Where can I find it?
Q: Help! Several of my local Publix stores have stopped carrying Miss Meringue cookies, and they are my favorites. I especially like the cappuccino flavored ones. I tried to buy them online but it’s very pricey to buy them in bulk, and shipping is expensive. I would appreciate any help on locating them in the Atlanta area. — Sheila Coyle, Roswell
A: You can blame this spring’s avian bird flu for the disappearance of your favorite meringue cookies. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the bird flu caused egg production to fall for the first time since 2008. The soaring egg prices and shortages have impacted quite a few businesses, but Miss Meringue was especially hard hit because meringue cookies are made with only two items: egg whites and sugar. A representative I spoke with said that, for now, the California-based company has stopped production on its meringue cookies. She said that the supply has dried up, making the whites almost impossible to get for the small bakery. Mega business like McDonald’s and Procter and Gamble get first crack at the egg whites. So, the company has withdrawn from the market until it stabilizes, but don’t look for production to resume this year.
Q: Everyone in my family is a fan of Orangina, the yummy orange carbonated beverage. When we first moved to Atlanta, we found it in a variety of stores. Several years later, I found I was only able to buy it at a couple of Publix stores near me. Over the last three years or so, I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. Can you help? — Katherine Jones, email
A: Katherine, your family won’t have to go without its favorite soda. Orangina, which claims a Spanish and French lineage, is flavored with lemon, orange, mandarin and grapefruit, and includes a bit of pulp. It’s available in 16-ounce bottles for $1.29 each, or you can order a case of 24 bottles for $31.89 at Tower Beer, Wine and Spirits, 5877 Buford Highway, Doraville, 770-458-3272. The Doraville location had Orangina in stock when I checked, and the Buckhead store was waiting for a shipment. You can call that store at 404-881-0902. Trader Joe’s, 931 Monroe Circle, Atlanta, 404-815-9210, also stocks Orangina. A 10-ounce four-pack costs $3.99 and a 33.8-ounce bottle sells for $2.49.
Q: When we were young, my sister and I loved horehound hard candies. They had an unusual flavor that I can’t find in any hard candy today. They came in drops and were packaged in paper bags. These candies were nice when you had a scratchy throat. I’d love to find some locally, if that’s possible. Can you help? Thank you. — Ellen Johnson, McDonough.
A: Ellen, you won’t have to go far to enjoy these fragrant candies. You’ll find Gilliam horehound sugar sanded drops at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, 1124 W and GA-20, McDonough, 678-583-9931. A 4.5-ounce paper package costs $1.59.
