a short inquiry into local candies

[jinian]

Some might say that when bacteria are lurking in one's sinuses making one's life miserable, it's not the time to feed them additional sugar. Those people (1) are not as miserable as I and (2) probably didn't just get second-tier antibiotics to help kill this thing.

My interest in local confections was seeded by growing up in Aplets and Cotlets

Comments

[sovay]

Chocolate mixed with chopped peanuts, creating a rocky texture, surrounding a flavored fondant center. The cherry kind is best.

That sounds very much like a Cherry Mash, which is my favorite kind of formerly-obscure-now-in-the-process-of-rediscovery American candy. I discovered them in 2009 and can eat about two a year based on their sugar content, but they are important to me.

[jinian]

The proportions look different, but I'm interested enough to go find one and compare.

re applets

[beaq]

You can have the jelly ones and I will take the nuts.

[nineweaving]

Another vote for Cherry Mash, a Death Star of a confection.

Nine

[nineweaving]

Squirrel Nut Zippers originated in Roxbury, and were made in Cambridge 1903-1999.

Nine

[jinian]

I'm pretty sure I've had those before -- they got popular enough that the retro candy stall at the Washington State Fair had some, possibly in the wake of the eponymous band. The number of responses to this post is encouraging me to explore further, though, so I may yet review them!

[marzipan_pig]

Hah! I grew up with both of those and yes, the mallow mars were always that shoddily constructed, like, does the machinery for them just suck or what?

I agree w your assessment of the other ones too. And whatever people are saying about the cherry thing out there yes, similar to the cherry thing here.

(I am on my phone and I can't reread the post AND write a comment at the same time so all of the names are a little off, sorry).

[marzipan_pig]

Also, mallow mars (I don't know why I am calling them that, I don't think they were ever really called that) pretty much always had at least one glued to the wrapper by leaking mallow. Again, why so structurally unsound?

Re reading your description of sky bars brought out such an intense sense of nostalgia for childhood that I almost burst into tears.

[marzipan_pig]

We must have gotten them on vacation, probably visiting our great aunt in Indiana or maybe at a mall somewhere. My sis and I were able to roam unsupervised more than one might have expected, especially when on vacation when mom always seemed more relaxed and less controlling. We very frequently used those times to stuff ourselves w candy, though there were plenty of other times our parents shared the sweets they bought for themselves for us too.

These junky things would have JUST been my sister and I, too junky for my mom and just too cheapo and weird for our dad.

So I guess that is the nostalgia, adventures w my sister ending in consumption of candy (and purchases of stuff like fun pens and stickers and pads of paper).

[jinian]

Thanks for sharing the memories! I was surprised and happy to get so many responses to this post. :)