Why does everything have to be so complicated? I am thinking that we have too many choices – in everything. Even candy. Consider the following incredibly personal and unscientific theory.
In a time when sugar was not an evil enemy, candy was important to children. I would say, there were 3 major categories. (I realize that Tootsie Rolls and licorice twists do not exactly fit, but like I said, life is complicated.)
Candy bars (MilkyWay, Hershey’s Chocolate Bar)
Candy pieces (Good&Plenty, Goobers)
Single serving/bite candy (Mary Janes, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups)
Candy was predictable. It was reliable. No surprises. M&M’s are but one example of complicating what used to be simple. (Disclaimer: I love the original Peanut M&M’s and still buy them.)
Forrest Mars, Sr. (son of Mars Company founder, Frank C. Mars), saw British soldiers eating small candies that held up to the heat of the summer. Returning to the States, he secured a patent for his new candy and teamed up with Bruce Murrie, son of William Murrie, the president of Hershey’s. The two men, Mars and Murrie produced the candies, naming it M&M.
In the beginning, the milk chocolate candy was sold exclusively to the U.S. armed forces as a candy bar alternative. Available in plain chocolate with either a brown, red, orange, yellow, green and violet candy shell, original M&Ms are still one of the most popular candies in the world. However, that didn’t stop the company from releasing new flavors throughout the years. Now there are special color editions for holidays, flavors such as Mint, Raspberry, Pumpkin Pie, Candy Corn, White Chocolate, Caramel and Espresso. Have I tried some the new flavors? Reluctantly, yes. I have yet to try one that comes close to the original Plain M&M’s in the familiar brown bag. Maybe this one that was rolled out in August 2020 will be a new favorite?
Candy bars are also constantly reinventing themselves with new flavors. I confess that I have tried several and prefer the originals in almost every instance. In light of a pandemic and political unrest and severe challenges to our economy, should candy even appear on our worry list? Of course not, but thinking about it distracted me for several minutes and that is truly sweet.
What’s a Mary Jane?? I have a very happy memory of Christmas as a kid in the US South. My mother (a Canadian Finn) would be delighted every year to receive a box full of Canadian chocolate bars that were unavailable in the States. A sweet interlude for a homesick Canuck. These were always in the treasure box: Neilson Liquid Four Flavour, Crispy Crunch, Aero, Smarties, Cadbury Burnt Almond, Big Turk and Crunchie.
A MaryJane is a peanut butter and molasses taffy. You either love it (me) or hate it.I would LOVE to sample the candies in the treasure box. Cadbury Burnt Almond sounds divine.