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Sunday, September 02, 2007

Hey, Little Girl, You Want Some Candy Candy Candy?

Prior to our elementary school closing down in third grade, we walked to school on a path through the woods. Because this was the late 70s/early 80s where child killers hid behind trees or rolled around in unmarked vans (as opposed to hunting down people via the Internet or luring them away with cell phones) and because my mother had scared the bejebuzz out of me that a child killer would be waiting for ME behind one of these emaciated trees in the woods to offer me treats laced with cyanide, my friend and sister would "hide" behind the slender trunks that hid precisely three inches of their body and say to me over and over again, "hey, little girl, you want some candy, candy, candy?"

And the answer is yes.

I am a horder of candy. I not only like to eat it, but I like to own it. I like knowing I have candy at my beck and call. Currently, I have a box of 100 calorie M & M packs on my desk and an unopened box of snowcaps in the kitchen. And it makes me happy.

I am a relatively picky eater. I don't like foods that are white--why? I don't know. But I can't walk by mayonnaise at the store and I can't try most cheeses. But a white piece of candy? No problem. Ordering the garden roll at the sushi restaurant last night was comment-worthy for the table (Melissa trying something new?), but I have a secret inner strength when it comes to trying candy, even when said candy is comprised of thousands of sticky flax seeds.

Tal Ben Shahar made me list out things that made me happy last night and candy was high on the list. I like packaging and the aesthetics of the treat. I like smell and taste. The crackle of a Kit Kat or the pop of an Elite bar with pop rocks embedded in the chocolate. And as I said before, simply holding it. I like the feel of candy. I like just knowing it's in my bag even if I have no plans to eat it.

Another blogger (and I'm sorry, I can't remember who) once ran a candy exchange where people sent their favourite treats from their country to someone living overseas. The British got to eat M & Ms and we got their Smarties. I would love to do that if anyone is interested. I not only like to receive candy, but I like to make it and buy it too and give it to other people.

But to make me happy this morning, I am making a list of my favourite candies, past and present. This list is subject to change as you also list your favourite candies and I have a "oh! I forgot about that!" moment.
  1. M & Ms
  2. Unnamed Mint Bar Taken From Pantry--I think it was made by Nestles Rowntree, but whenever I babysat for a certain family, I would always take one of these candy bars they had sent over from South Africa (just for the record, I took it with permission). It was a bright green mint wafer that cracked and snapped when you bit into it and the whole thing was covered in chocolate. Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about?
  3. Elite Bar with Pop Rocks
  4. Chocolate-covered orange peels
  5. See's Toffee-ettes
  6. Peppermint bark
  7. Necco wafers
  8. Dynamints
  9. Cadbury Dairy Milk
  10. Stick-o-Pep Lifesavers

22 comments:

Unknown said...

MMmm, a candy swap! I've organized loads of Knitting swaps (with over 600 people), so I'd be happy to take that on if you don't have time.
I love candy. I too, always have candy in the house...makes me happy to know it's there. In fact, I think a twix bar is calling my name.

Natalie said...

Reese peanut butter cups, M&M's, Cadbury's Fruit & Nut, Cadbury's Dark Chocolate, and sour soothers. Oh, and those red hot lip things. But the kicker is the Toffifee's (sp?) - at Christmas when they come out in hords, I eat boxes and boxes of them.

Anonymous said...

JUJY Fruits!
& I love the fact that no one ever really asks for any when I have a box of them.
I also adore cinnamon hard candies and peppermints.

I am not a lover of chocolate except for hormonal rages. It seriously freaks my family out that I don't gravitate towards chocolates.

Anonymous said...

Seeing as I'm in France, Europe, we go more for chocolate than sugar type bonbons. Do you go for chocolate type bonbons because is you do, I could send you some wowzers?!

decemberbaby said...

I LOVE that Elite chocolate with the pop rocks!

Actually, the Elite chocolate with hazelnut filling is pretty exciting too... mmm... chocolate.

I'm also in love with Paskez cherry sours. I can only find them at Kosher city, and they are sooo good.

Erica Kain said...

Oh bitchen!

I wish I'd been prescient enough to collect some German candy for the exchange. I ate so much chocolate and super-sweet gummi candies when I lived in Germany, and nothing in the US can compare.

Also, my sister and I found an OUTSTANDING assortment of gummi candies in a train station in Madrid. We named it "Spanny Canny" and we are still in pursuit of something equivalent.

Now you've made me hungry!!

Deb said...

yummy!

My list is full of everything chocolate mint flavored or rootbeer flavored. Also Chocolate Pocky, Yellow package toblerone, Carmello, Sprees, Banana Runts, and Giant Sweettarts.

hmmm... I always say I am not a chocolate fan but there is more chocolate on there than I would have thought.

Mrs. Shoes said...

A candy swap is an excellent leading up to Halloween idea. I have found that there are even regional differences in candy. It wasn't until moving to the Midwest that I discovered my husband's favorites- nut goodies and salted nut rolls.

Monkey said...

Whatchamacallit!! Carlos V is good too. I am in for an exchange. I have chocolate in my house and in my office. 2nd drawer from the bottom on the left side lol

niobe said...

Though I've never actually tried it, my favorite candy (for obvious reason) is a Swedish chocolate bar called Pigall.

K said...

I'm with you on the M&M's. Anything chocolate and peanut butter (Reese's!!!) and especially the ones they put out at Easter that are egg shaped. They now make pumpkins and Christmas trees and hearts.. and I hope they make one for every season soon! Oh and Sweedish Fish!
I love candy!!!!!

Pam said...

When we used to visit a friend who lived in Chicago, we had to bring her Smarties, Kit Kats and Crunchie bars. The Kit Kats you get in the US definitely taste different than the ones in we get in Canada. I'm not sure if you get Crunchie's or not, but OMG if you like chocolate covered sponge toffee, you'll LOVE these. Oh, and Maltesers. Those are my other favourites too.

Anonymous said...

I love candy and chocolate. When I was a kid, my brother and I used to keep old cookie tins full of candy. I always hid mine so he couldn't come and steal it. I till have candy stashed around my house where my husband can't find it.

I would be all up for a candy swap. Maybe it would be better to do it later in the fall - that way, chocolate won't melt in the mail!

Bea said...

Do you also love the dentist?

Or perhaps I should ask if your dentist loves you?

Bea

Anonymous said...

Living in France, I miss all things chocolate and peanut butter! But thankfully there are tons of other fabulous candy choices over here.

I think the mystery mint bar to which you refer is a mint aero bar - I remember them from my time in London.

Sunny said...

You make me laugh!!!!

Dark chocolate M&Ms and the peanut ones are my weakness in the candy department.

My real love is homemake cookies or brownies. I die when someone pulls them out.

Searching said...

Gummis I found in Germany, along with all that lovely Swiss chocolate... I am most fond of European pastries, but candies are yummy, too!

Oh, and you have another weirdo to join your club- my hubby won't eat white things either but will sometimes eat vanilla ice cream. I "accidentally" add sour cream or cream cheese to dishes I don't quite feel like sharing. Does that ever happen to you? :)

katd said...

A candy swap? Could anything be more wonderful? :) I love Junior Mints, Caramello bars and I am so with you on chocolate covered orange peels and Necco wafers. I'll eat the entire roll in one sitting. Now I have to go hunt down some sugar... :)

Anonymous said...

I would love to be involved in that, being a Brit. I love sweets. SWEETS. Candy, pfft. My favourite is Aero chocolate, and I like Opal Fruits for sweets themselves.

Kristen said...

Yummy!!! I heart Gobstoppers - my all time fave. But I also like Cadbury eggs, Sour Patch Kids, Twix, and those little gummy hamburger candies that are fluffy - forget what they are called - but each layer has a flavor.

Nothing like this can make me feel like a kid again :)

dmarie said...

I love candy too. But I don't really like chocolate. I'm more of a Skittles and gummi kinda girl. And strawberry Mentos.

I'd definitely do an exchange.

Unknown said...

Reese's peanut butter cups, almond roca, skor bars, heath bars (anything with toffee!), peanut butter twix (do they make them any more?)...sprees (remember those?) -- they are candy coated sweet tarts! I like Nerds too. I also love good old fashioned cherry lifesavers and butterscotch candy by Brachs. Candy swap sounds like fun!