Friday Candy Video - Controversial Skittles Ad?

Skittles ads are really a breed unto themselves.  They're strange, creepy, and often make me laugh... uncomfortably.  However after watching this ad, check out this story Boing Boing posted about a complaint someone had about this commercial.  While I find this ad creepy, I don't think it endorses bestiality.

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Friday's Candy Links

If you're interested in slightly simplified but still mildly confusing stats on cocoa production this year, have I got a link for you.

If you own a restaurant, and you want customers to return to your restaurant, here's a really good way to make that happen.

Our friends at Honibe have expanded their market reach, if you happen to find yourself in space, on the international space station, then why not pick up a honey drop.

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Chris Stuffing His Face

I eat a lot, I eat all kinds of different foods from all over the world.  One of my favorite things to do is to stuff my face with tasty foods.  As a tribute to all of the tasty foods I stuff in my mouth, I present a new, and possibly continuing segment of this blog called "Chris Stuffing Hist Face".

Figs are one of the greatest fruits ever, fresh figs warmed in sun, straight off the tree are even better.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Unpopular Girls Eat Cookies

I guess I'm a candy hipster, because I don't want to eat the popular candies.

I found this ad on Boing Boing.

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It's National Toasted Marshmallow Day!!!

I'll be honest, I'm not normally a big fan of marshmallows.  In fact, one of the only ways I really like marshmallows is toasted.  I do have to admit though, even though I'm not a big fan of eating them, I am fascinated with their texture.

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Thursday's Candy Links

Did you know that the word Vanilla is a dirty word?

Ghirardelli is releasing some special edition chocolate bars in celebration of the city that loves them.

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Candy Critic for a day Part 1

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week and next, I'm posting an old article I wrote where I invited a few friends of mine to participate in some of the trials and tribulations I go through when I'm doing a review.

Let me guess, you want to write me an e-mail and tell me how much you would love to do what I do, how cool it would be to eat all this candy and try treats only some people could imagine. Well for the most part your right, this is not a bad racket, but with the good comes the bad. The bad in this case is the awesome risk you take biting into something that you can't even read the package, or eating something with a character on it that would be better off dead than the state he's in. You're not the only people who want to be Candy Critics, my "real friends" tell me this all the time. They tell me how much they would love to do a review, and how great it must be. Sometimes I let my friends review treats with me and they always want to review their already favourite treats, they never go out on a limb.

Revenge is a dish better served cold, man that's a dumb expression, but it works. So today I'm calling some of my buddies out and the challenge will begin. This is how it works. Each contestant/reviewer picks the name of a candy out of a hat. Then they must eat the treat and write a single sentence about what's going through their minds. If a contestant refuses a candy or spits it out before their next turn, they are out and will forever be branded a 'wuss'. So let the game begin...

Contestants:

Morgan

What can I say about Morgan... He keeps telling me that he doesn't eat that many sweets, but he's the first to grab any new treats I might offer. Why do I think he's great for this contest. Well he's got an opinion, and for the love of god he'll let everybody know it. Morgan's opinion is not always mine, but I'm guaranteed that it's logical, because he's a very thorough thinker.

Sam

Sam is a contestant because he fits the bill of the classic Candy Critic wannabe. He tells me how much he would love to eat candy like I do, and he even asked to do a review. Just like the many other people that ask to do reviews he asked to do a review of his favourite treat (the Mr.Big). So here you go Sam now your doing what I do, see how you like it.

Frank

Frank was a late entry into this contest but he is a sure fire candy fanatic. Why did I ask him to participate? Well, Frank's a good guy and to be honest he was around, so I thought he would make a perfect contestant.

Chris (That's me by the way)

At first I thought I would not participate in this game, only because I have nothing to prove. I know I can taste odd candies, and I've proven it over and over again. What changed my mind? Well these guys accused me of wimping out and I am no wimp.

Round 1:

Morgan - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Hint of sweet but mostly sour juice."

Sam - Cadbury Choc Shocks

"Me like. Mouth tingling! Like macaroon... on acid"

Frank - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Where's the sour? Sour drool.!!"

Chris - Warheads Sour Spray "Grape"

"Nice and fruity with a sour taste."

Round 2:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Initially Spicy

- takes a second to kick in, then gets sweeter, raspberry."

Sam - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Gotta love Japanese candy... like a rainbow in my mouth!... But a Japanese rainbow... Made out of yogurt."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Instant heartburn. Quickly loses its zing and becomes typical candy (lemon)"

Chris - Altoids Tangerine Sours

"Sour at first, but mmm mmm fruit later."

Round 3:

Morgan - Japanese Yogurt Chew

"Fruit Chew

- like Starburst"

Sam - Harry Potter Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean

"Yumsters in my tumster."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Strong but brief initial kick. (Raspberry)"

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Although minty it has some kind of crazy chalky taste too."

Round 4:

Morgan - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Very Spicy

- Cherry does not get sweet, stays spicy"

Sam -  Japanese Yogurt Chew

"(oh yeah... you can eat it!) Still a rainbow!"

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"Hot Orange sucker (tangerine)"

Chris - I Love Lucy "Predicamints"

"Still minty"

Round 5:

Morgan - Asian Grape Gummy

"Very soft gummy with good grape flavour."

Sam - Asian Grape Gummy

"OK... I've had 5 really good candies in a row and now I'm really getting worried something is going to go wrong. (Frankie is beside me and he got like, 4 Torture Scorchers... I'm scared)."

Frank - Warheads Torture Scorcher

"(Cherry) Little scorch by the 4th time around."

Chris - Asian Grape Gummy

"It seems to have more of a grape juice taste than any real grape."

To Be Continued Next Week...

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Wednesday's Candy Links

A few months ago I heard that the Nazis once tried to assasinat Winston Churchill with a bomb hidden to look like a chocolate bar.  Well, here's how it would have worked.

Ever wanted to make your own cotton candy machine for less than 50 bucks?  Well make sure you have a full workshop and good insurance.

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Candy Art - Art Inspires Cakes

I love a good cake, and I'm fairly partial to good art.  That's why a cake inspired by a fine artist is the perfect blend.

I wonder if this Andy Warhol inspired cake is banana flavoured?

Click here to check out more artist inspired cakes.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Here's a quick video that deals with healthy eating, I agree with everything mentioned.

A few weeks ago I posted about some great looking heart shaped macaroons... well here's the rest of the body for you.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Sugarpova Candy  - ? - I'm assuming that tennis players are experts in candy, it only makes sense. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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This Week In Candy

I've decided to change the format of "This Week In Candy".  I've decided to get rid of the categories of news and just write something that's on my mind.  This week it's the fact that I'm changing this week in candy.  I also want to mention that candy news has started to really dry up in the world.  It's as if the entire candy industry is on vacation.  I know the summer is a slower time for most of the candy world (except ice cream) so maybe we just have to wait for October of the news to flow.

On another note, I'm feeling nostalgic about Canadian candy lately.  I'm not sure what to do about it.

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Monday's Candy Links

"10 Bizarre Milkshake Flavors", most are strange for strange sake, a few are works of pure genius.

Here's a list of some of the most controversial Barbies ever made, Oreo Barbie made the list.

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Fruity Review During a Fruity Time Of Year

This is pretty much my favorite time of year in most parts of the world.  In the northern hemisphere my favorite fruits are in full season.  In some places the season is near the end, but in other parts of the world it's in full swing.  If I couldn't ever eat another candy again for the rest of my life, I'd probably become the "fruit critic".  Today's review allows me to enjoy my love of both candy and fruit, so I'm a happy boy.

Click here to read today's fruity review.

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Friday Candy Video - Full House "Lollipops and Gummy Bears".

When I was a kid, and I watched Full House, I don't think I ever realized exactly how cheesy this show was.      I have to admit, it's almost cheesy enough to be entertaining in some way, at least when they sing about candy.

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It's National Waffle Day!!!

Waffles are the best way to eat toppings like whipped cream, sprinkles, or any kind of liquid chocolate.  Some might argue that ice cream is better, but I disagree.  After all, you can top a waffle with ice cream, but you can't top ice cream with a waffle.

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Friday's Candy Links

Here's some facts about ice cream that you probably don't know.

Do you know what a Valomilk is?  Now you do.

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Chris Stuffing His Face

I eat a lot, I eat all kinds of different foods from all over the world.  One of my favorite things to do is to stuff my face with tasty foods.  As a tribute to all of the tasty foods I stuff in my mouth, I present a new, and possibly continuing segment of this blog called "Chris Stuffing Hist Face".

I'm not really that big a fan of spinach on its own, but I love it mixed with other things.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Bad Text

It's not really much of a surprise if you ask for them.

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

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Thursday's Candy Links

Quick recall notice from the folks at Red Vines, if you've recently bought a one pound bag of black licorice recently, you'll want to read this.

So you're all familiar with the drough happening right now in the US, right?  Well here's how candy came to the rescue.

Have you been keeping up with all of the Mars Curiosity stuff lately.  Have you noticed the peanuts?

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Candy Peelin'

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week, I'm re-publishing an article written by contributing candy writer Tamara Klein.  She gives us some great examples of how to take apart your favorite treat.

How to eat a peanut butter M&M the "candy peeler's" way: Crack outer shell with teeth, peel off remains of candy coated shell with fingers, remove intact peanut butter oval (must be intact) and set aside...repeat four times, stack all five peanut butter circles together and eat whole.

Sound strange to you? If so, maybe you've never had the neurotic pleasure of eating your candy as a slow dissection experiment, piece by piece, layer by layer, or peel by peel, thus stretching out your experience and truly knowing your candy inside and out. Come on - admit there's something out there you get a twisted pleasure from taking apart and eating.

I've been a self-titled "candy peeler" for as long as I can remember. I simply refuse to eat my candy by biting it whole, swallowing, and then forgetting the whole affair. Nothing can deter me from my strange ways. Messy fingers? So you wash them. Strange looks? I'm used to them. I can remember the raised eyebrows in my 8th grade Literature class when I used to cut my Starbursts into four pieces with a sharp compass and eat one one piece every 15 minutes - turning my fruit chew delight into an hour long process. And as the years have passed, I've gone from bad to worse, and the taunts of "freak" and "starburst girl" have graduated into, "Does she do this with all foods?" (yes, some) and "Does she have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder?" (no, not last time I checked) But hey, I've learned to just smile, continue to examine my candy's innards, and retort that I'm just sensitive with my candy. I like to examine every part of it and consume it with appreciation and respect, not reckless abandon.

Now maybe you're wondering if I'm insane to put so much effort into simply eating candy....or maybe you're thinking, "Hey, I kinda relate..what treats do YOU find best to peel?" This is, of course, a personal and subjective journey,finding where your strange need to play with your food lies. There are some hints though: Things that pull and peel, layered wafers, candy fillings, chewy centers - I've always found that the term "candy center" is of particular intrigue to us candy peelers because it presents a definitive fruity, chewy, nutty, or peanut buttery goal for us to explore our ways to.

Some examples of my common methods:

KitKats - They have layers. I need not say more.

Combos - Eat surrounding cracker or pretzel and produce intact center cheese victory.

A Smartie - Crack shell in your mouth and peel it off with tongue, suck on naked chocolate oval.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup or Twix Bar - Bite off chocolate edges, scrape off top layer with teeth, finish with remaining naked cookie or peanut butter mound.

Ahh, nothing like the tasty, fresh remains of dissected candy.

And remember, the fresher the candy, the better the peel. Imagine ripping off grayed chocolate to reveal old, crumbly peanut butter, or trying to break a hard cold Starburst into four neurotic pieces. It's enough to make you want to eat whole and not dissect. Maybe you can think of more, but I've only found ONE exception to the fresh rule after years of strip searching candy - Easter marshmallow peeps. Cause let's face it - whether they're soft and new or hard and older, starting your candy adventure by biting off a chicken or bunny head never gets old.

I often wonder if more people are like me in my candy eating ways or not. If I ask friends, most will have an example or knowing smile. Perhaps they're just being polite? And if there are many of you out there, you are probably the same people who poured Elmer's glue on your hands as a child, let it dry, then peeled it off, just because.

But obviously it's considered strange because I'm always asked why I feel the need to waste my time with it and why didn't I outgrow this habit after age nine like most people. And I always ask back, "Why eat your candy whole and with haste? It was put on this planet for you to enjoy any way you want. Now give me another tasty wafer, you boring conformist."

If you want your candy eating experience to be a truly memorable, inside out experience that truly stands the test of time, peel, break, examine, savor.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

So what's the big deal about climate change, well it's started to affect cocoa crops.

Here's the good news about cocoa, if you're an older person you should probably eat more of it.

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We Have A Winner!!!

I almost forgot to let you guys know, but we have a winner of the Sour Patch Kids contest we held a few weeks back.  It took a little time to get in contact, but our winner Ashley will be getting a few bags of Sour Patch Kids, and a couple of t-shirts.  She only gets to keep one of the shirts because as Ashley says "I would give the other shirt to my sister, because she is sweet and colourful and sometimes a little bit of a sourpuss, just like the candies. She and I like to buy Sour Patch Kids and put a pile of them in a glass of lemonade or koolaid and wait for them to get all weirdly soft, then drink the drink. It's strange, but quite delightful, and winning the candy would mean we could have all sorts of awesome Sour Patch funtimes."

Not only does her sister get a Sour Patch Kids shirt, but we all get to benefit with a great new way to eat Sour Patch Kids.  Congrats Ashley!

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Day Trip To Evia

 Greece has some pretty great islands, and exploring them is always a fun time.  Particularly when you explore them with a couple of friends.  This past weekend Allison and I went to Evia (the second largest island in Greece) to meet up with our friends Alex and Efi.

 Efi showed us a fig tree that had fresh figs ready for the picking.  I can't tell you how tasty fresh figs are, it's like the flavour is improved when they're warm, fresh off the tree.

I also had this strange ice cream sundae at Dodoni with bits of pastry crust, caramel, and powdered sugar.  I don't remember what it was called, but it was fairly strange and tasty.  It opens my mind a little about what you can put on ice cream.  I'm thinking a future project about strange ice cream toppings is in order.

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Candy Art - Factory Art

I love cut away drawings, and I particularly love this cut away drawing of an ice cream factory.

Click here to see the full size version and a few other factories too.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

"Are you addicted to sugar?"  Maybe.... I don't know, I like sweet things, but I don't just eat sugar all by itself.  I don't even like sugar in my tea.

While we're on the health kick, here's some good news about cocoa, and how it affects your brain.

Cereal bars are not health food, in fact they have as much sugar as most candies, therefor I should probably start reviewing them.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Ring Pop Gummies  - Bazooka Candy - I'm not sure how this will work on my finger, but I'm sure it's tasty. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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This Week In Candy

Candy News - I've been coming across a few articles about candy and health lately.  It appears that many scientific articles on the subject seem to contradict each other. That or the results seem fairly obvious, such as large amounts of sugar intake is not healthy for __________ (insert part of the body here).  While I do like the fact that science is interested in this subject, I think someone has to streamline these studies and create a non-biased data base so we the people can be better informed.

What's Happening At Candy Critic -  Speaking of health, all this week I've decided to try the 8 8 water regime.  This means that every day this week I will measure exactly 8 servings of 8 ounces of water every day.  I've always wondered if I drink enough, and this seems like a good standard to go by.

Rant -  I'm thinking of starting a campaign towards candy companies.  I'm troubled when some candy companies start to make claims about the health properties of their candies.  For example, I hate it when gummy manufacturers label their candy as having "no fat".  Sure there's not fat, but there is sugar, and that might be less healthy (depending on the kind of fat we're talking about).  I'm a huge fan of portion control in candy, but I hate the idea of limiting ingredients, or unrealistic claims of healthy content.  Don't worry candy companies, we know you're not health food, you're an indulgence we enjoy (hopefully in good portion sizes), and you make us happy.

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Monday's Candy Links

Here's an interesting piece about expanding a candy company.

If you find yourself in Coconut Grove, make sure to check out the candy store with one of the coolest names "The Olfactory Company".

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Fruity Mushroom Review

I think I could make a good gummy designer.  It takes a dash of flavour, a dribble of colour, and a handful of random to make gummies.  If you look at so many gummies objectively you'll find that many of the most popular shapes of gummies are really strange and random.  The most popular, gummy bears, is a perfect example of this, so is today's review.

Click here to read the latest strange shaped gummy review.

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Burnt Marshmallow Art - The Final

So here it is, the final piece.  I'm really happy with how messy the marshmallow looks and how it really looks as if it's being squished out from between the frame.  I hope to show this piece in the next few months at a show here in Athens.

You can check it out on the Senses site here.

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Friday Video - Take That Watermelon

Just in case you don't speak Japanese, what you are watching here is 500 rubber bands being placed around a watermelon until it explodes.  Why you're watching this, I'm not really sure.

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It's National Vanilla Custard Day!!!

I love custards, and I love vanilla, so today is a pretty good day to be alive.

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Friday's Candy Links

Check out these awesome heart shaped macaroons... and I mean these are really "heart" shaped.

More companies should do this, Kettle brings back a bunch of discontinued flavours to the delight of chip fans everywhere.

Check out the cupcakes in this Dr Seuss themed wedding.

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Chris Stuffing His Face

I eat a lot, I eat all kinds of different foods from all over the world.  One of my favorite things to do is to stuff my face with tasty foods.  As a tribute to all of the tasty foods I stuff in my mouth, I present a new, and possibly continuing segment of this blog called "Chris Stuffing Hist Face".

My favorite thing in the world to stuff my face with is grapes.  I love the way they feel when you bite down on them.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Soft Serve

I would like to try your "new soft-serve ice cream".  What I'm always confused is when people call "soft-serve" "frozen custard".  Is that the same thing?

I found this ad on Vintage Ad Browser.

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Thursday's Candy Links

What does Mars candy and the latest NASA mission to Mars have in common?  Not much, but someone managed to make a link.

It's a bit of a slow candy news week, so here's a list of 11 hamburgers you know you shouldn't eat, but probably will.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Peach Mango and Raspberry Lemonade Dum Dums  - Spangler - While I'm excited about the new flavours, I'm a little sad about the indecision. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Candy as a Class Distinction

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week, I'm re-publishing an article written by my friend Brent Forrest all about how to eat certain popular treats.

When to savour and when to just get it over with.

I cannot claim to be as passionate about sugary treats as my friend Chris Stewart. Personally, too many sweets make my insides ache. But I have learned one subtle delight in enjoying your favourite confectionary is the all-but-forgotten sensation of savouring. You know that commercial where the two girls suck on Aero bars and then go into fits of ecstasy when the bubbles melt? Yeah it’s like that, but Aero is the worst example because that porous array of chocolate doesn’t melt like you’d expect, it just turns into one big awkward mush and in the end you find yourself asking, “What’s up with this chocolate to empty space ratio?” Anyway, I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Here, then, for your edification is my guide to candies that deserve savouring, and others that aren’t so lucky.

Aero bars: Gobble Quickly. Regardless of what the recent campaign may suggest, those bubbles don’t melt with any rewarding properties.

Hershey Solid Chocolate: Savour Slowly. I can make one of these bars last the entire 45-minute subway ride home. A pleasant experience, even if the chocolate sometimes tastes like rotten bananas. (Note: don’t eat these bars if they appear to be covered in a dusty white film – I don’t know what causes this but does it ever taste awful.)

Eat Mores: Gobble Quickly. Have you ever tried to let one of these things melt in your mouth? All you get is a mouthful of chopped peanuts and hurt feelings. These babies are best in wintertime when they get all hard and tough, the perfect thing to keep your jaw working and your face warm. One bar should last a minute at most.

Skittles: Savour Slowly. The great thing about Skittles is that the different colours actually represent different flavours, so as you let these morsels melt in your mouth you can achieve levels of flavour satisfaction too profound to expound upon. One bag should last an hour.

Twix: It’s a toss up. While the chocolate and caramel are good for a slow melt, you’ll end up with a soggy cookie in your mouth, and no matter how patient you are, you’re gonna have to chomp down on that sucker sooner or later. So some might argue that chomping quickly is the way to go, to achieve maximum crunchy satisfaction, others may say that soggy cookies are awesome so it’s tough to say. Eat time: ten seconds to half an hour.

Skor: Savour Slowly. If you eat this one too quickly you’ll have toffee in your fillings for weeks. These ones can last a long, long time.

Gum (Any variety): One thing I can’t stand is to see someone chewing on the same piece of gum for longer than five minutes. Gum flavour gets absorbed quickly, so I suggest eating the whole pack in one go. Having quit smoking recently, I feel I just cannot eat enough gum, but it’s more for oral fixation than anything else. I don’t know, chew gum however you like.

Clodhoppers: Eat Quickly. These things are deadly, Chris turned me on to them not a while back, and boy am I hooked, I went looking for them at the pharmacy just the other day only to find they didn’t stock the small packs anymore and just had the giant holiday box. I bought it anyway and dug right in on the walk back home – I was getting pelted by freezing rain, but I didn’t care. The moral of the story is that when you let these oversized boogers of fudge melt in your mouth, the result is a very unhappy wad of soggy rice crispies, and that’s just not kosher. Gobble these bad boys as fast as you can; don’t let anybody else have any! Eat time for one giant holiday box: 5 minutes.

And there you have it, my totally non-suggestive guide on how to suck on things. I hope that you’ve found the experience educational and practical. It just goes to show that your mother was right when she said not to wolf your food down. Savour the moment and open your heart to the utmost of flavour sensations! Now go forth my young disciples, and experience candy in a whole new way – think of those starving kids in Ethiopia, that helps.

CC

Wednesday's Candy Links

Do you ever mix up your filbert nuts with your hazelnuts, I guarantee you do, here's why.

National Geographic has a list of 10 places you have to be if you love chocolate.

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Dare Candy Dare

This candy is a mystery to me, it's also a mystery to Allison as well.  Allison discovered this candy in a jacket pocket.  She had not worn this jacket in a long time, and she couldn't remember exactly where she got the candy.  She says that she remembers getting it for me, but she's not really sure where or when.  Normally I would jump at the opportunity to eat a free candy.  Finding a candy in your pocket is like finding free money.  The thing that worries me about this candy is its name "Dare".  It's as if it's sending me a threatening message.

So after a great deal of stalling, I decided to give this candy a try.  The name "Dare" might have made sense a while ago, but now it's not really that scary.  This little treat would best be described as a hot cinnamon Skittle... well sort of hot.  I'm not sure if it was hot when Allison got it and it's cooled down, or if it was never really that hot and just improperly named.  So if you happen to come across one of these when it's fresh, try it out, and let me know if it's hot at all.

CC

Burnt Marshmallow Art - Making It Gooey

Over the last few weeks I've started a new candy themed art project for a series of fine art photograph/mixed media piece called "Senses".  The theme of this piece is texture and marshmallows.  You can read about our past progress here and here.

 Now that the burning is done, it's time to work on making this piece of art really gooey and messy.  I was really worried about being able to control the fake marshmallow, but I quickly realized the best look always came from my mistakes.  So I just slathered it on and let it do what it wanted to.

I made a ton of the fake marshmallow, and used most of it.  I still have a few little details to work out, but I should have the final posted soon.

CC

It's National Creamsicle Day!!!

While I don't have a photo of me eating a Creamsicle, nor do I have access to a Creamsicle right now, I do have this silly picture of me with a giant ice cream cone.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Here's a great infographic all about candy's good and bad sides.

You know those Coca-Cola machines that can makes thousands of different flavours?  Soon they might include booze as well.

Archaeologists have found some pretty old chocolate, it's about 2500 years old, but I'm sure it still tastes great.

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This Week In Candy

Candy News -  The hot weather in North America seems to dominate the news headlines these days, in particular the bad crops and possible increase in food prices.  The question is how is this going to affect the candy industry.  A great deal of the ingredients found in candy are produced outside of North America, in particular the expensive ingredients like sugar a chocolate.  But there are still many things grown more locally that are used often, like corn and potatoes.  So will there be a dramatic price increase in candy over the next year?

What's Happening At Candy Critic - I've decided to put myself on a strict baking regime as of late.  I'm working on a baking cookbook and frankly I've been doing far too little baking for a guy writing a cookbook.  I'm also racking my brain for good Candy Critic review-a-thons, so if you have any ideas, it would be much appreciated.  Finally I'm thinking about starting a section on this blog about candy tourism, if you have any places that should be mentioned, let me know.

Rant - Is it too hot to write a rant?  I should probably just cool my jets with some ice cream instead.

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Monday's Candy Links

If you happen to find yourself in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, check out Atomic Candy.

If you've ever been to Toy Kingdom inside Harrods then you know it's pretty awesome, however it just got better.

What's so strange about a site reviewing Jones Soda's Thanks Giving Holiday pack?  Well, this particular pack is 7 years old.

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Salty New Review

People often ask me what kind of candy I review on Candy Critic, and I give them a list.  I like to review hard candy, gum, chocolate, cakes, cookies, chips...  Most of the time I'm stopped at this point and told that chips (and other salty snacks) are not candy.  I guess I use the word candy in a pretty broad sense, but I make the rules, so salty snacks on Candy Critic, are considered candy.

Click here to read our latest salty snack candy review.

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If You're The Kind Of Person That Waits Till The Last Minute...

Well, the last minute is upon us.  Tonight is the last chance you have of entering our Sour Patch Kids contest.  Tomorrow morning I'm going to wake up, check my e-mail for last minute entries, and then pick a winner.  It could be you, if you're clever enough to come up with best answer to our question.

Click here to find out what the question is, and how you can enter.

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Cheez Whiz A Multicultural Food?

 Earlier this week I posted about my art project where I have to collect many spreadable products as possible.  I also mentioned that as of late, I've been falling in love with Cheez Whiz again.  I know most people wouldn't consider Cheez Whiz to even be a food product, but something about it really appeals to me.

Stranger still, I've started to incorporate Cheez Whiz into some of the local Greek foods I'm eating.  Spreading a a little on top of a Kolouri (Greek bread ring) is really tasty.  I wonder if Cheez Whiz would work instead of feta in Spanikopita (cheese and spinach baked in philo pastry)?

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90's Candy Video Week Part 5 - Drink Your Gummies

I know I've tried Sodalicious in my lifetime, I also seem to remember really liking it.  I just can't remember any of the specifics about it, other than the obvious.  I wonder why they became discontinued.  Maybe it had something to do with their marketing campaign.

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It's National S'mores Day!!!

While I'd like to tell you all about how much I love s'mores. I figure I would let some experts tell you instead.  Here's a gallery from the folks at Marshmallow Studio with some great examples of s'mores creations.

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Friday's Candy Links

If you happen to find yourself in Chicago between November 16th and the 18th you might want to check out  the National Chocolate Show. (sadly you have to be in the candy business to attend)

Haribo gets fined 2.9 million for "for improperly sharing information on sales negotiations with three rivals".  That's a lot of gummy bears.

According to a new study, microwave popcorn may cause Alzheimer.

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Chris Stuffing His Face

I eat a lot, I eat all kinds of different foods from all over the world.  One of my favorite things to do is to stuff my face with tasty foods.  As a tribute to all of the tasty foods I stuff in my mouth, I present a new, and possibly continuing segment of this blog called "Chris Stuffing Hist Face".

Today I'm enjoying some soft serve ice cream, the best ice cream to stuff ones face.


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90's Candy Video Week Part 4 - My Lollipop Talks Back

I can't say I've ever heard of "Sound Bites" and I can't say that I think it's a good idea either.  There was a really strange trend in the 90s about making your lollipop do so much more than just taste good.  I think it was around this time that automatic lollipop spinners became popular, as well as lollipop keepers.  It was a time of change in the candy world.

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Classic/Creative Candy Advertising - Potato Money

I think Boing Boing, the place where I found this ad, said it best "Why aren't you turning potatoes into cash RIGHT NOW?".

Click here to see what else Boing Boing had to say about this awesome advertisement.

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It's National Rice Pudding Day!!!

Rice pudding is the best pudding ever... except for maybe butterscotch.

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Thursday's Candy Links

So you think you know a little something about soda pop?  Well this quiz from Mental Floss might stump you, it certainly stumped me.

Obama made one candy store employee's dream come true, my dream is to get some of the fudge they sell.

The guys from OK Go have this awesome blog all about letting yourself have tasty treats, responsibly.

If you're looking to buy some plum candy made in Asia, you might want to read this first.

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90's Candy Video Week Part 3 - A Tear Over PB Crisps

I have a sad story about PB Crisps.  I was visiting my girlfriend's (at the time) family in Florida when I first discovered PB Crisps.  I went on a giant Florida Walmart shop (the giant is for the size of the Walmart), when I came across these fun Planters crunchy snacks.  I only picked up a couple of bags of these peanut buttery cookies, because I wasn't really sure if I'd like them.  I got back to the house we were staying at and I cracked a bag open.  I took one bite and I loved them to death.

Being a nice guy, I decided to share my joy with the rest of the household.  Everyone in the house was hooked on them in no time.  I decided that I would keep one of the two bags I bought for later, when I got back home to Canada.  I wasn't sure we'd have time to visit Walmart again, and I didn't want to be rude and ask to go back, just to get more PB Crisps.  On our last day in Florida, we're packing up (to leave that afternoon) and I came across my last remaining bag of PB Crisps, only it's almost empty.  In fact there's only two PB Crisps left in the bag.

Apparently my girlfriends grandfather loved them so much that he couldn't keep his hands off of them.  We certainly didn't have more time to get more, and I tried to explain that they didn't have them in Canada, but he didn't understand.  He figured I'd be back to the US soon, and I could get them when I come back.  As it turns out I didn't make it back in time, and they were discontinued.  I never got a last satisfying taste of this awesome treat.

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Mistreated Candy

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week, I'm re-publishing a list I made of candies that had been mistreated.  I even invited others to submit their own, and maybe I should do that again.  So if you have mistreated candies send us a picture.

It's a sad day when candy is abused, young children are going without snacks, and you have the gall to waste treats by smashing, bashing, or melting yummy snacks down to nothing? Your sick! Save the candy people, here are some examples of candy abuse. If you found yourself abusing candy, send us a picture, it only helps in the prevention of abused candy in the future.

This is an example of what happens when you leave your a bag of gummies in the console of a car on a hot day.

This melted Top Deck Chocolate bar is an unfortunate tragedy, but rest assure I still ate it, after all it's British, and it's good chocolate.

"Silly customer you can not hurt a Twinkie" Apu Nahasapeemapetilon. Well in some ways this is true, because beaten to death it still has it's yummy taste. I decided that I might save this treat for a rainy day. After getting pushed to the back of my fridge and shift and crushed I dug it up. I know for this horrible act, I should be beaten or put to sleep, but it's only a tragedy if you don't eat it.

Have you ever packed a snack in your bag and completely forgotten about it? Well being the idiot I am this was the case, here I am with a Sweet Marie bar in my backpack and two weeks later it's still there only a little beaten up. Well it won't go to waste, I'm going to pack it in my bag and I'll have it tomorrow at work, no really I will...

Many candies should be kept in a cool place, away from any heat source. Well another one bites the dust.

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