Monday, December 20, 2010

Candyfreak

I have a terrible sweet tooth, but I outgrew my love for most candies like Sprees, Jolly Ranchers, Nerds, Sweet Tarts, etc. when I became an adult. Now I just have an intense passion for chocolate and baked goods. But Steve Almond is a true candy addict. His book Candyfreak is like food porn. He waxes poetic about a number of candies he remembers from his youth and bemoans his favorites that no longer exist. His life-long love for candy inspired him to travel around the country visiting candy factories and meeting other candyfreaks, historians and collectors. He even bought several cases of Kit Kat Darks to ensure that he would have a lasting supply. While it is an interesting and enjoyable read, I do take issue with him on one point. There are a few candies that he refers to as MWMs (Mistakes Were Made), such as Twizzlers, Chuckles, and white chocolate ("a scourge visited upon us by the inimical forces of Freak Evil.") So true. But he also includes Peeps and Circus Peanuts on his list of MWMs! Peeps are the best candy ever! How can a candy connoisseur not love Peeps?!? I suppose Circus Peanuts are an acquired taste, but oh, how I love them. What are some of your favorite candies from childhood? Are they still around and do you still eat them? What candies do you miss the most? I miss Velamints. My grandmother always used to carry them and they remind me of her. I think you can still get them, but I have no idea where. I never see them in stores.

Here is an interesting tidbit: Remember Pop Rocks? Pop Rocks contains sugar, corn syrup, flavor and coloring, and carbon dioxide gas compressed at 600 pounds per square inch! Yikes.

3 comments:

Jen said...

I love Steve Almond's book Candyfreak. The first I read it, I had to sequester myself in another room because I was laughing so hard. I had one of my book groups read it, and it was a lot of fun talking about candy we liked/hated, remembered, etc. The one bad thing about the book is it made me crave things like GooGoo Clusters and Valomilks. Which I promptly ordered online .... and now my husband and I are addicted.....

I miss: dark chocolate Twix bars, Nestle Alpine White bars and rum Frango mints. ;)

Amy Robillard said...

I SO need to read this book. I could've written it. This guy could be the twin I never knew I had. Okay, Chocolite. That's the one I miss and can't get. I googled it and it's manufactured in Canada under an assumed name. Not the same. I still can get my sticky hands on Zots, a hard candy wrapped in cellophane on a continuous strand. Fruit flavors with extra sour powder in the center. I love Good-n-Plenty, Milk Duds, Snow Caps, those nasty Planters peanut bars, oh, and on and on. I love me some candy.

Kristen Marlin said...

I will never forget those Bazooka gums! I'm not quite sure if they're still in the market, but I surely enjoyed 'em when I was a kid. My mom used to buy me a whole pack from the grocery store near our neighborhood in Rock Hill. However, a week before my dentist appointments, I had to brush my teeth thrice a day just to get rid of the sweets.