Healthy Meal

Thinking of hitting the cheesecake factory for a healthy meal?  Well you might want to read this first.  The first two sentences of this post are typically how most people would react to a list of the most unhealthy chain restaurants.  The thing is, if you're going to many of the places listed, I'm pretty sure "health" is not the first thing on your mind.  I'm also pretty sure people are smart enough, at least I hope, to know how many calories and how much sugar is in a lot of this food.  It's a night out indulgence and that's it.

Click here to check out the list.

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Microwave Popcorn Test

The folks at Cockeyed decided, randomly, to find out if a bag of microwave popcorn weighs the same after it's popped.  The answer is both obvious and interesting.

Click here to read more.

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Happy Macaroon/Macaron Day?

There's great debate about Macaroons now a days.  Some people consider the French Macarons to be far superior to the classic Macaroon.  While others feel that the two are completely different things and should not even be compared.  I personally don't care, I like them both equally.

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A Whole Lot Of Cheese

The other day at the grocery store I made a Fromage Faux Pas (clever the use of French no?).

Although my Greek is getting better, I still make mistakes, and often those mistakes are difficult to fix, because of my poor language skills.  So while at the cheese counter at my local grocery store, I appear to have accidentally ordered one and a half kilos of mozzarella cheese, instead of a half kilo of mozzarella.  So do you want to see what a kilo and a half of cheese looks like?

Here it is, in all it's glory.  I couldn't even imagine how I was going to tell her I only wanted a fraction of what she gave me, so I took it.  I also decided that getting another 300 grams of cheddar was probably not a good idea.

So for the next week or two I will be eating a whole lot of cheese, including snacks like these crackers with mozzarella melted on them.

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How Dark Chocolate Can Help with Your Workout

This article introduces itself as "good news for exercising enthusiasts and chocolate lovers" and, as a member of both categories, I must say I like it. The findings largely re-iterate the antioxidant benefits of dark chocolate, but this is the first time I've seen someone link those benefits to exercise.

For a short, easy-to-read explanation of the study, click here.

Cookies Are Tellings Us How To Raise Our Children

Well they are in India at least.  According to a new campaign in India, Cadbury (who makes Oreo cookies) has decided to launch a campaign to promote the Oreo brand and tie it into the idea of togetherness with children.  So some how Oreos represent the bond between parents and children... I'm not sure how this is going to work, and I wonder if maybe they should focus on promoting the tasty cream between the cookies instead.

Click here to read more about the campaign.

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How Do You Feel About Being a Chocolate Taste Tester?

Lindt is looking for 150 people to taste test chocolate and let them know what you think.  The key is that you have to be a dark chocolate fan in particular.

Click here to find out how to get this gig.

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Pick Your Gum Flavour

Mentos is releasing a new gum, and with it a strange campaign to go with it.  The whole idea behind the gum is that you get two flavours of gum in each package, so you can choose which one you want to chew... Really?  Is this a new idea?  I can't ever remember seeing a gum that comes in two flavours per package, but it sounds like something that should have come out by now.  If you know of one, let me know about it, but I guess for now I have to give kudos to Mentos for coming up with a really simple idea that might work.

Click here to read more about the campaign and the gum.

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Shreddies

Since this is my first time living away from Canada for a long period of time I wasn't really sure what I might miss.  Allison and I have this running joke about missing Shreddies (a Canadian cereal).  This was something she missed when she moved to Japan for a few years.  So whenever we talk about missing something, we always reply with Shreddies.  It's even on our list of things we hope people bring us when they visit.  The thing is, when I'm in Canada I don't really eat Shreddies all that much, so I figured it represented a symbol more than any kind of reality.

Well one of our friends pulled through for us, and got us two boxes of Shreddies.  It was great, and very thoughtful   The other day I pored myself a bowl and figured I would enjoy them while I had them, and do you know what happened?  I started to feel better when I ate them, I started to remember all the nice things about Canada.  I'm now deathly afraid of running out of Shreddies.

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Shmancy Ice Cream Flavours

A lot of ice cream companies are starting to produce artisanal ice cream with some pretty creative flavours.  Best of all these flavours are starting to explore outside of sweet flavours and starting to mix in some savory as well.  Some are even introducing hot and spicy flavours into the mix.  I've never tried spicy ice cream and I'm a little curious.

Click here to read about one such brand.

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Where Are Your Cookies Made?

For that matter, where are your candies made, or your chips, or anything you eat.  Other than produce, how often do you even pay attention to where your food comes from.  The folks at Friends Eat made a startling discovery about Chips Ahoy the "American Summer Cookie".

Click here to find out what they learned.

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Creepy Mentos Ad

I'm normally not very squimish about violence, particularly when it's comical, but I wonder if this ad is funny at all.

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How Much Do You Pay For Your Candy?

Serious Eats just posted an interesting article about the price of Coca-Cola at some places.  They talk about the fact that you can pay as much as 5 dollars for a coke (at a bar, or fancy restaurant), even though down the street you might pay as little as 50 cents for the same drink.  It's not just about name brands either, this happens with the same brand at different locations.  And it also happens with candy as well.  Here's a little secret about my candy buying habits, I often buy my candy at grocery stores.  If you don't, you should consider it, I've seen some classic and even fancy treats at half the price.  Sure when you get something fancy, a candy specialty store is just the place to go, but you might want to check out your grocery store first, you might even see the owner of your local candy store there too.

Click here to read the article about the 5 dollar coke.

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Your Feet Will Smell Like Chocolate

I'm of two minds when it comes to using chocolate for spa treatments.  I'm sure it's very relaxing and the smell must be fantastic.  However I would rather ingest that chocolate and not spread it on my stinky feet.

Click here to read about the chocolate pedicure.

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Crazy Flavoured Cotton Candy

I recently got tweeted this photograph of what is described to me as "violet flavored cotton candy".  I can't say that I'm sure I'd love the taste of it, but I'd love to try it.

Thanks folks at "A Secret Forest Patisserie"

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What Would You Give Up To Be A Professional Athlete?

Tobias Harris gave up candy, more specifically he gave up Swedish Fish in order to get drafted into the NBA.  In theory I might do the same, but thankfully my shots from the line are well bellow any NBA standards.

Click here to read more about Tobias Harris.

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M&M's Facebook App

Just finished playing around with the M&M's Facebook app that let's you send special message and photos, through Facebook for free.  It was fairly simple to use and it looks OK.  Now I'd rather send out real candy, but this isn't bad for free.

Click here to check out the app.

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Gum Balls, Are Drugs?

Let's make a list of how many reasons this advertisement would never be published today.  Then let's try and figure out what it's advertising.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser

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Great Name And Great Packaging

Boing Boing posted a cute photo of some really great ice cream packaging.  I'm a sucker for creative packaging (a hint if you want your treat reviewed).  I also really like the name of this ice cream place, "Fifty Licks".  Did I forget to mention that the ice cream is bacon flavoured?

Click here to check out the package.

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Following M&Ms Characters is Like Following A Soap Opera

When I was a kid there was really only two M&Ms characters, the red guy and the yellow guy.  Soon more started to show up on the scene, including a green girl.  I'm cool with that, why not represent them all, and the funny little thing about the urban legend dealing with green M&Ms, very clever.  The thing is, now they seem to be having some kind of conflict every year.  They either get separated and have to find each other, or decide that they want to find out who's most popular.  Or now, it appears that they've decided to pursue solo careers as spokes candy.  I'm wondering when one of them is going to get shot and then come back from the dead only to reveal who was the real killer.

Click here to read more about the split.

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Simply Burger Brownie Updated

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to meet someone kind of cool.  I met the founder and owner of Simply Burger, a tasty chain of burger places here in Athens.  Simply Burger is one of my "go to" places here in Athens. I like it because the burgers are good quality, and they remind me a little of home.  My favorite addition is a brownie that they give away on the side of each order.  Brian (the owner) told me that the brownies have changed, so a burger was in order.  Fortunately for me, Allison agreed and she surprised me with an order for dinner the other night.  The burger was tasty, and the brownie had in fact changed.  In the past the brownie appeared to be more "home made" and now it's in a package.  The good news is that it still tastes really good.  The brownie package also gave away a mysterious flavour that I couldn't figure out last time I tried one.  It appears that the brownie contains coffee.  It's funny, chocolate flavoured coffee makes sense to me, but I'd never thought of coffee brownies before.

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Exerciser and Sugar

Most people would agree that you have to live a healthy lifestyle.  No one can agree on what a healthy lifestyle is.  People often forget as well that healthy lifestyle means more than just eating habits, but also exercise and environment effect your health as well.  The key seems to balance all of these perfectly.

Click here to read about a study dealing with sugar consumption and exercise.

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Great Article About The "Worst Beverage In America"

I just finished reading this great article about the Cold Stone PB&C shake.  Most of the time when I read article about "unhealthy" food it just puts it down.  In this case the writer had enough nerve to mention the unhealthy aspects, but then go out and try it.  Too many times I've read articles where writers simply add up caloric numbers and don't think about the sweet indulgences we like to have once in a while.

Click here to read this article.

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New Transformers Movie?!!

I am so out of the movie loop right now.  I don't think I've seen the second movie yet.  Or is this the second movie.  Frankly I lose track of these things.  That's not to say I'm not a Transformers fan, I'm just more of a fan of the toys than the movie series.  But that's not to say that I may not enjoy what Bazooka has to offer for movie tie ins.  It just means I may buy a stick of gum with a Transformer on it before I go to actually see the movie.

Click here to read about what Bazooka is doing.

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I Love It When Chefs Love Candy

I particularly love it when chefs take a traditional candy and make it into a fancy treat.  It's great because it not only brings attention to the treat (in the case of this article cotton candy) but it also shows how one can improve a treat to a very high degree.

Click here to read more about classy cotton candy.

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If This Was a "Review" it Would be a Good Review

If I felt that this new granola bar treat from Cadbury was a "candy" I would review it, but I just can't.  It's called a brunch bar and for the life of me I can't justify defining it as a candy, it's a granola bar with chocolate.  The reason I'd love to review this treat is because it's one, if not the, best granola bar treat I've ever tasted.  It's a perfect blend of hazelnuts and granola with a spectacular chocolate coating on the bottom.  I'm not sure how healthy it is, but it tastes fantastic.

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What Nestle Wants To "R and D"

For the most part I'm fairly stoked when I read an article about companies expanding their Research and Development areas.  I like it because these are the people that improve, and change the candy world... well sometimes.  I was a little unsure when I read that Nestle was expanding one of their research facilities and one of the focuses of the expansion is "popularly positioned products".  Don't know what a "popularly positioned product" is?  Well apparently it's a "lower-priced versions of premium brands aimed at lower-income consumers in developing countries".  I'm not sure how I feel about that.

Click here to read more about the expansion.

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Pregnancy and Peanuts

According to science if you're pregnant and you eat peanuts your baby is less likely to get a peanut allergy.  Although I don't doubt the accuracy of the findings or research methods, I do wonder how the idea to research this came up.

Click here to read more about the research.

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Mikey Finds Treats I Haven't Eaten Yet

Mikey writes in now and again to remind me of treats that I haven't tried yet.  I like his suggestions for many reasons.  First of all he points out common treats that are pretty much available everywhere that I may have overlooked, and not obscure treats only available in his area.  Secondly he's often straight to the point.  Finally, when he's not straight to the point, he leaves cryptic clues that I have to figure out... and that's fun.  Here's Mikey's latest suggestion:


You might want to check your L section. Then look in your articles.  Look for a candy with five flavours with a red, an orange, a yellow, a green, and a white colour.
Mikey"

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Chelsea Strawberry Mix

These little hard candies have some psychedelic flower power packaging which drew me to them.

Sweet Baptism

The other day I had the experience of going to my first ever baptism.  I think I was really fortunate because it was a Greek orthodox baptism, and apparently they know how to do it right.  I can't argue with that fact because the minute we left the church we started getting gifts, and best of all the gifts where all candy related.  This little splat of coloured chocolate is just one example.

We also got some little babies feet made of chocolate as well.  Sure it feels a little strange munching on chocolate feet, but the quality was spectacular.

We got these crazy (and slightly girly) hangy things.  Sure you might think I would be disappointed by this.

But alas, there was candy attached to the bottom, and everything was a-OK.

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Today is National Taffy Day

I'm thinking that tomorrow is probably going to be "national go to the dentist, because I pulled out a filling on national taffy day, day".

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Lots To Talk About On This New Review Day

First of all the new review is up, that's pretty cool news on its own.  Secondly today is apparently National Vanilla Pudding Day, so I'm going to keep the rest of this short so I can go get some.  Thirdly, next week is the start of another "Review-a-Thon" featuring Japanese Degashi candy.  It's pretty specific but it will teach you a little something about treats from this great place.  Finally, this week I might be a little off on my posts due to some other work that's come up.  I'll do my best, but if things start to trail off near the end of the week and into the weekend consider yourself warned.

Click here to read this weeks review.

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Airport Chocolate Shops

The strange thing about traveling is you quickly learn that some of the best looking chocolate shops in the world are located in airports.  These stores aren't about the home made stuff, or the down home feel, these stores are all about elegance and opulence.  You can tell they're aiming for a particular crowd, just look at the price tags.

Click here to read an article about airport chocolate shops in Asia, but more importantly check out the pictures.

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you will need water

I picked up four different flavours of these Loackers cookies: Vanille (vanilla), Napolitaner (hazelnut), Milk, and Cremkakao (chocolate).

Vanilla had a hint of cinnamon, milk was that crazy super concentrated milk flavour, hazelnut was understated, and chocolate was very cocoa flavoured and not overly sweet. What they all had in common was the ability to absorb all the saliva in your mouth, making it impossible to swallow. They are dry, extremely dry. They go best with any liquid, but I recommend something not too hot because you will need to drink a lot of it during snack time.

Do You Know Where Newburyport Is?

If you do, you should use that gift of knowledge and head out there this Saturday.  Why?  Well to check out the Newburyport Chocolate Tour.

Click here to read more about it.

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Another Epic Meal Time

The candy BBQ, it's epic and so inspiring.

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Will Dylan Open Another Candy Bar?

There are rumors that Dylan Lauren is going to open another Dylan's Candy Bar location in New York.

Click here to read more.

Unfortunately, for New York, the folks at Dylan's had this to say:

"As much as we would love to sweeten up the Upper West Side, Dylan’s Candy Bar’s Flagship on 60th and 3rd will continue to be our only NYC location.

We may not be expanding to Manhattan’s West Side, but we are thrilled to say we will be opening new doors on the West Coast and in Miami too!

Stayed tuned for the sweetness!"

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In The Far Future There May Be No Marshmallow Peeps

I'm not saying this because I feel that "Just Born" the makers of Peeps, will go out of business.  I'm talking in the long term, like thousands of years into the future.  I only say this because I just read an article about a scientist in Arizona just tried to do a pathology report on a Peep and was unsuccessful.  Apparently the soft chewy Peep wouldn't allow for genetic testing.  So if you think that Peeps will make a valiant return in twenty million years due to genetic science, you'd be wrong.

Click here to read more.

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A Chocolate Community

I just watched a wonderful short documentary about a community that grows chocolate.  They look like they have a real love of the stuff, and understand what goes into it.  I'm sure the cocoa is better for it too.

Click here to check it out.

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Cool Chocolate Syrup Art

Artist Mika Klos-Shakaid created an absolutely stunning painting of a lion made completely out of chocolate syrup.  It's worth checking out.

Click here to see the lion.

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Early Portion Control

In the old days, small portions of candy where known as party size, today it's a healthy choice.  Things change in mysterious ways.

Ad found on Vintage Ad Browser.

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Rob Lowe to Direct Butterfingers Movie

I'm not really sure what to think of this.  I like Rob Lowe, he entertains me.  I like Butterfingers, they're tasty.  I like comedy movies, and I even like horror films now and again.  So the fact that Rob Lowe is directing a Comedy/Horror movie for Butterfingers should make me so happy, but yet I'm still skeptical.

Click here to read more about it.

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New... Old... Coke Bottle

Coca-Cola has announced that they're re-releasing some of their original bottles for a limited time.  I do love old soda pop bottles, I find them artistically so interesting.  The problem I have is when they re-release old bottles and charge a premium for them.  Does it really cost more to produce this way?

Click here to read more about it on Trendland.

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Strawberry Pink...Things

These are strawberry flavoured crunchy ... things. They were in the chip aisle of the Asian grocery store, but are sweet, not salty like most chips. The thing that made me buy them are those little characters on the package: So Happy! and the strawberries: They Sparkle!

They turned out to be a little bland, very artificial (go figure), and very pink.

International Candy Debate

So I've decided that I'm going to try and settle the debate about candy quality between US, Canada, and Europe.  People, including myself, always talk about the idea that Europe and Canada have better quality chocolate than the US.  As much as I've said this, I can't say I've ever attempted any kind of scientific experiment to prove or disprove it.  So I've decided to have a competition between these countries, a kind of chocolate bar Olympiad.  To start I've compiled a list of treats that I'm going to sample, Snickers, Kit Kat, Toblerone, Twix, and M&Ms.  The next step is to get samples from Canada and the US (I can get them myself here in Europe).  Fortunately I have family in both Canada and the US and they're willing to play along.  So now I just have to wait for my treats to come in the mail and start sampling.

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Consumers Are Confident...

Consumers are confident that the food they buy will not poison them.  In fact, according to this article, consumer are more confident in the safety of their food than they have been in seven years.  This doesn't sound like the set up for a huge disaster... does it?

Click here to read more about how safe we think are.

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I Want To Eat Half As Much As I Do Right Now

What could I possibly do to cut down the amount of sweets I have, by half?  This is a question I get a lot, but few people ever really think about the most obvious solution.  Why not cut your candy in half and eat only one half at a time?

Click here to read more about this logic.

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This Ice Cream Tastes a Little Woody?

That's because there's wood pulp in ice cream.  Yup, scoop up a big ball of smooth, cool, creamy, wood filled delight.  Wood pulp is used in ice cream to economically create the texture that most people love to eat.  Personally I don't mind chewing on wood in my food, but I'm a compulsive pencil chewer too.

Click here to read about what's in your ice cream.

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Last Week In Toronto History Was Made

In downtown Toronto the worlds largest ice cream cake was built by the folks at Dairy Queen.  It was built, recorded, and then a crowd of people devastated it in the best way possible.

Click here to read more about the event.

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Cookies and Crepes

The other night I decided that a sweet crepe would be the perfect dinner.  Sure it's not healthy, but sometimes you just have to give into the craving.  As usual the main ingredient was Nutella, only because I find Nutella to be a crucial ingredient when it comes to modern dinner/dessert crepes.  The exception is of coarse morning breakfast crepes, in which case I would say that a cream or custard is then the essential ingredient.  My additional ingredient in this particular crepe was busted up pieces of cookie.  Now I love cookies, I love crepes, and I love Nutella, but together they're not really working for me.  I think the cookie makes the whole thing way too dry and it adds nothing to the flavour.

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New OREO!!!

There are rumors floating around the Internets about a new Oreo cookie set to be released soon.  The cookie is the most epic Oreo ever created.  Let me break it down for you, it's a cookie, with a double stuff layer of vanilla icing on it, then another cookie, followed by yet another double layer of icing only this time chocolate, then yet another cookie.

Click here to read more news about this great cookie.

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Army Rations

Have you ever had army rations?  I haven't, but I've always wanted to.  I've heard that for the most part they're pretty revolting and hard to eat, but curiosity really has me going on the subject.  Boing Boing posted a recipe to make the king of all army rations at home, "hardtack".

Click here for the recipe.

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The Greatest Coke Machine Idea Ever

Apparently Coca-Cola is distributing new machines that let you add flavour to your fizzy drink.  Best of all the number of flavours available is fantastic.  Better still, you can mix flavours and make even more crazy flavours.

Click here to read more about these crazy machines.

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Fancy Ice Cream Night

The folks at Magnum Ice Cream had a fancy night, they even had famous people.  Here's what they had to say:

"Ivanka Trump Hosts Canadian Red Carpet Launch for Magnum®, the World’s Pleasure Authority

May 11th in Toronto, Ivanka Trump charmed an audience of pleasure seekers as she hosted the Canadian red-carpet launch of the Magnum ice cream bar, the World’s Pleasure Authority™.   At a gathering of the city’s “Who’s Who”, she spoke of how she discovered Magnum while abroad and is pleased to help officially launch it in Canada.  Developed specifically for a refined palate, Magnum is for those who decide that when it’s time to indulge, they will only indulge in premium pleasure.  The evening’s guests were among the first in Canada to experience the delectable crack of the Magnum Belgian chocolate followd by the silky smooth, ice cream sensation, and now the rest of the country can also indulge as Magnum is at last available from coast-to-coast  “If you’re a person who will only settle for the best, Magnum gives you an indulgent taste of real Belgian chocolate coated ice cream luxury,” says Ivanka Trump.

A Chic Chocolate Affair

The Canadian launch event was an exclusive affair held at a Toronto Rosedale mansion transformed into a luxurious example of the Magnum lifestyle and representative of the majesty that is the internationally renowned Magnum bar. Artful ice sculptures showcased and sampled the full range of six Magnum flavours. Elegant models painted in chocolate lace mingled and shared Magnum ice cream with special guests. Guests got a taste of the premium Magnum lifestyle with fine Champagne; cocktails representing each of the Magnum flavours; a decadent oyster bar and delectable hors d'œuvres.

Magnum also announced a special promotion that will see one pleasure-seeking Canadian win the ultimate VIP experience.  Valued at $250,000, the prize includes pleasures such as $100,000 in cash; access to personal chef and limo services; international travel; a Holt Renfrew wardrobe and more

“I will help determine who will get to live the Magnum $250,000 life of luxury –  an honour that will need to be earned,” says Ivanka Trump, Magnum spokesperson.  “Be warned, I hate mediocrity and believe that hard work and determination is what gets you where you want to be. I look forward to seeing your Magnum-worthy videos. Good luck!”"

I think I might enter the contest and see if I can live like a king.  I think I might have to get myself a top hat for the occasion.

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Hello Panda

Hello Panda was my favourite snack from the shopping trip. They're very small cookies, with gooey icing in the middle. I chose milk flavour. I find this option to be intriguing, as I don't really think of milk having a flavour. However, this milk flavour is like milk on steroids, and reminds me of instant milk powder, or condensed milk.

The other thing I really liked about these is the sports this little panda seems to enjoy: sailing, archery, boxing, weight-lifting. Nothing like the sports a Canadian panda would do which I imagine would be more hockey-centric, because every Canadian identifies only with hockey...(can you hear the sarcasm?)

Tomato Candy?

Whenever I pick up a candy I always look to the package for inspiration.  I look for the package to give me some kind of clue as to what I'm about to dig into.  I also look to the package to tell me how fun this treat is going to be.  A package can really tell you a lot.

But that's not always the case.  The package for this candy left me with more mystery and answers.  What are these little round things supposed to be, are they tomatoes? They sure look like them.  Is this tomato candy something new, something original.  Those red things don't look like cherries, so it's gotta be tomatoes.  There's really only one way to to find out... opens candy... pops it in mouth... It appears that the little red dots mean that this candy tastes like cheap perfume.  Who would have guessed.

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Double Review on National Chocolate Chip Day

What a day it is today candy fans.  Not only am I posting a new review today, but it's also National Chocolate Chip day.  If I had of planned this a little better I may have planned for the new review to feature chocolate chips, but frankly as of late I'm not really thinking that far in advance.

Click here to read this weeks new review.

But that's not all, see I got an e-mail from Mikey asking me "Where is the Mars Bar and M&M’s?".  It's not the first time I've been asked about M&M's and Mars bars either.  So to answer at least half of your question, the M&M's are right here:

Click here to read my M&Ms review, just added.

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Dancing Clothes Disturb Me

This new ad from Cadbury is kind of disturbing.  In particular, the pants that sing through their front zipper just seems wrong.

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Quick Be Sad On Twitter!

If you happen to be sad about not being able to get Jello pudding products, I implore you to tweet it on twitter.  Make sure to end with a ":(" because if you happen to be linked with the folks at Jello they may send you some coupons for free stuff.  There's a catch, in that you have to reply correctly to them, but hey it's free Jello stuff, it's worth the work.

Click here to learn more about the offer.

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Candy In A Can

Ooh La La Candy has just released candy in a can and I have to say I'm not really sure what to think of it.  I think in the case of their worms in a can, it's OK.  But other than that it seems kind of inconvenient to have to eat candy out of a can, particularly on road trips, or hiking excursions.  The only other two "canned" candies I would except as clever would be "Whoop Ass" although I'm not sure how you would make it, and a bunch of letter "D's" (canned D's).

Click here to read more about this new canned candy.

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In The Future Candy Critics Will Be Replaced By Robots

Science keeps trying to build mechanical monsters that can taste, smell and generally experience food just like us.  Sure that could mean better food down to the micro-crunch, but what will it do for Candy Critics like myself?  Sure these robots could give you a perfect description of any treat, and a computer could tell you if it is a perfect match for your taste buds.  But where would you get to experience the visual delights, clever banter, and regular spelling mistakes that you get from us here at Candy Critic?

Click here to read about how science is going to put us out of business.

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Updated Candy, The Goo Goo Cluster

It really seems like the year that candy companies are going to update their treats.  Three Musketeers announced earlier that they're going to update their bar, and now Goo Goo Clusters are going to update their treats as well. I have mixed feelings about candy companies updating classic treats.  It can go well and you can end up with a great treat, however it can also go horribly wrong as well.  And when it goes wrong it can lead to a classic treat being retired forever.

Click here to read more about the update.

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That About Sums Up Junk Food

I just read an article about a new sweet shop in Iowa and the owner summed up the appeal of sweets and junk food really well.  She said "It's junk food, comfort food," and that's a good description of why some treats really taste great.  It's more than just flavour, it's also about comfort.

Click here to read the article.

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Tokachi Azuki Caramel

The shelf tag for these called them "Red Bean Candy", but the box says Tokachi Azuki Caramel. And they taste more like caramel than beans, which to my Western palette is a good thing. They are beautifully wrapped and stacked in their little box. Yum!

The Story of Selling Pretzels

Listen to internet radio with Barry J. Moltz on Blog Talk Radio

I just listened to a fun little interview with a couple of Pretzel makers that took their idea from a small company to a huge company.  Sure the business end sounds fine and dandy, and if you're thinking of starting your own pretzel or snack company you might gain a few tips.  The thing that caught my ear however was a pretzel idea that sounds delicious.  It's the chocolate chip pretzel.  It's like a chocolate chip cookie and a regular pretzel made out and ended up with a crazy mixed up baby.

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Brad Pitt Eats Pringles

Well according this commercial he used to eat Pringles.

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Chocolate Covered Bacon

Sometimes I like to talk about a particular subject and point you to a related article.  Sometimes I write a brief description of an article and then post it below.  This time I'm just going to tell you the headline of the article and you can choose for yourself if you want to check it out.

"Have you tried: Chocolate-covered bacon at Wassi's Meat Market in Melbourne"

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What Good Candy Makers Need

Sure there's a little bit of skill, and a little bit of technique, but the most important thing you need is heart.  You have to want to make the best treats imaginable.  You have to worry about every detail.  If you don't, then you'll just make the same thing as everybody else, and most likely very poorly.  So when I read the story of a mother daughter team that puts heart into their treats, without even tasting a single one of their chocolates, I can tell they're fantastic.

Click here to read more about this team.

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Kinder Kid Is Still Around

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser from the 1960s and I realised that I think they still use the same kid in their ads today.  That's kind of cool, I wonder what he looks like now?

Ad from Vintage Ad Browser.

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Interview With The Creator Of Jelly Bellies

Easily one of the most influential candies of modern times it's inspired writers (J.K. Rowling) and modern media all over the world.  It's tickled taste buds, and changed the way people look at flavours in candy.  The Jelly Belly is truly a tour de force in the candy and media world.  It's creator took a really simple idea, improving the Jelly Bean, and turned it into something no one could have imagined.

Click here to read an interview with the creator of the Jelly Belly.

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Today Is National Nutty Fudge Day!

I don't have a picture of "nutty fudge" but I do have a picture of nuts, and I plan to go out and buy some fudge.

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Hello candy lovers, I'm Alex!

As a new contributor here on Candy Critic, I just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. I was a devoted reader of (and commenter on) this fine blog until Chris called me out for my incessant blog-stalking and suggested that I make myself more useful. So here I am.

Sweets are currently not only my hobby but my vocation: I’m the manager of a small family-run chocolate shop in western Maryland. (Oddly enough, my first job was also at a family-owned chocolate shop, though that one was in western Ohio.) I was raised to believe that if a dessert wasn’t chocolate then it wasn’t worth eating, though my parents disagreed about what type of chocolate was preferable- I tend to side with my dad and say the darker the better; white chocolate isn’t really chocolate.

On a similar note--

The other day, while a customer perused the chocolate case, her husband looked bored and commented that he didn’t much care for candy. I responded in my normal perky way, “Well that’s okay, we sell chocolate.” His dismissive, “Same thing,” kind of offended me. Chocolate and candy are soooo not the same. Chocolate is rich and decadent and something I savor. Candy is bright and fun and I hide it in my car so my boyfriend won’t judge me for having a slight sugar addiction. I love them both, but in very different ways.

Now, thanks to Chris, I get to share that love with all of you. I’m really excited! So excited that I'm a little jittery! Come to think of it, that might have more to do with all the Skittles I just ate... But still, really excited!

More Problems In The Corn Syrup World

It appears that the war over the true or false nutritional value of corn syrup isn't going to go away any time soon. I'm not sure what to think about corn syrup, some people say it's the devil, others say it's pretty much the same as any other kind of sugar.  Frankly I'm not really that certain about the scientific differences between sugars at all.  I always thought that a sugar, was a sugar, was a sugar, but I guess I'm wrong... or am I?

Click here to read about the latest corn syrup lawsuit.

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Sex or Chocolate

It's the great debate.  Many (primarily women) say they would rather have a nice piece of chocolate over sex, or so I've read.  I'm wondering what kind of sex these people might be having to create such a response.  It's not like we really have to choose, I'm sure the situation never comes up that you can either have sex or have chocolate.

Click here to read more about sex, chocolate, and chocolate health.

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Barba-Papa Squared

For those of you not familiar with the television show Barba Papa, it was created in the 70s and featured a series of characters that could transform into many shapes and sizes.  The main two character were Baraba Mama and Barba Papa.  Barba Papa was pink, like candy floss, and there's a reason.  You see Barabapapa is also the French word for candy floss.  So you can only imagine how excited I was when I saw this tub of pink candy floss with Barba-Papa on it.

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Obvious Advice is Still Good Advice

"Trying to limit sugar consumption will be beneficial" is a quote I just read in an article all about the fact that most people eat way too much sugar in their diet.  Fortunately this article doesn't go off about how the candy industry is destroying the human race, and instead simply suggest people learn about what they eat and limit the amount of sugar intake.  Good advice if you ask me.

Click here to read more.

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no English

One of my most favourite things to do is to go to the Asian grocery store and get snacks that are a little different from my normal choices. The criteria I use to chose snacks are a combination of the following traits:

1) no English on the package. This makes the food inside a surprise! Sometimes English is okay, as long as it doesn't make sense. "Pizza" on a bag of chips seems promising.
2) cute characters on the package. It seems food from Japan is especially into this. They anamorphize  just about anything.
3) an unusual ingredient.  Because of government regulations there are stickers with a list of ingredients in English and French stuck onto every item, but sometimes things just don't translate. I almost bought a tin of candy with "Immortal Grass" as a main ingredient, but it was a little out of my price range.

Are You In Ohio?

Maybe you could go check out this little candy shop call "Fantasy Candies".  It looks nice, and it appears that they make a whole bunch of stuff in store.

Click here to read more about this shop.

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No Sugar Problems

Finally an article that looks at "sugar-free" foods from a logical perspective. The article examines how when dealing with a sweet craving you shouldn't rely on sugar substitutes.  It also mentions that many sugar-free treats also contain other things that might not be healthy.  Very well written and very true, although I would have liked more mention of portion control.

Click here to read more.

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Sugar Package Art

So there I am, sitting in a coffee shop enjoying a nice cup of tea, when I come across a really strange selection of sugar packages.  These packages where like nothing I'd ever seen before in my life.  Most of the time sugar packages come with either the brand name on it, like Red Path Sugar, or Sweet and Low.  Or they have the name of the establishment on it, like Second Cup, or Best Western.  But these ones where different, these sugar packages had random drawings that had absolutely nothing to do with sugar at all.

Take this fish for example, I'm fairly certain that putting sugar on fish is not really the thing to do.

Or this dog, I can't really figure this one out at all.

But the strangest of all was this mosquito.  Why would you decorate a sugar package with a bug that is universally hated by all?

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New And "Improved"

People always tell me that when they try a candy treat that they haven't had since they where kids it tastes "different".  It's always a disappointment to people because they go out to buy these treats to not only get a sweet fix, but also to live a little bit of nostalgia.  The excuse that people give themselves is that their tastes buds have changed so it'll never be the same as they remember.  Well hold onto your hats people, because what you didn't know is there's a good chance that it in fact has changed.  Candy companies alter their products almost constantly, adding more crunch, changing the amount of cocoa, all kinds of "fixes".  While many of these fixes go unnoticed, if you don't eat a treat for a while and then try it again it can be pretty severe change.  What I propose is this, I think candy companies should, for a few months at least, go back to basics.  I want a Kit Kat bar that was exactly the same as the one I had when I was a kid.  Maybe have a special edition bar for nostalgia sake.  Let people compare and see if these little changes actually improved the treat, or at the very least re-live their childhood a little.

Click here to read about how 3 Musketeers has "improved".

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Twinkie Flavours

Apparently there was a poll done recently on the Twinkie's website.  The poll asked people to vote on a new flavour of Twinkie that they'd like to try.  The winner, Lemon Meringue, so in 2012 look out for it.

Click here to read more.

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