Tic Tac Syndrome

Tic Tac Syndrome is what I call it when you can't eat just one of a particular type of candy.  Actually it's a little more serious than that, the Tic Tac Syndrome is what happens when you can't help but dump an entire package of candy in your mouth all at once.  The name comes from the candy (Tic Tac) that consists of a package of small mints that are simply unsatisfying to eat individually.

While Tic Tac’s are the best example of a candy you can't eat slowly, there are many others.  Pixie Sticks, (Canadian and UK) Smarties, and Chiclets gum, are a few other examples of candies that cause people to down an entire package in one go.  These treats just have a certain flavour and texture that is satisfying when it fills up your mouth.

While I believe that I suffer from this syndrome in a fairly bad way, I'm not the only one.  I've spoken to many candy fanatics all over the world that have had problems with the Tic Tac Syndrome.  These people have told me tails of stuffing their faces with all kinds of bite-sized treats.  Some are proud of how many of a particular treats they can shove in their mouths; while others are ashamed at how quickly they go through an entire package of candy.

For those that want to defeat the Tic Tac Syndrome, it can be a great challenge.  The best way to regulate the problem is with novelty candy dispenser, such as a PEZ dispenser.  These can slow down your face stuffing habits, but they're not perfect.  First of all, most of these dispensers are cumbersome to fill.  There's also nothing to stop you from just emptying the entire contents of these dispensers into your hand and simply eating all the candy in one gulp.

The only other cure I've heard of is an unplanned accident.  Say for example your tasting a new mint, and each mint is made up of a tiny mouth pleasing little round ball.  Many people suffering from the Tic Tac Syndrome would have a hard time just eating one or two.  Now if these mints were super-powerful, or spicy, this would leave you in a great deal of discomfort.  Having this happen enough times, or having a serious enough trauma, might kick you of the habit.  But it doesn't always work, and I'm proof of that.

CC