Here’s today’s quiz: Which of these is not like the others?

We went to an old chocolate factory yesterday to celebrate Fiona’s 12th birthday, which is actually today. The delectations were amazing, and the decor equally so: we were particularly taken with the antique candy molds, hung everywhere, and encompassing an entire social history of their own. (The pistol mold was our favorite, though sadly, no chocolate pistols were for sale during our visit.)

“Mother?” began Princess Hazel Peppermunt.

“Yes, my dear?” replied her mother, Queen Petunia Peppermunt.

“Why do we have such a peculiar last name? Why peppermunt?”

“What last name would you like to have, Hazel?” asked Petunia, smiling.

“Peppermint.”

I’ve found 3 different kinds of candy here that are breakfast-related, and here they are!
Number 1: Eggs! (fried, or sunny side up?)

Number 2: Waffles! (Where’s the maple syrup?)

Number 3: This is a classic thing that dutch children eat: it’s basically different flavored sprinkles that you eat with butter and big round crackers (called [...]

Amsterdam is enchanting in every way, We’d forgotten that people leave their curtains open, so you sometimes mistake a restaurant or a shop for what is simply someone’s lovely home. At twilight it is especially entertaining to look into the lives of the lucky inhabitants of this charming city. Spring is just around the corner here, with bright green grass and snowdrops just about up.

The market nearest our apartment here in Cape Town turns out to have about three aisles dedicated entirely to candy. Most of the candy is not blog-worthy, but the things that are blog-worthy are very very blog-worthy.

For example, there is Toffifee.

Who could resist a candy bar called NOSH?

In the 1970s, my Mother and her sister were staying in Rome for a few days with their parents when they came across this candy. “They were the fizzy kind,” my Mom tells me, which led to a brilliant idea: they took the cola-flavored Charm and dropped it into a glass of water, attempting to make Coke! “The Charm fizzed up,” she remembers, “and it even turned the water brown. But when we tasted it, it was terrible. It tasted like melted candy in water!”

I feel just wretched about having let my readers down by not adding to my candy-series in such a long time. I do have somewhat of an excuse — and I hope it’s good enough: it turns out that here in India, almost all of the candy can also be found in the US. Also, the candy that cannot be found in the US does not have very exciting packaging.

Yesterday I went over to the student store and bought some candy. When I got home, I examined the candy more closely, and it was then that I found something amazing: it turns out that a Boomer Gumlair is actually chocolate-flavored bubble gum! I practically squealed with delight, and quickly took a picture of it so that I could eat it.

Sadly, the gum itself is not amazing, but the idea of chocolate gum is so ingenious that I would give it a thumbs up.