An Omani Adventure on Junk Fud on the Road

 This was our first true travel adventure since Covid, and it was so amazing and fun.

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Reading Snack Facts - Issue 4

Sit back and relax while I read you every issue of Snack Facts. Today I'm reading issue number 4 all about potato chips(crisps).

If you want to pick up your own copy of Snack Facts in either the micro edition or the full sized edition visit http://candycritic.org/snackfacts/

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Puddin' Puddin'

 A deep dive into the origins of pudding. Spoilers, it starts with meat.

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Reading Snack Facts - Issue 3

Sit back and relax while I read you every issue of Snack Facts. Today I'm reading issue number 3 all about Halloween.

If you want to pick up your own copy of Snack Facts in either the micro edition or the full sized edition visit http://candycritic.org/snackfacts/

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1701 Candy Reviews

This very review marks the 1701st review on candycritic.org. That means that I can now brag that I've got over 1700 reviews on Candy Critic, and I can even say that we're nearing 2000. One thing that many people tell me about reviewing candy is that at some point I'm going to run out, personally I doubt that at this point. There are times now when I'll visit a store and discover that I've reviewed each and every candy on the shelf, but I have yet to go on a trip where I don't find something brand new. I'm also inundated with all kinds of news and press releases talking about brand new treats coming out. I know for a fact that I'm going to make it safely to 1800 reviews, but I also imagine that I'll make it to 2000 as well.

Check out my 1701st candy review right now!

You can also check out my very first review right here.

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Vending Machine Heaven

 If you like buying odd foods from vending machines, this is the perfect video for you.

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Is A Chocolate Teapot... Better Than Nutella?

In my continuing effort to try all of the chocolate spreads I can find, and find out if they're better than Nutella, I present to you the most unconventional of all chocolate spreads, Teapot. Teapot is traditionally not chocolate flavoured, however they make a version that is chocolate, and I believer it's very popular. Teapot is actually something that many of us have been eating for years, but just didn't know that it works as a spread on toast, sweetened condensed milk.

To be fair, Chocolate Teapot is nothing like Nutella, other than the fact that you put it on toast (or other pancake/waffle like things) and it's chocolate. The texture of Teapot is much thinner, and the application is through a tube as opposed to using a knife. To be honest though, if Nutella came out with a tube version I'd be happy to give it a try.

The great thing about Teapot is the fact that it's very creamy. It doesn't have a any kind of nutty flavour either, but I'm fairly nonplused about that. I feel like it's fine being nut free, but I'd also be willing to try a hazelnut version if they ever came out with one. The biggest disadvantage of Teapot is the runny texture, as it tends to drip off the toast. I'll often just apply as I eat to avoid serious messes. Flavour wise I think it's actually fairly on par with Nutella, at least from a quality standpoint. It by no means tastes the same, but it's equally as good.

The one thing about Chocolate Teapot is that it actually has a better way to eat it on toast, and that's something known as Hong Kong toast. Basically you get your bread, put on a layer of peanut butter, then add a layer of Teapot. The traditional way to eat Hong Kong toast is with the regular Teapot flavour, however being a fan of chocolate and peanut butter together I feel as though this works just as well, maybe even a little better.

So is Teapot better than Nutella, maybe not. The big downfall being how messy it gets and how much better it is with peanut butter. If I was to compare Hong Kong Toast to Nutella that might be a different story, but on it's own it's just not as good, but pretty close.

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Too Much Sugar... For Your Drink?

For this new candy experiment I decided to look into the rumour that Pixy Stix used to be drink mixes. I tried each flavour, and may have blown the lid off this crazy idea.

Check out my Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds to suggest any new ideas we could experiment on.

Also be sure to check out my Patreon to learn even more.

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Reading Snack Facts - Issue 2

Sit back and relax while I read you every issue of Snack Facts. Today I'm reading issue number 02 all about bubble gum.

If you want to pick up your own copy of Snack Facts in either the micro edition or the full sized edition visit http://candycritic.org/snackfacts/

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It's Just Sugar In A Straw... Or Is It.

Pixy Stix are probably one of the most mocked candy out there. The general assumption is that it's just sugar in a tube. While I can't deny that these are very sugary, and they are in a tube, there's something a little more to these. I'll be honest, I've eaten a few honey and maple syrup based candies that one could also argue is just sugar in a straw, but because Pixy Stix use dry sugar they get a bad rap. I'm not really here to defend Pixy Stix, I just feel like they don't deserve as much mocking as they get.

Ready my full Pixy Stix review.

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Fig Newton Commercial

 Cookie advertising isn't what it used to be.

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Reading Snack Facts - Issue 1

Sit back and relax while I read you every issue of Snack Facts. Today I'm reading issue number 1 all about Gummy Bears.

If you want to pick up your own copy of Snack Facts in either the micro edition or the full sized edition visit http://candycritic.org/snackfacts/

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Back To The Review-A-Thons

 

I've decided to try a little experiment this summer and have regular review-a-thons on the second week of every month. I've actually been accumulating many reviews in my reservoir and I feel like it needs a little thinning out. For those out of the know, a review-a-thon is when I review a new candy every single day. Normally I post 2 or three reviews a week, but on these special weeks I post at least 5. So starting this week I plan on going a little nuts, I just hope I can keep up.

Check out this first, kind of unique candy for this week's review-a-thon.

To keep up with every entry, follow me on social media, or check out the candycritic.org front page.

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Making Peanuts, Literally

Peanuts are an ingredient in candy that's so important. It's great to see where they come from, and look at modern and old fashioned ways to harvest them.

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Tim Hortons in the Middle East

 For all of you Canadians traveling to the Middle East, know this, you will likely find a Tim Horton's near you. When I first started traveling to the Middle East (Dubai I believe), there were tales of a few Tim Horton's locations in that part of the world (I would seek them out whenever I could). Recently I went on a trip to Oman and Qatar, and there were Tim Horton's all over the place. I've actually learned that there are hundreds of Tim Horton's locations in the Middle East at this very moment.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, or why this is a little bit odd, let me explain. Tim Horton's is a chain of Canadian doughnut and coffee shops. I would argue that if you're in Canada, you're more likely to come across a Tim Horton's over a McDonalds. I've visited very small towns, large cities and even very rural truck stops with Tim Horton's locations. In some ways this coffee shop has become a part of Canadian culture, even if it means complaining about how it isn't as good as it used to be. 

Over the last few years, I've started to notice that Tim Horton's has decided to spread itself out into the world, including the USA, Thailand and apparently Middle East just to name a few places. The great thing is that it never looses its Canadian spirit. In the Middle East however, I feel like there's something extra going on. In most non-Canadian Tim Horton's locations, there's something about them that makes you feel like you're in a Tim Horton's themed restaurant rather than an actual Tim Horton's. Something that makes you feel like it's a place for people to have a Canadian experience almost like Epcot at Disney World. The difference is, in all of the locations I've visited in the Middle East, it feels more like a regular Tim Horton's, as if the people just enjoy Tim Horton's for being Tim Horton's and not a special Canadian place.

Having said that, there are a few differences between Tim Horton's in the Middle East and Tim Horton's in Canada, and I'm going to name a few.

The one thing I noticed is that they don't have a specialty doughnut feature, instead they have many special doughnuts all of the time. At Tim Horton's in Canada, I feel like there's one, maybe two special doughnuts available at any time, each available for a limited time. In the Middle East they have a bunch of specialty doughnuts available all of the time. This includes:

A very serious Oreo cookie doughnut.

And a tasty Lotus cookie butter doughnut.

On top of having a boat load of specialty doughnut available all of the time, they also offer a few unique treats as well. First of all they offer a pistachio doughnut that actually tasted pretty good. It wasn't just pistachio nuts sprinkled on a doughnut, they also flavoured the icing.

Did I mention that they offer many Timbit versions of their speciality doughnuts as well.

They also offer many different mint themed drinks, since mint is a very popular flavour in the Middle East to add to drinks. This includes this very tasty mint lemonade that was made with real mint and very mint forward.

They also have something called a Zaatar Croissant which is available on its own or with a halloumi cheese sandwich. Zaatar is the green herb you see on the outside of the croissant. I'm not really sure what it is, but it adds a nice herb flavour to the croissant.

One of the more interesting differences I found between Canadian and Middle East Tim Horton's is the way they glaze their doughnuts. In Canada glaze is pretty much a hard sugar crust on the outside of your doughnut. In the Middle East they seem to go with a syrup that soaks into the doughnut instead. While I wouldn't call it better than the Canadian version, it's pretty unique and worth giving a try.

I've been very lucky to travel the world, and sample Tim Horton's in many places. Some might find it a little weird to go into a Canadian doughnut shop when you're a Canadian traveling abroad, but I find it a little comforting. First of all I'm away from home more than I'm at home, so it's a little taste of home when I need it. Secondly it's nice to see that people appreciate one of the great Canadian traditions all over the world. In the Middle East they not only appreciate it, but I feel like they treat it very well. Every time I've gone into a Tim Horton's in the Middle East I see people just relaxing, enjoying their drink or treat, talking, or just contemplating whatever has crossed their mind.

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Reading Snack Facts - Issue 0

Sit back and relax while I read you every issue of Snack Facts. Today I'm reading issue number 0 all about the origins of Sir Francis Sweetums and Barbara. If you want to pick up your own copy of Snack Facts in either the micro edition or the full sized edition visit http://candycritic.org/snackfacts/

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Mysterious Packages

I feel like the lesson about taking candy from strangers was completely lost on me. I regularly accept candy from strangers, and open packages and eat contents for things that I have no idea who may have made it. My general assumption is that if it's packaged well than it mush be okay, but sometimes I don't even follow that rule. I've bought candy off a vendor at the side of the street in a package that's been poorly taped up. I eat candy found in packages from foreign lands with no idea what I'm getting into. This week's feature review is a fine example of that. I opened the bag and...

Find out what was in this very random red envelope with Japanese writing on it.

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