Ah, what a bittersweet evening. Tonight we celebrated the high school graduation of the Sugar Baby's babysitter, the fabulous Miss Lucy. As I write this, the festivities are still going strong next door-- all those lucky teenagers with a clean slate and strong bodies that can withstand the pressures of finals, bad cafeteria food and hangovers to rival e.coli the excitement of impending adulthood.
Since we're still fairly new to the neighborhood, we didn't really know anyone, so I was on my best behavior, talking about all the socially acceptable things like motherhood ("Oh ho, yes, the terrible twos! Hahaha!") and gardening ("The tomatoes are doing exceptionally well this year, but the zucchini seems to be struggling.") But then suddenly, across the yard, I heard someone shout my name. I walked over to this stranger who assaulted me with my favorite question: "You have a candy blog?!"
All sense of decorum went out the window as we launched into a discussion of all things sweet. She's a junior high English teacher and, as one of her assignments, has her students write about the pros and cons, similarities and differences of snack foods. Oh yes, indeedy, this was a kindred spirit.
Her first question to me was, "Do you know BB Bats?"
Now, dear reader, how did you read that? Did you read it as "Bee Bee Bats" or, as she pronounced it, "Buh-Buh-Bats"? Because I was taken aback. I'd never heard them called that before! Naturally I came home and immediately did some research. Turns out the "BB" stands for "Bigger and Better" and they were first released in 1924. In case you're not familiar, these are taffy lollipops, shaped flat to resemble some sort of bat, and come in chocolate, banana, strawberry and peanut butter/molasses. They're wrapped in a waxy paper that, no matter how hard you try, always ends up sticking to the pop and the taffy is so chewy it comes perilously close to ripping out your dental work. We agreed that chocolate was the best flavor, followed by banana. The popular cousin to BB Bats are Kits, which are little squares of the same taffy, stacked up in a small brick.
I swear, I didn't even encourage her to reveal her passion for candy. She wore her sugary love on her sleeve. She asked about Ice Cubes, as many other readers have. What's the deal? she wanted to know. Why do they suck now when they used to be so smooth and melty before? (The cheaper crap oil they use now, I explained.) And what about Mary Janes? What happened to the peanut butter center? (I've never been much for Mary Jane's, but I think I do recall what she was talking about.)
"Life Savers!" she said. "Why don't they offer a roll of all tangerine?" The tropical mix is okay-- the melon is pretty tasty, but the coconut and banana are pretty icky, she said. I completely agree.
Wax Lips! Is there any nutritional value at all to them or are they merely an accessory? And candy buttons! You were either the type that spit out the paper or just chewed it and swallowed it.
It was a fabulous discussion, one that could go on and on. Unfortunately, by this time, the Sugar Baby was standing at the door saying "Bye Bye Lucy!" and so, my few moments of sweet discussion came to an end.
But remember this, dear reader: the next time you go to a party, bring up the topic of candy. It's something everyone has an opinion about and you might just learn something wickedly sassy and gossipy about your neighbors and their friends. (I mean, I didn't. But you might.)
