When I was in middle school, I used to steal change from the cash register at my parent's bookstore in order to support my candy habit. All told, I probably took about $50 worth, maybe more. This coming from the daughter the rest of the family dubbed "The Golden Child" years ago. I never caused my parents a moment's worry, never rebelled, never talked back (okay, did that once and only once), never missed curfew, never drank, smoked, did drugs. Just stole from them when I was in the sixth grade.
I confessed to my parents years ago, and they granted me amnesty. Besides, my father knew I came by this candy addiction honestly. I inherited it from him.
As a kid, I recall that his favorites were licorice anything, orange slices, spice drops, Jujubes, and circus peanuts, the only one we agreed on. Although, in a bind, I ate the orange slices and jujubes, too. My own favorites and the ones for which I pilfered all that change are nearly too numerous to recount, but I can at least begin: Sugar Babies, Sugar Daddies, Charleston Chews, Pixie Stix, Fun Dip, and Dinosaur Eggs. Willie Wonka used to make those last ones (the candy company, not Gene Wilder or Johnny Depp), but not anymore. They were large, sour, egg-shaped gobstoppers that changed color as you sucked on them until you got to the center, which was a sweet-tart. mmm. They lasted forever . . . or at least until I could scrounge up the change to buy another.
This one isn't the candy kind. That would be disgusting. This is like the one my mother gave me from my father's antique collection after he passed away.
I'd like to say my palate has matured in the last nearly 30 years, but then I'd be adding lying to my list of sins. I enjoyed a handful of mini Gobstoppers (do they even make the large ones anymore?) for dessert tonight. And I have to confess they were, technically speaking, my kids' Gobstoppers. My sister sent them before Halloween, but I don't let my kids have hard candy, so I never actually handed them over. Is that stealing? I prefer to say I merely rescued my children from a potential choking hazard, which is something any good mother would do.
Anyone out there have a favorite candy from childhood?You don't even have to admit you still eat it. And I'll assume if you DO still eat it, you acquire it honestly.
Off to go do some good deeds now so I can get back on Santa's nice list. I hear he sometimes brings candy.
5 comments:
I didn't eat all that much candy as a child. Of what I did eat, I remember Smarties the most (the UK equivalent of M&Ms). Nowadays I am heavily into chocolate--or should that be chocolate is heavily into me? I prefer the dark stuff, although it ispossible for it to be too dark for me. 70% cocoa is my limit. I used to get the store brand from Carrefour when in Doha. It's harder to come by in India where they prefer the wussier milk chocolate variations.
Oh, I'm a big dark chocolate fan now. The milk chocolate does nothing for me. I found a new hot chocolate that's making me very happy at the moment. It's Trader Joe's (I'm guessing you don't have those in India) and is "Sipping Chocolate"--a dark, hot, drink that just tastes like I'm being a little wicked.
I used to be a big candy fiend -- though not to the degree of Jerry Seinfeld, for whom, according to his hilarious book "Halloween", the only clear thought as a child was "get candy". My first club membership was the "candy club" which amounted to redistribution of wealth among neighborhood kids, mostly in the form of Now & Laters. And of course my first solo ventures out into the broader world on my bike were to the drug stores for my sugar fixes.
My candy obsession has passed now that I've tasted my wife's cookies, my favorite of which is laden with toffee. Hopefully Santa's birds will read this and pass along the implicit request.
I've always been a candy fan. All the money I ever had as a child went to candy. My friend and I used to walk to a gas station almost daily after school to buy candy. It would mostly be whatever was on the lowest rack which was cheapest. I loved the Jolly Rancher sticks, Blow pops, Charleston Chews, and Laffy Taffy's, but honestly it didn't matter what kind of candy it was. If it was made with sugar, I'd be eating it. Its amazing that I don't weigh 500 lbs. Now days I love chocolate. My favorite is the Cadbury Fruit and Nut(which is plentiful here in Doha, you can get giant bars of it). I'm not a big fan of dark chocolate, but I think the older you get the better it starts to taste because when I was little I hated it, now I'll eat it but I'd prefer milk chocolate, so maybe in 10 years I'll prefer dark.
I like all candy and I am curious...do you only eat candy that is stolen or purchased with stolen money ?
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