Ranking Valentine's Candies

Hi hello,

Honestly, I’ve been working (procrastinating) on two more serious posts, but balancing this with midterms just isn’t happening. However, as an unofficial sweets enthusiast, I wanted to advocate for my favorite pre-made sweets to celebrate the best holiday, the day after Valentine's! For starters, I’ll be looking at classic fruity American candies that are typically sold in those corny class sets, common American chocolates, and lastly, a handful of less local or nonconventional candies.

Fruity American Classics

1. Fun Dip: The virtue to this candy is that somehow, having the added dipping process makes the candy more enjoyable. It might seem counter-intuitive, but this extra step feels almost like a ritual, and to a degree it teaches rationing skills having to balance the stick-to-powder ratio. There’s also the aspect of having the regular muted-sugar flavor stick to contrast the slightly sour flavor powder.

2. Airheads: The flavor and texture of this candy is perfect, a no bullshit Laffy Taffy that you can rip out fillings with. An absolute delight, lights up my life, blue raspberry or die.

3. Double Bubble: I had a serious addiction to these in highschool, and still would if I worked at Party City still. I’ll mention this later as well with another candy, but the first few chews through the sugar and the classic indescribable flavor.

4. Skittles: Would be higher if they still had lime instead of green apple, they seriously fucked up thinking green apple was a good idea.

5. Pixy Stix: Just like fun dip with less steps, with bonus points for snortability. However, their flavor powders aren’t as strong, which is a bit disappointing.

American Chocolates

1. Hershey Almond Nuggets: I’m honestly not big on chocolate anymore, but I bought a bag of these for myself post-Valentine’s a couple of years ago and they’re delightful!!

2. Twix: Basically a compact cookie, goes great with coffee.

3. Heath: I never really knew these existed until a few years ago when a co-worker told me she put them in hot coffee, which is such a 3,000 IQ move. On their own, they’re pretty good too, if not a bit crunchy.

4. Dove Squares: Last because they’re a tad boring, but they fill the void a bit and make me think of simpler times, you know? :’-)

5. M&M’s: To be honest, I don’t love these to any measure, but bonus points for the mini version. This made it to the list because it reminds me of when I learned how to do chi squares with them.

Non-Conventional or Non-American

1. Marukawa Melon Gum: You haven’t lived if you haven’t tried these!! The first chews are perfect and the flavor lasts practically forever, my only fault would be the packaging. I’d love to be able to buy an entire bucket of these Double Bubble style, but until then I can dream.

2. Kasugai Gummy Candy: I love this entire line of gummies, but the peach and ramune flavors hold slightly higher regards in my heart. These, to me, are superior to western gummy candies that tend to be a bit too tough and not very flavorful

3. Black Licorice: I don’t have a favorite brand, but in general it’s a safe bet. I would also recommend anise teas, which are usually a lot sweeter than the candies but still have the root-y flavor.

4. Songwha Pure Ginger: Not gonna lie, this is in the same category as black licorice in that they’re both strong, almost medicinal flavors.

5. Botan Rice Candy: Honestly these don’t taste like much, but they’re inexpensive, I grew up with them, and I love the stickers!

I’ll be thinking of what to do for next week, because I would like to keep February more lighthearted. The day I’m writing this is Doyoung’s birthday, and then Hoseok’s birthday is also close to a Friday, so I’ll probably write something kpop related that week. As for next week, possibly a recipe? I’m not quite sure. The two posts I’ve been working on won’t come around until March, because they’re requiring research and mental endurance. Thanks for understanding.