at that to start off the festivities. Just before I do, be sure to look over your shoulder and out your window…you know, just in case….
Do you remember Stouffers Stovetop Stuffing? Good, because I do too. But this is part of the Mandela effect!
Dun dun duuuuuuuuuuuun!! (My idea of suspenseful, dramatic music, forgive me…)
I can picture the old commercial now…a kid walks into a kitchen…you see the box of Stouffers on the stove, the mom’s preparing it…the name on the box clear in my memory and perhaps in yours as well, but according to the new popular belief, the company never made a stovetop stuffing. It was supposedly always actually Kraft.
But how can we remember one thing so clearly that apparently never was? Perhaps you’re familiar with the term the ‘Mandela Effect.’ If not, here’s a brief description of the phenomena:
"“The Mandela Effect refers to a situation in which a large mass of people believes that an event occurred when it did not. The term was originated in 2009 by Fiona Broome, after she discovered that she, along with a number of others, believed that Nelson Mandela had died in the 1980s (when he actually died in 2013).”-via verywellmind.com"
Some examples if you’ll humor me:
In Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, what’s that famous line that the evil witch delivers to her mirror? “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” Right? Wrong!! It apparently goes something like this: “Magic mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”
Boom!
In Star Wars: Episode V—The Empire Strikes Back, in the fight scene with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader, what does Vader tell Luke? “Luke, I am you’re father,” right? NO! Apparently he says, “No, I am you’re father.”
Boom squared!!
And if that’s not bad enough, there are a bunch of other examples that are likely to get your spine a quivering, trust me. There are many great videos produced online that explain the Mandela Effect, but being a pro wrestling fan myself, I’m aware of the theories expressed on the phenomena by pro wrestler, Brian Kendrick. In this video he goes into it in detail, and it’s quite a wee bit more interesting than most of the videos out there I feel, but feel free to check out more out there, and there are indeed many, as stated. But here he has a conversation with the always entertaining New Day faction members.., and things kind of get a tad creepy…
The thing is, many collectively have these memories whereas many others remember it in different ways or the way society currently accepts the state of affairs to be as of right now. That is what is even more baffling.
So what am I saying? Some sort of magical entity actually changed history for the heck of it…actually went in and changed all of this data—the reels of a film even, and an extremely popular one at that—and all for the purpose of driving a certain portion of society absolutely bonkers?
Seems unlikely right, but yet how else would you explain this phenomena? For a large portion of society this is what it seems like: The past was changed! But by whom?
This is a question a humble, lowly chef and writer such as myself cannot explain.
But this article will undoubtedly receive mixed feelings; there will be those for and those against the validity of my claims, and hey, that’s cool. That’s what makes the world go round, as they say, right? Good old fashioned, healthy debate, but I am of the mind that something sinister is at play here.
I was never all that much invested in the phenomena…and yeah the Star Wars thing was weird…even the Seven Dwarves thing, too, but the Stouffers thing really got to me just recently and it’s been on my mind ever since.
I was writing a piece about poutine a few weeks back and wanted to say that poutine should be the new side dish offered at thanksgiving, wanting to say…sorry Stouffers, essentially giving them the nod for being the old best side dish at Thanksgiving…you catch my drift?
But when I looked the product up, I discovered that Stouffers never made a stovetop stuffing, much to my shock and chagrin. So I decided to write this piece. To what end, I don’t know…maybe to have a few of you dear readers share in some of hat shock and chagrin with me. It can get lonely on the plain of paranoia, self doubt and utter creepiness surrounding you, which the notion of the Mandela Effect undoubtedly does deliver. Looking over your shoulder and the such. Is someone just waiting to erase yet another food we love and treasure? Please, God no!
I mean is anyone else a tad worried here? Or is it just me? Let us know!