Top 10 Movie Theater Candies

On my recent trip to the movie theater I waited at the concession stand with friends while they indulged in the over-priced “value combo” of a soda and popcorn. I could not help but look down at the counter and notice a glass case containing all things sugar, chocolate, and largely forbidden from my diet. Unlike everything else behind the counter, the candy is placed in well-lit glass chambers that draw the eye downward, making it compete against the popcorn machine in the background. The candy is showcased as if I am observing a carefully placed museum artifact or jewelry counter.

In an effort to satisfy my taste buds, I often turn to the salty and sweet combination that is popcorn and candy. Unlike candy found at the checkout lanes of a grocery store or seasonal confections, movie theaters have developed their own culture of candy that involves three key elements:

• Over-sized portion. The package must be big enough to serve two people.
• Maximum sweetness. Very sweet taste to counter-balance the salty popcorn.
• Bite-size pieces. Helps to change between popcorn and candy with each bite.

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Chocolate is My Religion

I love Easter. Let me rephrase that…I love Easter candy. I especially love big giant chocolate rabbits. I have very fond memories as a child of biting the ears off and then using my best cartoon rabbit voice to scream, “MY EARS! MY EARS! THEY’RE GONE. OH, THE HUMANITY!” I have to admit, I’m a little timid about trying this shtick with the chocolate Jesus.

Yep, the “religious right” has had enough of our pagan candy bunnies and has introduced chocolates which convey the true meaning of the season. Visit Chocolate Fantasies (some part of  the site are NSFW) to get your own chocolate Jesus, Mary and other favorites such as Celtic crosses, crucifixes and baptismal scenes—all just in time for Easter. And it’s not that I’m totally against having ones faith immortalized in candy. I’m all for it. It just seems wrong to eat a religious icon.  And it also seems wrong to steal the innocence of bunnies and baby chicks away from our young-lings. read more

“Fake” Dark Chocolate is Unhealthy

It seems like clockwork that the news media has a story about the ways a common food can help defend against heart attacks, cancer, and various other terminal diseases. Every Valentine’s Day there is a push by local media for the predictable fluff story about the wonders of chocolate for your body.

As much as I’d like to believe dark chocolate is the lesser evil of the candy world, it seems odd that the value of antioxidants can allow people to overlook the amount of sugar, fat, and calories contained in most dark chocolate.

After a little searching I discovered this article from 2007 by BBC News that confirmed my suspicion. The article cites that many manufacturers are making “fake” dark chocolate. A real dark chocolate contains a good amount of flavanols (antioxidants) from the cocoa plant. If kept in the chocolate making process, the end product is typically more bitter than other processed chocolates. The more bitter the chocolate, the less it sells. In order to still push dark chocolate, many manufacturers end up removing many antioxidants and add artificial coloring or carmelize the cocoa beans for a darker color. Once the flavanols are removed,  sugar or fat are added to the mix to help the taste. The new ingredients make the health benefits of eating dark chocolate almost non-existent. Eating some dark chocolates be just as unhealthy as chowing down on milk chocolate.
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