Junk Fud and You - Why I Turn My Back On Candy Stores

 You'd think I wouldn't miss a candy store if I ever came across one, but nothing could be further from the truth, and here's why.

This Week In Candy

I was thinking about Canadian candy this week, and something came to mind. One of the interesting things about Canadian candy is the diversity we have in our candy. I'm not talking about cultural diversity from other countries (although we do have that), I'm talking about diversity from one province to another. Canada is a big place, bigger than all of Europe, so it's not surprising that you find different foods (or candy) throughout the country. Even when you cross over from one province to another you'll find new treats. I live in Ottawa, and it's only a few kilometers from my closest grocery store to a grocery store in Quebec, and yet there are some unique treats you can't find in the Quebec grocery store that you can't find in mine. This is one of the great things about this country I call home, and something I really miss when I live overseas.

Speaking of travel and culture, this week on candycritic.org we're going to be posting a new episode of Junk Fud On The Road. In this episode Allison and I talk about our adventures in Poland and all of the fun foods we came across. Over the month of June we're going to be posting some fun Canadian Snack Facts on our Instagram feed to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday. You can follow Snack Facts on Instagram right here. We're also going to be keeping an eye open for more Canada 150 themed treats over the next month,you can keep up with those on our Facebook and Twitter feeds.

This week's new review is a Kit Kat rip off... sort of. The subtle difference between a Kit Kat and this bar made it really hard to review, but I managed. Click here to find out what made this bar a little different from a Kit Kat bar.

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Candy In The Media

As it turns out, generic might not be much worse than regular, but not always.

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Candy News

I had no idea that Americans, Brits, and most of the world, has no idea what Freezies are.

Looking to make some s'mores in your bathroom?  Well as it turns out the best tool to make them might be your hair dryer.

Did you know that Costco sold some high end products at super high prices, this includes the Jingle Bell Holiday Tower Pallet which sells for $2,799.99.

Worried about high blood pressure?  A cinnamon bun might be the best way to go.

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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Tuesday's Candy Links

Buzzfeeds has a great list of 20 interesting SkyMall products, which includes Protein Ketchup.

What kind of education do you have, how about a degree as a "Dessert Enthusiasts", yup it exists.

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IKEA Review

Have you noticed that more and more stores are selling confections?  IKEA has been selling them for a while now, but I've been to department store lingerie sections (I'm not a pervert, I am married) and at the cash register I've seen chocolate for sale.  I've also been to electronics stores with a selection of Japanese candies.

Click here to read today's review that I purchased while decided what kind of shelving units would work in my living room.

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What Do Americans Eat?

This week at our local Lidl (Lidl is a German grocery store chain with stores all over Europe) they had a very special sale.  It was a sale on "American" products.  I'm fairly convinced that all of the products feature may not have been made in the USA, but instead products that Europeans think Americans enjoy.  Now I'm not American, but having lived near it most of my life, and traveled around it, I think I have few ideas about what is an American product.

BBQ chips are something you might find in the US.  I just thought it was odd that they called them "crisps" instead of chips.  I guess they do that to make sure that the European shoppers don't mistake them for french fries.  This was the first sign that lead me to believe these products may not be American, but American themed instead.

I've had hamburgers in Michigan, New York, California, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Florida, and several other states I'm sure.  In that time, I don't think I've ever had the option of "Hamburger Sauce" for my burger.  This reminds me of a sauce I discovered in Belgium called "Americana" for french fries.  I know the USA is well known for their sauces, so maybe that's where this idea come from.

Americans like sweet flavours, and they really like packaged desserts.  This collection of yogurts is like nothing I've ever seen in the US, however, I think it would probably sell really well.  It combines the popularity of crazy flavours in the US, with the possibility of health food (even though it's probably not that healthy at all).  I've never seen these in the US, I think maybe Lidl should start importing them there, only maybe they should re-design the packages with a Euro theme.

I did actually buy a few things from Lidl (all of the products above were sold out), so every day next week I'm going to feature an "American" product I bought at Lidl.

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Candy Store Tips - Dust is Never a Good Thing

For many years now I've been lucky enough to explore candy stores all over the world.  I've seen the worst and I've seen the best.  Now, each week, I'm going to give you a tip that will help you know instantly how good any candy store might be.  This is useful if you happen to own a candy store as well, follow these tips and customers will notice.

The first thing I do when I walk into any candy store is look around.  I don't buy anything, I don't even examine what they have to offer, I just look around.  What am I looking for?  Well lots of things, but one of the most important things I look for in a candy store is dust.  It may seem irrelevant to the average candy buyer, but it's a sure sign that the store is not kept up as it should.  After all, you wouldn't buy food from a restaurant that had dust all over the kitchen and the plates would you?  I also find that really dusty candy stores are lazy about making sure the candy is fresh.

I'd like to thank the beautiful and dust free Snyder's Candy for providing photos for this article.

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Do You Have a Wall That Needs Art?

Foot 02 Poster by candycritic
View more Gummies Posters

You can fill that gap, and help our little site out at the same time.  It's really a win/win situation.

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You Look Cold

Baby Gummy Bear by candycritic
Browse Gummy T-Shirts

Why not get yourself a new Candy Critic t-shirt.  Why not buy a few so you can keep really warm.

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Quick Easter Round Up

This might not be the last, but it certainly is the first of a great collections of Easter articles here on the blog.

The first link is a collection of DIY Easter treats that look surprisingly like some of the treats you'd find at the store.

Click here to see the DIY collection.

Here's an Easter article about New England's oldest candy store Phillips Candy House.

Click here to read about Phillips.

According to statistics people, we'll be spending more on candy this Easter than last year, that's probably true since the price of chocolate has gone up.

Click here to read about how much we're spending on candy this year.

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Grocery Store Sign Fail

It's funny because I've seen many a failed grocery store sign in my days, sure nothing as silly as "Pop Tards", but still pretty funny.  Here's a fun list of a few that have been making the rounds on the internet lately.

Click here to check out the list.

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West Michigan, You Are So Prepared

I came across this article about how stores in West Michigan are preparing for what they expect to be a serious rush this weekend for Valentines Day.  Chances are it's going to be a feeding frenzy of last minute Valentines shoppers hoping to get last minute gifts, in Michigan and all over the world.

Click here for some last minute advise, particularly if you live in West Michigan.

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Free Candy At The Mall

I went to the local mall this weekend in order to make sure none of my family would hate me (i.e. Christmas shopping) and I got a nice little assortment of free candy.  Both where completely random and both tasted absolutely yummy.

Along with my Jelly Bellies I also got their latest catalog of flavours.  So that made this free candy giveaway entertaining and educational.  I sure hope this is a regular thing here in Athens.

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Pairing Foods A Shopping Trend

I just read this article about how grocery stores are setting up products (such as chips and pop) in such a way that they pair up well and entice people to buy both. The only reason I posted this article is because the other day I was in a grocery store and I saw the greatest pair up ever. Cling wrapped to a bottle of cheap wine was a package of spaghetti. They where sold as a pair, and for 3 Euros a great way to start a cheap date.

Click here to read more about supermarket pairings.

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Retro Cool Shops

On a road trip to Montreal I discovered what a great collection of vintage shops can be found in this great city. The shops are detailed and have a huge variety of stuff that Allison would never let me buy.

The best thing about retro shopping is how often you come across old candy machines, or candy merchandise. Retro and candy really do go hand in hand.

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Really Mini Wheats

I was just at the grocery store today when I was offered a sample of smaller Mini Wheats. I didn't realized but apparently the smaller you make something the better it tastes.

Sure you might think this theory is silly, but what about mini M&Ms, and mini Chicklets. Both of these treats where fine, then they made them little and bam, they got better.

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The Future of Food and Science

It just seems so wrong. The article below talks about these crazy headbands scientists are attaching to people while they shop in order to find out there emotional state while shopping. If you put a headband on me while I was shopping you would probably discover me thinking about why I'm wearing a headband while shopping.

Click here and read about the science.

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As Of Late I've Been Obsessed With Star Wars Treats

These cool cookie cutters featured in this link are just another cool Star Wars treat thing that really puts a smile on this candy loving Star Wars geek's face.

Click here to check them out.

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Feeling Bad About the Economy?

It appears one of the most popular ways to deal with these bad economy blues is to treat yourself to a sweet treat now and again. Personally I don't need a bad economy to convince me to enjoy a treat now and again, all I need is to be awake.

Click here to read about the economy and candy.

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