Foodie Monday: Favorite Candies

I should definitely not be writing this post. I love candy and always have. As I’ve aged, I’ve realized that candy is an “empty” food, which means one that does not have any nutritional value. Still, I’m very much attracted to a sweet treat.

I remember being “in charge” of my sister, two years my junior, while we rode our banana bikes or walked down to Louie’s Corner Store at the corner of North Greece and Latta Roads. It was probably a half mile there and home, but we were trusted to go there when eight and ten years of age.

The store was old, with wooden floor boards and just a few of each essential items a house might need – like comet cleanser, brooms, a deli case, and some canned goods. It didn’t carry a lot as there was an IGA less than a block further up the road. But, the attraction for us was the penny candy.

The candy was stored behind the check out counter in glass jars marked 1 cent, 5 cents, and a quarter. We’d go and make our choice, hurried by Louie himself, who was a grouchy corner store owner. We were afraid of Louie. He was a big man and looked like the actor who play Mel of Mel’s Diner on the old 70’s sitcom, Alice. He even wore a white apron and a white cap! But, boy was he crabby!

He did not like little children standing at his counter ogling the candy. With so many choices, of course we were full of indecision. We were also full of fear.

“Come on, come on,” Louie would grouse. “Make your choice already! Are you going to buy some or not?”

Looking back now, I suppose that waiting for us to choose what candy we wanted was a waste of his time. Fifty cent or less of penny candy was not going to yield much of a profit for him. He probably did not care if we made a purchase or not – and thus, the gruffness.

But, I think these early experiences at the penny candy counter in the corner store led to my love of candy. Today, I still like Sweet Tarts and Mary Jane’s and Blow Pops, I was never much for chocolate but today I do like a Snickers or Dove Dark Chocolate once in a while. Candy necklaces and Necco wafers were big and we liked those, as well as Smarties. French Creams and Merry Mints were a treat at grandma and grandpa’s. They way they’d melt in your mouth when you took a bite was so delicious! But, my favorite of all was licorice ropes or shoe string licorice and that is still my favorite today!

I find pieces of candy to be like potato chips – you can’t eat just one! And, that is why I should not be writing this post – it makes me want to dive into the candy. Maybe, I can limit myself to two or three pieces a day. We’ll see. I sure do like candy!