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Inspired by the Grapenuts post, and me not knowing what they were. Please could some americans explain to me

a) What a twinky is?

b) What Egg Nogg is?

and

c) What Taco Bell is?

We get none of these in the UK? Are we a deprived nation because of this, or are we better off without them?

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A Twinkie is an angel food cake shaped in cylindrical form, filled with a vanilla creme. They are filled with preservatives, and have a shelf life of like 2 years.

Egg nog is milk and egg yolks mixed in with booze. A Christmas classic.

Taco Bell is a quasi-Mexican fast food chain. Tacos, burritos, etc.

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Egg nog also has nutmeg in it, which plays a very big part in the flavor. Some people put sugar in it.

The traditional booze to put in it is rum, but now there are recipes with almost every imaginable type of booze, including some pretty unlikely ones.

Here is an excerpt I found googling:

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Eggnog! - History

Many believe that eggnog is a tradition that was brought to America from Europe. This is partially true. Eggnog is related to various milk and wine punches that had been concocted long ago in the "Old World". However, in America a new twist was put on the theme. Rum was used in the place of wine. In Colonial America, rum was commonly called "grog", so the name eggnog is likely derived from the very descriptive term for this drink, "egg-and-grog", which corrupted to egg'n'grog and soon to eggnog. At least this is one version...

Other experts would have it that the "nog" of eggnog comes from the word "noggin". A noggin was a small, wooden, carved mug. It was used to serve drinks at table in taverns (while drinks beside the fire were served in tankards). It is thought that eggnog started out as a mixture of Spanish "Sherry" and milk. The English called this concoction "Dry sack posset". It is very easy to see how an egg drink in a noggin could become eggnog.

The true story might be a mixture of the two and eggnog was originally called "egg and grog in a noggin". This was a term that required shortening if ever there was one.

With it's European roots and the availability of the ingredients, eggnog soon became a popular wintertime drink throughout Colonial America. It had much to recomend it; it was rich, spicy, and alcoholic.

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As to Taco Bell, it is a bottom drawer version of Mexican food, disrespectfully called Taco Hell by some. The food is very sub-par, and the "meat" is a extremely small portions of a particularly miserable incredibly finely ground flavorless hamburger for the most part.