Peanut Butter Month

September is Peanut Butter Month, according to a National Post columnist. But for some of us, every month is peanut butter month.

Peanut butter connoisseurs know that peanut butter goes with everything. The banana-peanut butter-honey combination has long been accepted by the world at large, but peanut butter goes equally well with orange slices. With aged cheddar cheese. With pickles. With lettuce and mayonnaise. With bacon. On toast with strawberry jam. And, thanks to the adventurous palate of Rocky Rocksborough-Smith, with smoked oysters (an inspiration that came to Rocky one day when he looked in his cupboard and only a jar of peanut butter and a tin of smoked oysters).

And finally the menu planners at White Spot Restaurants have recognized the power of the gourmet goober: you can now order a Triple O Peanut Butter, Bacon and Jalapeño Burger.

William F. Buckley, Jr. frequently drove many miles to find a little-known brand of peanut butter that was, to him, the ne plus ultra. But the political figure who may have been the greatest devotee was Barry Goldwater, longtime Senator from Arizona and once Republican candidate for President. Senator Goldwater liked peanut butter so much, he spread it on steak. One day his sons dared him to shave with peanut butter, a challenge he couldn't resist. When he got to his desk at the Senate, people probably wanted to lick his cheek.