Crank That PB&J!



CORRECTION APPENDED The time-honored tradition of PB&J, a constant from two-year-olds’ lunch boxes to 2 a.m. munchies, has taken on

By Lingbo Li Oct 3, 2007
CORRECTION APPENDED

The time-honored tradition of PB&J, a constant from two-year-olds’ lunch boxes to 2 a.m. munchies, has taken on an all-natural twist. Michael C. Koenigs ’09, along with another junior in Winthrop House who wishes to remain unidentified (for fear of being stalked by his fans, we’re sure), annotated the recipe on film—by adding sweat and “natural hair oils.”

Koenigs and his friend made a cooking show/comedy sketch, accessible from HRTV.org and Youtube.com, outlining his recipe for viewers at home. The directions: smear armpits with chunky peanut butter, rub jelly through hair, and scrub off with slices of bread. Then put those two slices together for an “avant garde PB&J sandwich,” Koenings’s companion explains. Both chefs ate their creations, and Koenigs had a taste of both.

Koenigs says the idea came from his summer job as a camp counselor for terminally ill children, where it “put smiles” on his charges’ faces. As for health hazards, he says, “well, we just showered before the shot.”

Eve A. Lebwohl ’08—president and vice president of HRTV—added the video to the group’s website in an effort to make comedy sketches a regular feature. Their repertoire extends beyond avant garde cooking: Koenigs and his roommates have filmed a series of shorts. [SEE CORRECTION BELOW]

“I really think the time is right for this kind of content: for short, bite-sized little clips,” says Lebwohl.

But the filming wasn’t without obstacles. Koenigs’s partner needed persuading to make the video, saying he was initially “repulsed” by the idea. The biggest challenge was after the fact, as filming left “chunky peanut butter on the floor and jelly in the sofa and chunky peanut butter in the shower.”

CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, the Oct. 3 magazine article "Crank That PB&J!" incorrectly reported that Eve A. Lebwohl '08 is the president and vice president of HRTV. In fact, Lebwohl serves only as the group's vice president.