The 1930's Southern 'Working Man's Lunch' Consisted Of An Interesting Snack Combo

A "working man's lunch" — not too dissimilar from a "poor man's meal" — is proof that sometimes the best eats are the simplest ones. Across the world, there are countless different iterations of this tradition, but one thing they all seem to have in common is that they're cheap, energizing, and easy to carry on the go. Over in the American South, the classic working man's lunch combo was RC Cola and MoonPie, which dates all the way back to the 1930s. But despite this snack pairing being just shy of a century old, its popularity is still enduring.

RC Cola — short for Royal Crown Cola — was first created in Georgia in 1905, and its sweet, slightly citrusy flavors aren't too far removed from larger brands like Pepsi or Coca-Cola. MoonPie, meanwhile, is a distinctly Southern snack made with marshmallow filling sandwiched between two graham crackers and coated in chocolate. According to MoonPie lore, the treat's alleged origins date back to 1917, when a traveling salesman supposedly asked a Kentucky coal miner what kind of snack he wanted, and the miner requested one "as big as the moon," inspiring the iconic name.

While both products had already been around for decades, they didn't become known as an iconic working-man's pairing until the 1930s. When the Great Depression hit in 1929, few regions were hit harder than the South. At the time, RC Cola and MoonPie cost just 10 cents combined, making this combo not just tasty, but also an affordable and filling lunch that would get hardworking laborers through a long day during tough times.

The Great Depression was a time of immense hardship for many, and what were once simple meals suddenly became unaffordable luxuries. Because of this, people had to work with what little they had just to get by, and many iconic "desperation meals" were born. But just because they were cheap didn't mean they were bad. Just look at how graham crackers were marketed as affordable pie bases, and today they're the gold standard for all-American favorites like pumpkin pie or key lime pie. This also rings true for the RC Cola and MoonPie pairing, and while they were once just a simple "working man's lunch," today they're a staple of Southern culture.

After becoming popular as the undisputed working man's lunch during the 1930s, the pairing slowly evolved from a cheap meal into a full-blown piece of pop culture and has inspired two songs. In 1951, country musician Big Bill Lister released the hit song "Gimme an RC Cola and a Moon Pie" (a seriously catchy tune, by the way). The pairing's cultural impact later went on to cross genres. More than two decades later, rock band NRBQ released its own tribute track, "An RC Cola and Moon Pie."

There are also festivals that commemorate the pairing. The Bell Buckle Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee (MoonPies originated in Chattanooga) has been hosting an annual RC-MoonPie Festival for more than 30 years. The day starts with a 10-mile and 5K race, which is then followed by music, dancing, and, of course, plenty of cans of RC Cola paired with MoonPies. You'll also have no shortage of this combo at Mardi Gras celebrations, where they're famously tossed to revelers from floats.