Friday, September 5, 2008

This Ain't No Stinkin' Chocolate!

As I confessed in an earlier blog, I can definitely be wrong. But sometimes, Virginia, I am right! I've been venting from time to time about Chocolate Pez just on principle. I have stood on my electronic soapbox and proclaimed that Pez should not even try to be chocolate - weird fruit flavors are fine, but not chocolate. And let me say, having now tasted a Chocolate (and we must use that term loosely) Pez - I was right!



Do they look good to you? Now in defense of Pez, they are labeled as chocolate candy, not chocolate. These taste like sugar cubes with a few grains of hot chocolate mix tossed in. They smell more like chocolate than they taste like it. They are fairly heinous. It's all about the dispenser with Pez anyway. In fact, you might be better off eating the dispenser.

I'm going to stay with the - not everything that CAN be chocolate SHOULD be chocolate theme and move to something I just discovered today. I had to go to Target to get batteries since these hurricanes may cut me off from civilization, and I might actually have to listen to the RADIO for information. And burn candles! And worst of all - WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO MY CHOCOLATE???? The fridge and the AC will be off! Send in the National Guard! Airlift me and my chocolate to safety!

Okay, as usual, I digress. The batteries were really just an excuse to see if Target was putting out the Halloween Candy yet. And I am happy to say they were!!!! Yahoo!!! They only had a fraction of it out, but I scored some great stuff!!! I'm so excited!! Chocolate Peep cats, pumpkin spice Hershey's Kisses - does life get any better?

I sampled the first treat, which I must admit I had irrationally high hopes for: Brach's Chocolate Caramel Candy Corn.



In all fairness, I must confess that I'm not a big fan of candy corn. I love the way it looks - very festive. I even admire the way they've made red and green Christmas Candy Corn. Very colorful, even merry. But this chocolate candy corn tastes a lot like regular candy corn. The first two ingredients in both types of candy corn are identical - sugar and corn syrup - they must be 90% (or more) of the total. The third ingredient in the chocolate corn is cocoa powder, and this must be what gives the corn its lovely brown color - the ONLY thing it has in common with chocolate. If you really like candy corn, you'll probably like this. If you like brown. If you really like chocolate, buy something more, um, like chocolate.

Do what you are good at, don't try to be everybody else. Don't try to jump on the latest trend. Candy corn is good because of the color and shape and fun it brings to the fall. Candy corn is a great candy, but a horrible chocolate. You can probably be good at many , many things, but great at only one or two. Do those. Life is short - make the most of your time here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Denise,
I couldn't agree with you more! I am a true chocolate lover and I have the figure to prove it. :)

I'm of the opinion that most things taste better with chocolate, but not all things should try to be chocolate.

The very idea of chocolate pez or chocolate candy corn has zero appeal in my salivating mouth.

They are what they are, but they are not chocolate!

Pez is fun for the kids, and I'm actually quite fond of the original candy corn - I eat enough to make myself sick on an annual basis - but, trying to go chocolate? Uh-uh.

Now, if we want to talk about dipping candy corn in melted chocolate? I could give that a try...

About Me said...

OK, OK, I will be really benevolent here and say that you may ship ALL of your chocolate to my refrigerator for safe keeping during your hurricanes.
:-)

But seriously, this post was rockin' hot, dude!
I loved the message behind it, and it helped me clarify some important business decisions I've been facing lately. You ROCK.

And on another serious note, many prayers during the hurricanes ... If you need a place to stay and bring your chocolates, get out of Dodge City and come to the woods of Kentucky. You will be safe here (although your chocolate might not be).

Denise Ryan said...

Chocolate Candy Lover, you are my kind of reader!! Good idea about the candy corn!!! Thanks for the comment!