The
first sighting of 2013 happened today… Halloween.
It’s
stunning, and honestly, kind of amazing. This year I saw Christmas
displays, in multiple stores, before I saw any candy corn.
If
I had to vote, I’d probably be aligned with the “hate it” group
on the candy corn issue. This truly is one of the few things where
there are just two choices and no understood middle ground… those
choices being “love it” or “hate it”… and if pressed, I’d end
up saying hate it.
Earlier
today though, I heard something funny. A person that makes their
own chocolates and candies told me how she makes fake Butterfinger
bars. Off the top of her head, the recipe for the filling involved
equal parts of peanut butter and -- you know the article’s central
theme, and yet you still may not be ready for this -- equal parts
of peanut butter and candy corn.
She
claims that it mimics the flaky, crispy filling quite well. The
texture isn’t perfect, but when the combination cools the peanut
butter and candy corn mixture has the taste down perfectly and
does a mighty fine job approximating the treat.
Still…
I haven’t tried that recipe for myself… and in general I’m just
not a fan. You won’t catch me in a store, spotting a bag out of
the corner of my eye, and suddenly snapping into a hypnotic state
where the purchase must be made.
I
must admit though, any time candy corn is offered in a social
setting, I take a few pieces.
It’s
a trick though. It’s always a trick.
One
of those faulty logic moments where the lessons of yesterday fade,
memories fail, and hope blossoms. One of those moments where I
accept the candy corn, and by doing so I’m forgetting the disappointments
of yesterday and preparing to enjoy a special treat. After all…
I like candy! What I’m left with, along with a flood of returning
memories, is the realization that I don’t like candy corn.
The
history of candy corn dates back more than 130 years. And while
there seems to be debate about the true first batch of the creation,
most stories journey to Philadelphia, where George Renninger is
generally accepted as the inventor. Funny thing though… George
invented the candy while working for the Wunderlee Candy Company,
and yet it’s a group called the Goelitz Confectionary Company
that is credited with bringing the seasonal tradition to the masses
and a nation-wide distribution.
Goelitz
at one time marketed the product under the name Chicken Feed.
And, believe it or not, you know of the Goelitz group… which now
goes by the name Jelly Belly.
According
to what I’ve found looking up some details for this piece, in
1950, Goelitz had a plant in New Jersey that was the site of one
of the largest fires related to candy in history. And yes, the
plant was working on candy corn just before Halloween when the
flames began.
These
days, I’ve seen estimates from the National Confectioners Association
that the total weight of candy corn produced annually crosses
the thirty-five million pound mark… yes, that’s 35,000,000-pounds
of candy corn. (Which comes out to a total exceeding 9 billion
pieces.)
I
always wonder when you see those details that claim something’s
production will “circle the Earth forty-seven times”… “cover the
distance to the moon and halfway back”… and other such thoughts.
Have
you ever checked out the distance on a roll of tape or ball of
twine? When you consider all of the things given credit as reaching
around the world as far as production… from envelopes to automobiles,
canned tomatoes to cords for phone chargers… how can there be
enough materials on the planet to allow the production of every
one to stretch to Mars and back?
Exaggeration?
Sure. But nine… BILLION… pieces. Of candy corn!
And
that’s stuff no one is even eating.
Ok…
I suppose someone is eating it. You don’t place nine billion pieces
end to end, to Maine to Alaska and back three or four thousand
times (or something like that), if you aren’t going to sell a
few. And, apparently it’s a key ingredient in creating a candy
bar at home. So it has that going for it.
You’re
not fooling me again though. This year, even though Tigg likes
it, I don’t expect to be trying any candy corn. (Although a Butterfinger
does sound good.)