Candy In the Media

My good friend Mark sent me this video.  While songs about smoking pot and eating junk food are fairly common, I really like the way the Kottonmouth Kings get very specific about the treats they love.  If I had any musical talent I'd probably be producing songs on the same subject... Except I'd probably cut out the drug references.

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Dutch?.. Netherlands?.. Holland Adventures, The Candy Critic's Travel Guide

Of the three (and a half) countries we've visited on this trip, the Netherlands is the only one we've never visited before.  Because of this, the only impressions we had about this place was what we'd read, and any stereo types we knew.  Fortunately for us, the stereo types are pretty close to correct, and fortunately for the Netherlands these stereo types are all pretty positive.

Food wise the Netherlands is well known as a place where crafted and fresh made food is very important.  It's not that everything is ultra healthy, it's that the food is well thought out, and comes from the heart.  Specifically, Dutch food has some pretty great additions to the world menu.  Probably the most famous of these foods are licorice, cheese, and pancakes.  That's not to say that this is all that's on offer, but these are some of the best, and most famous contributions.

Probably the most dominant food on the Dutch landscape is cheese.  This could also be because we stopped in both Gouda and Edam.  Having said that, just about every village, town and city in the entire country has several cheese shops.  These shops offer area local cheese, or cheese from the more famous areas of the country.  They also offer many ways to eat cheese, including various cheese specific mustards and chutneys.  This was the first time I'd ever thought about dipping my cheese in a dip before, and after visiting a few of these shops I became addicted to the cheese and Dijon mustard combination.

A close second, when it comes to Dutch treats, is licorice.  Any candy store, or even grocery store in the country has many licorices to choose from.  They go from super strong licorices, to really super strong licorices, there's no room for weak licorice in this country.  Not being a huge licorice fan, I had trouble coming to terms with this, however I dug in a little, and I learnt something, I'm still weak when it comes to strong licorice.  Being the Candy Critic, I'm not going to give up that easily though.  I went to a local candy shop and picked up a huge bag of various varieties.  I'm going to eat this bag until I'm used to it, or my taste buds die trying.

Pancakes are another Dutch treat that are available in many different formats.  You can eat them for any meal, or even just a snack.  They come plain, with syrup, or filled with all kinds of savory ingredients.  While I'm pretty sure the Dutch didn't invent the pancake, they've certainly made it a big part of their diet.

If you want to talk about Dutch treats that haven't really crossed over to the mainstream, there are two things you have to try, stroopwafels and hagelslag.  Stroopwafels are actually fairly common in many stores all over the world, but I'm not sure how many people know that they're Dutch.  They consist of two thin waffle cookies with a thick syrup in between.  I've had stroopwafels in a few countries, but in the Netherlands they take them very seriously.

Hagelslag is another Dutch tradition that's spread around a little bit (mostly just surrounding countries), but I think could take the world by storm.  At first glance, one would say that hagelslag is basically chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread (or toast). The thing that makes these different however is the quality of the sprinkles.  Unlike most sprinkles you find in North America, hagelslag sprinkles are much more chocolaty.  In fact they will even on occasion substitute the sprinkles for curls of pure milk or dark chocolate.  The variety and quality of the hagelslag is really the key, and as the photo shows above, grocery stores have full sections dedicated to this very Dutch treat.

The final stop on our Dutch journey was in the big city of Amsterdam.  This city is very different than the other towns and cities of the Netherlands.  While there are lots of great places to see in the city, there's no getting around the fact that marijuana and sex are a big part of this place.  Even the candy reflects this liberal attitude.  Sexy candy was available all over the Red Light District, and all of the local stores offered hemp and marijuana themed and flavoured treats as well.

The coolest candy thing that I saw on this trip? It had to be this very retro candy machine in the hallway of my hotel in Amsterdam. The candy was average, but the machine was awesome.

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A Breaking Bad Candy Thing

I was listening to a podcast a while back and they were talking about movie props.  One of the people on the podcast mentioned that the props from Breaking Bad were in fact often made of candy.  For those unfamiliar with the show, the main "prop" of the show is crystal meth.  I thought it would be interesting to see if anybody has taken the logical step and turned this "prop" into a candy business.  As it turns out there are a few people making official, and I'm sure unofficial Breaking Bad blue crystal candies.

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Friday Candy Video

This is actually a strange advertisment to post on a site about candy.  I guess I could say that I'm posting this because I want to warn any children reading this that most pills are not candy, and that you should be careful.  But honestly I love the taste of my vitamin C chewables, Flintstones vitamins, and children's aspirin, so I'm probably not really the right person to make any statements on the subject.

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Candy News

Apparently Adam Rifkin is looking to make a movie about marshmallow Peeps.

Once again Doritos is asking you to name their chips.  This isn't the first time they've done this, personally I think it's a little lazy, but it appears to be a popular campaign.

The Huffington Post has a list of 50 great US tourist traps (one in each state) that include some classic candy and snacking must visit places.

I always love reading about passionate candy fans that decide to open a candy store.

Got a few Cadbury Cream Eggs left over from Easter?  Here's a few clever ways you can deal with them, other than just eating them.

If you have a few Peeps left over, as well as the ability to create the environments of space, you can always try out this experiment.

The Girl Scouts make up to 800 million a year in cookie sales, so where does that money go?

Here's a great tip to keeping those frozen crystals off your ice cream in the freezer.

Smoking pot and snacking has always gone together in popular culture, but now they've crossed right over.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Friday Candy Video

Our friend, and regular contributor to Candy Critic, sent us this advertisement for something called "Space Dust".  The name "Space Dust" alone inspires images of drug use, and this commercial doesn't help at all.  I know that the makers of this commercial thought that they where creating something fun for kids, but frankly it's terrifying.

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Candy News

What's the best way to increase gum sales?  While not put some weed in it?

And since we're on the subject of gum and emotions, apparently chewing gum can help with depression, particularly if you chew the gum from the article above.

Have you ever tried to order a "Fast Food Mash-Up"?  It sounds like a spectacular idea.

Here are 10 (sort of) suggestions to top your next ice cream sundae, a few of them don't really seem like fixings though.

Here's a look at how Black Magic used the same advertising idea for generations of advertisements.

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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Candy News

Necco now lets you customize your candy hearts, I wonder if the'll let you put anything you want on them?

How do take your medical Marijuana?  How about in cotton candy form?

According to science, if you're really happy, you'll probably indulge in some tasty treats.

I don't think banning junk food is the best way to get kids to eat right, but what do I know.

It's national ice cream month, what a coincidence that this holiday would happen when we're having such sunny weather (my apologizes if you're reading this and it's raining).

If you want to keep up with all of the daily candy news that we come across as it happens, follow us on Twitter.

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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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Food Addiction

According to science, food addictions may be very similar to drug addictions and drinking problems.  The study found that similar brain functions affect all of these groups.  My question then is, are Internet addictions the same, because I don't drink, I don't do drugs, and I don't over eat, but I love the Internet.

Click here to read more.

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Introducing Marijuana Soda

Apparently in those shops where marijuana is legal, they have started to produce a pot laced soda beverage.  My only question is how does one feel after taking back a bottle of pot laced highly caffeinated soda?

Click here to read more.

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Hiding Drugs In Candy

For some reason the drug culture seems to think that it's a good idea to hide drugs in candy.  Now I can't argue that just about anything is better with a candy coating, but hiding drugs in candy makes me a little mad.  Candy already has a hard enough time dealing with people saying it's unhealthy as it is, tying in the possibility that it's a great way to hide drugs only makes it worse.  And then you get situations, such as the one that happened in Denver recently, where kids accidentally think that the candy is harmless, only to find out it's laced with drugs.

Click here to read about the incident in Denver.

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Gummy Vitamins and Bubble Gum Aspirin

Over the last decade or so I've noticed an increase in the availability of vitamins and other pharmaceuticals in candy format.  The article below looks at these candy type drugs and asks the question... why?  Does making these candy themed drugs actually produce better results than standard pills, or is it just a way to get people to take their medicine?

Click here to read more.

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Busted Using Candy To Smuggle Drugs

A man was recently arrested for trying to smuggle cocaine in Easter egg candies from Columbia to the US.  Had he waited a few months he might have gotten away with it.

Click here to read more.

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If You Happen To Pass Through Chattanooga...

Do take the train, but be careful when you buy your sweets. A store clerk in Chattanooga found a strange bag of what ended up being marijuana stuck between some candy in the sweets isle of a local store. The story in my head that would lead to such a situation involves the words "munchies" being used several times in one evening.

Click here to read the details.

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Pot Ice Cream

This is what I don't understand about North American culture. The police raid one house because they sell cookies laced with Marijuana, then another place advertises its new pot laced ice cream and it's OK. I know the technicalities are that one is for medical purposes while the other is illegal. I also know that each province and state has different laws regarding medical use and such. My question is this, have you ever stolen a scoop from your parents carton of ice cream when you where a kid? The biggest complaint about drug dealers dosing up sweet treats is that kids might get their hands on it, how is this stuff any different. I'm not pro or con marijuana, I am however pro consistency in stupid reactions.

Click here to read more about Pot Ice Cream

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Gummy Bears Laced With Drugs

So I come across this article that's talks about a recent drug bust where several gummy bears where found to be laced with LSD. The article reads as if this is a new and disturbing trend in the drug world. I agree that it is disturbing, just because little kids might mistake them for regular gummy bears. But I'm guessing that this isn't the first time this has ever happened, I'd even guess that this sort of thing happens often.

Click here and be careful.

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Hiding Drugs in Candy

Why in the world do people insist on hiding drugs in candy. Why can't the go ruin another treat, like coffee or cigarettes. Why is candy always the target for these dealers. Either way I guess it's ok because they keep getting busted, because the police know that candy is a popular place to hide drugs.

Click here to read about a man in Delaware selling drugs through candy.

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