Readers write in about ‘Dinoman,’ Bergers cookies, the Education Issue and Gene Weingarten

Comments about the April 22 ‘Dinoman’ story by Brian Vastag

Loading...

Comments

• Weigh In
• Corrections?

Personal Post

What a wonderful article! I appreciated the in-depth look and freedom from judgment. It was a great read and, I’m asking others to take a look and enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks. Go, Ray!

Dave Rosenmarkle, Arlington

There is no reason I can see to ship this priceless collection out of state, either to Colorado or the Smithsonian. It should stay right here in Maryland, even Prince George’s County. Perhaps even College Park.

Why can’t we have our own museum for dinosaur tracks??! The University of Maryland in College Park would be great. It sounds like the Ray Stanford collection is large enough to form the core of a new museum on that subject. Not just an exhibit, but a whole museum!

I didn’t know Maryland is a treasure trove for dinosaur fossils; if there are tracks, there must also be bone and/or egg fossils. Let’s put Maryland on the paleontological map!

Tim Shank, Bethesda

***

Comments about the April 22 story about Bergers cookies by Andrew Reiner

I moved to Baltimore in 1975 and was introduced to these mounds of heaven shortly thereafter. When I began traveling for work a few years later, I sent boxes and tins of Berger cookies to out-of-town clients. To this day, I still get requests to send them (which I happily oblige).

Clients thought I was delusional when I suggested that the treat is even more decadent frozen. Once tried, this often becomes the consumption method of choice. I first [froze them] to keep them out of easy reach. That lasted only until I had the first frozen one. Now the only way to keep them out of reach is to leave them at Giant for someone else to discover.

Thank you for the wonderful article and the back story on the cookie. Hopefully even more people will discover what Baltimore has known for years and keep Bergers flourishing.

Brock Abernathy, Baltimore

Born and raised in Philadelphia, a Montgomery County resident for more than 30 years, I had Berger cookies for the first time this year as a pie. We were eating dinner at Bertha’s in Fells Point, Baltimore, where the waitress rattled off the few desserts on the menu.

“Dutch apple pie, Berger cookie pie ...”

“What’s that?” we asked.

She said they were a locally made cookie and the pie was a kind of chocolate caramel pie made at a local bakery, whose name escapes me.

It was delicious.

The author may think such a confection is sacrilege, but if not, he may want to call Bertha’s and ask where they get their Berger cookie pie.

Susan Holliday, Takoma Park

Thanks, Mr. Reiner, for your wonderful article about Bergers cookies!! They are “to die for” and sinfully delicious! One can never find another cookie with all that sinful fudge chocolate toping anywhere but in Baltimore. When I was living in Seattle and flew back East to visit family members in Baltimore, I would always take a few boxes back with me to Seattle. I have relocated back to the East Coast and now live in Virginia; when I do go to Baltimore, I have gotten those wonderful Berger cookies for friends and several people who work in my apartment building, along with the current mayor of Alexandria. I always tell them, “ You don’t have to eat all of them at the same time, but can freeze them and eat them at your pleasure.” Everyone who has gotten these Berger cookies from me has said, “These cookies are amazing, and often I can’t stop eating all of them in a day or two.” Yes, Baltimore has steamed crabs, Cal Ripken Jr. and crab cakes, but nothing can replace Bergers cookies!!!