See Me!

 Only a few more days till I visit www.worldscollide.ca with the Geek Shop and Tic Toc Tom crew. Come talk about comics, candy or why not buy something for me to sign. August 30th is the date.

Junk Fud and You - Candy as Currency

 Did you know that in some countries, candy is sort of like currency. I'll explain why.

Snack Facts

 I bet you’ve thought to yourself, who invented gummy bears and where did they invent ice cream. Well wonder no longer, pick up Snack Facts, a fun book featuring all kinds of fun facts about snacks.

Pick up your copy right now at candycritic.org/snackfacts/.

The Weirdest Reason To Buy A Candy?

I mention this in the review, but I think it's worth saying again. The reason I bought this candy is because of the package, one particular detail in fact. The small dinosaur on the package is wearing a t-shirt, and on this t-shirt is the word "Kris". My name is Chris, and even though it's spelt differently I don't think I've ever seen a character on a package of candy with the same name as me (sort of). I got so excited that I didn't care what this candy was about, I had to include it in my reviews. For all those wondering how to get me to review a treat, just give your mascot the same name as me.

Check out the candy that stroked my ego perfectly.

Ode to Dill Pickle Flavoured Snacks

 I think we could debate for days, weeks or even years about what the best flavour of potato chips might be. I’m standing firm in salt and vinegar world, but maybe you like barbecue more. Picking a “best” flavour for any snack is impossible, since we all have different tastes. I however want to suggest this question, and maybe even suggest an answer. The question is, what’s the surprisingly greatest flavour of potato chip? I’ll even go one step further and say that this flavour I’m thinking about is the surprisingly greatest flavour for just about any salty snack.

The flavour I’m talking about is dill pickle. Just to make this clear, it’s a flavour that objectively seems a little too weird to work, but surprisingly tastes really good. I also want to make it clear that I’m talking about dill pickle flavoured treats, and not just dill or creamy dill flavoured treats (not that those are bad either).

I don’t know when or where dill pickle flavoured salty snacks came to be, but my memory is of them being a popular flavour of potato chip in the early 80s in Canada. I remember talking to an American friend at the time who thought it was crazy to have a chip that tasted like dill pickle, so I feel like it was a Canadian thing before becoming an American thing, but I could be wrong. It didn’t take long for this flavour to really settle in my area either. It seems like it’s been a regular flavour of chip since it first came out.

The great thing is dill pickle as a flavour seems to have settled in other parts of the world too. With this flavour of potato chip becoming accepted, it also appears that the flavour has moved onto other salty snacks as well. I’ve seen dill pickle sunflower seeds, peanuts and even crackers. I’ve tasted dill pickle versions of many salty snacks and I have to say that for the most part this flavour has never failed. Sure there are better and worse dill pickle snacks, but I think it has more to do with the seasoning quality than the snack it’s paired up with.

There are only a few potato chip flavours that have really moved on successfully into the great snacking world, and dill pickle is one of them. Most of the other flavours have been around for such a long time, but dill pickle is comparatively the new kid on the block. However, what amazes me more is that there are still people out there afraid to try this flavour, or even some people that don’t know it exists. This is why dill pickle is surprisingly the best flavour of chips or any salty snack in the world (emphasis on the word surprisingly).

This then asks the question, would I want dill pickle to become as common as salt and vinegar or barbecue for salty snacks. Part of me enjoys the niche-ness of this treat, but most of me wants the whole world to truly understand how good this flavour can be. Sure there are going to be some people out there who just don’t like it, heck I’m not a huge barbecue fan. I just want everyone to have at least tried it once.

Gummy Bears VS Gummy Worms

 Today I take a deep dive and try and find out which is the superior gummy treat, the gummy bear or the gummy worm.

Make sure to pick up Snack Facts to learn the history of the gummy bear - candycritic.org/snackfacts

Are You A Beast That Loves Treats?

 I bet you're wondering what treats most beasts prefer. Make sure to check out my fun illustrated book featuring beasts and the treats they love for each letter of the alphabet.

You can pick up Treats And Beasts right now at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/ or on Amazon.

The Name Is Important

When I first started this site, for many years I refused to take anything on the package into account. I wanted to be a purist and only look at the candy in the package. Then I realized that the package is actually an important part of any treat that you buy. It sets up expectations and most importantly makes promises. More recently I take great care to note if a candy makes good on the promises that are offered on the package. I've even been slightly upset when candy companies lie on their package (they do it more than you might think). I will admit however that looking at the package for insight is much more challenging when buying candies from countries where I can't read the language.

Check out my latest review where the name itself is making a promise.

Meet and Greet!

 

Two more weeks till I visit www.worldscollide.ca along with the Tic Toc Tom crew. I’ll have a few copies of Blue Orchid with me and plenty of copies of Tic Toc Tom will be around too. Also happy to chat about candy. August 30th is the big day.

Blue Orchid Chapter 3!

 Did you know that Chapter 3 of Blue Orchid is out? You can keep up with the adventures of an amazing girl from South East Asia as she battles all kinds of monsters.

You can pick up Chapter 3 at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

Candy As A Gimmick

The line between a good candy concept and a lame candy gimmick can be very difficult to understand sometimes. Sometimes a treat has a fun, unique concept that can make a treat really fun to eat. Other times can have a unique concept that actually makes it harder to enjoy. The concept might be good on paper, but the reality is that the treat is no longer fun to eat. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't have to actually taste better, but it has to be fun, but I guess that's another difficult concept to explain.

Check out my latest review that's probably more gimmick than anything else.

Problems With Freestyle

 On a recent trip to Wendy’s I made a realization. I’m a huge fan of Freestyle soda machines, however there is one giant flaw. For those unfamiliar with Freestyle soda machines it’s basically the ultimate in choose your own drinks at a fast food restaurant. The way it works is both simple (and slightly complicated). You simply walk up to the Freestyle machine which is a large box that has a screen and an area to fill up a cup. The area to fill up your cup is a hole cut into the machine with a spigot and an ice dispensing mechanism.

The ice dispensing mechanism is the simplest part of this machine as it works like most ice dispensing mechanisms, you simply push on a bar and ice comes out. Often it’s too much ice at once, but that’s easy enough to deal with provided you started your process with the ice. The drink part of this machine is where the magic or where the problem starts depending on your point of view.

Mounted on the front of the Freestyle machine is a touch screen. On the touch screen are a bunch of little circles with brand names/logos of different sodas. The number of choices at this point can vary, but I’ve never seen less than eight. I’ve also seen at least a dozen on some machines as well. Basically these are your choices of sodas that dispense from this machine. What you have to do is choose a soda and push the logo of choice.

Once you’ve pushed the soda of choice, you’re then given another series of bubbles to choose from, flavour syrups. These will allow you to add any number of additional flavours to the soda you’ve already selected. It’s not impossible for you to enjoy a nice orange and vanilla Fanta, or grape Coke. I’ve been told that because of this syrup option, a Freestyle machine can have hundreds of different flavour combinations at any given time.

The final step after choosing your additional syrup (if you want it) is to push a dispense button until your cup is full. I imagine that there are two different reactions to the text above. I think that some of you are delighted with the ability to customize your beverage and explore all of the tasting options. I also imagine that there are some of you that find this entire process way too complicated. Both of these reactions is the problem with the Freestyle machines.

When I visited this Wendy’s I had to wait a good 10 or 15 minutes to get my drink. The line was filled with people either having a great time exploring all of the combinations as well as people confused/frustrated trying to just get a cup of Coke 0. This isn’t the only time I’ve seen this kind of log jam either. Honestly, I’ve often been responsible for the log jam as well. Since each machine can be different, I’m often exploring what kind of flavour combinations are possible.

While I don’t work at a fast food restaurant, I think that lines at the Freestyle machines is not uncommon. I should also mention that it’s not uncommon for the touch screen to be a bit slow/unresponsive as well, which doesn’t help things.

It’s weird, I really love walking into a fast food place and seeing a Freestyle machine, but I also suffer from the over abundance of choice. Too much choice is a real problem for just about everyone, but I think I have a couple of solutions that just might work.

The first solution is to offer taps of just plain soda. Have a Freestyle machine for those that want to explore fun flavours, but make sure that plain Coke 0 is easy to get for everyone.  Secondly, why not put a list of the soda choices and syrup flavours somewhere else in the restaurant. Maybe a menu at the tables or a chart on the walls. This way the soda potion wizards in the restaurant can build a recipe before going to the machine.

Quick List - Best Airport Candy

 It took a lot of math, but here's my list of the best treats you can find at your local (or international) airport.

New Blue Orchid!

 Hey everyone, Blue Orchid Chapter 3 is done and available to buy. Follow the continuing store of Blue Orchid as she fights even more monsters, including a big reveal.

Pick up your copy right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon.

Which is the Copy

The one thing you learn when you taste candy from other parts of the world is that there are a lot of similar treats with different names. The challenge for me is to try and figure out which came first. It's funny because I really dislike copycat candies, but don't always know who's copying who. This new review is a perfect example. It tastes exactly like one of my childhood favourite candy bars, it's even made by the same company. The problem is that I don't know who made it first.

Check out this review and let me know if you think it's a copy or not.

Meet Me?

Hey everyone, I’m going to be in Canada later this month and I’ll be making an appearance along with the gang from Tic Toc Tom. If you want to swing by and get a comic (Blue Orchid or Tic Toc Tom) signed or just chat about candy, I’ll be more than grateful. It’s all happening at www.worldscollide.ca on August 30th.

Junk Fud and You - Do Candy Companies Change Their Candy?

 People often ask me if the candies they had as a kid are the same as now, the simple answer is no.

Lots of Blue Orchid

 

I have a comic called Blue Orchid, but it's more than a comic, there's also t-shirts and other fun merch (some of it is even free).

Check out everything Blue Orchid at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or pick up issue 1 on Amazon.

Creative Gummy Bugs

I feel like the most common use for gummies is bugs, insects and creepy crawlies. I haven't done any kind of research into this subject, but I don't think there's a single candy store in the world that doesn't offer some kind of insect or creepy crawly type of gummy. The thing about this kind of treat is since so many companies make them, it's hard to find anyone making this kind of gummy in a creative way. For the most part it's gummy worms and occasionally some kind of goo filled bug. Is it time for candy companies to stop making this kind of treat, or is it just time for them to think outside the box a little bit.

Check out my latest creepy crawly gummy review that actually did something a little creative.

Name That Doughnut

 I have a quick question for you, what do you call a small round doughnut? It seems like an odd question to ask because I’m sure you have an answer. I’m also sure that you believe your answer is the right and possible the only answer. 

The thing is, there are so many different words for these kinds of doughnuts. I’ve personally known this style of donuts by three different names. The first name I knew them as was doughnut holes.

Doughnut holes is a peculiar name for these treats because it suggests that they are the centre part of the doughnut that’s been cut out. I know that there are some doughnuts that are made by cutting circles of dough, then cutting out the centre, but that’s not always the case. In fact often doughnuts are made by extruding a round shape right into hot oil. There are also many kinds of doughnuts that do not have a hole in the middle (this is also problematic for the name doughnut), so it just seems a little bit of a lie. Doughnut hole, for me suggests a story of a doughnuts that may or may not be true, but it’s a narrative about how this shape came to be. One would imagine a crafty baker that didn’t want to waste dough.

The second name for these round doughnuts that I use, and still use to this day is Timbits. I know that this is a very branded name, but as a Canadian it’s something you just can’t avoid. In Canada using the word “Timbits” for small round doughnuts is like using the word “Kleenex” for facial tissues. I do my best to use the word only when referring to the small round doughnuts sold at Tim Horton’s, but I’m pretty sure it slips out for other small round doughnuts I see outside of Tim Horton’s. I’ll also be honest with you, when I’m in Canada Timbits are pretty much the only small round doughnuts I eat.

The third name I’ve used for these doughnuts is very specific to a 4 year period of my life, and that’s loukoumades. I spent four years living in Greece, and just about every loukoumades I saw there was a small round doughnut. I even made some myself and I shaped them as small round balls. I’m pretty sure the direct translation of loukoumades is doughnut, but since they’re almost always sold as small round balls, I feel like the word fits into the category.

For all of you Americans out there, I haven’t forgotten about you. The word munchkins is what many Americans call their small round doughnuts. The name come from Dunkin’ (Donuts), and has been around for a really long time. While I recognize that name for this style of doughnuts, it’s just not a word that I’ve used having never lived in the USA. I know that there are Dunkin’ locations outside of the USA, but honestly I’ve never really seen the munchkins as something I would regularly get at Dunkin’ since they have some pretty cool regular sized doughnuts to choose from.

I’ve had a long history of eating small round doughnuts, and the name has evolved based on my age and where I’ve lived. I’m curious if you have a different name for these round doughnuts. Drop a comment and let me know what you call them.