Candyfreak: A Journey Through the Chocolate Underbelly of America
Registered by 
GoryDetails
of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 2/15/2017
This Book is Currently in the Wild!
GoryDetails of Nashua, New Hampshire USA on 2/15/2017 This Book is Currently in the Wild!
1 journaler for this copy...
I found this good-condition softcover at a local Savers thrift shop, and nabbed it for another release copy.
The book's a delightful, sometimes depressing, always fascinating look at various types of candy that, at one time or another were famous and in demand, whether locally or nationally. He visits some of the surviving manufacturers - a surprising number of which were in the Boston area - and talks to the folks who run the businesses and those who make the candy. (These are often the same people; some of the more venerable companies are barely getting by, as competition for store-space from the major corporations who can afford the shelving fees has driven lots of them out of most retail outlets.)
That sounds a bit grim, but overall the tone's fun and light, with many drool-inducing descriptions of the candy in question, whether via the author's childhood memories of his favorites or while watching (and sneaking samples of) freshly-made products. It made me want to run out and make a candy-factory tour myself {wry grin}.
The title isn't an exaggeration, by the way; Almond (who doesn't care for coconut, so attempts at "Almond Joy" jokes all fall flat) opens the book with facts about his candy-addiction, including tidbits like having "between three and seven pounds of candy in his house at all times". This guy is serious about sweets!
Part of the fun, for me, was comparing my favorite candies to his. He doesn't like Twizzlers, claims to be baffled by their success, but for me the original version of vaguely-strawberry-flavored chewy goodness was a must-have whenever I went to the movies. He hates marshmallow Peeps, too, and they're a favorite of mine even now. On the other side, he seems to favor all things chocolate, while I - while fond of some good chocolate now and then - am not nearly as attached to it.
His tone is definitely snarky, which I enjoyed, though some readers might prefer a more sober approach. Here, he describes the idea for the book: "A few years ago, my friends began urging me to write a book about candy. Their reasoning ran as follows: Maybe if Steve writes about candy, he will shut up about candy."
There are lots of great tidbits here about classic candies. Turns out that Necco wafers are still being made; I remember the thin, oddly-brittle, assorted-flavors-with-that-one-you-couldn't-name candy from (of course) movie theater concession stands. The author discovered what that weird flavor was: clove! Rather a sophisticated flavor for the candy market, and jarring when one is not expecting it.
Some of the descriptive passages are downright lyrical, as when Almond talks about the nearly-orgasmic state in which the sight of a perfectly-running machine coating candy bunnies in smooth, silky chocolate... The process is called "enrobing", and Almond waxes ecstatic about it more than once, to the point of writing haiku.
Others get weird, as some of the people interviewed by the author are clearly obsessive in their own right, whether it's in sustaining their family business or in collecting increasingly-rare vintage candies and, in one case, wrappers.
I also enjoyed reading about the regional specialties, many of which I'd never heard of. There's Valomilk, in which they actually make chocolate cups filled with a near-liquid marshmallow-flavored filling, so it oozes out when you bite it - a deliberately-difficult-to-eat treat, eh? And then there's they Owyhee Butter Toffee, about which Almond says "if you are one of those people who views butter as the high point of western culinary achievement, as I do, track down some of this stuff. It was like sucking on a sugar cube sauteed in butter, only much much smoother."
Entertaining and informative, with autobiographical touches mixed with how-they-make-it looks at the candy business - recommended!
The book's a delightful, sometimes depressing, always fascinating look at various types of candy that, at one time or another were famous and in demand, whether locally or nationally. He visits some of the surviving manufacturers - a surprising number of which were in the Boston area - and talks to the folks who run the businesses and those who make the candy. (These are often the same people; some of the more venerable companies are barely getting by, as competition for store-space from the major corporations who can afford the shelving fees has driven lots of them out of most retail outlets.)
That sounds a bit grim, but overall the tone's fun and light, with many drool-inducing descriptions of the candy in question, whether via the author's childhood memories of his favorites or while watching (and sneaking samples of) freshly-made products. It made me want to run out and make a candy-factory tour myself {wry grin}.
The title isn't an exaggeration, by the way; Almond (who doesn't care for coconut, so attempts at "Almond Joy" jokes all fall flat) opens the book with facts about his candy-addiction, including tidbits like having "between three and seven pounds of candy in his house at all times". This guy is serious about sweets!
Part of the fun, for me, was comparing my favorite candies to his. He doesn't like Twizzlers, claims to be baffled by their success, but for me the original version of vaguely-strawberry-flavored chewy goodness was a must-have whenever I went to the movies. He hates marshmallow Peeps, too, and they're a favorite of mine even now. On the other side, he seems to favor all things chocolate, while I - while fond of some good chocolate now and then - am not nearly as attached to it.
His tone is definitely snarky, which I enjoyed, though some readers might prefer a more sober approach. Here, he describes the idea for the book: "A few years ago, my friends began urging me to write a book about candy. Their reasoning ran as follows: Maybe if Steve writes about candy, he will shut up about candy."
There are lots of great tidbits here about classic candies. Turns out that Necco wafers are still being made; I remember the thin, oddly-brittle, assorted-flavors-with-that-one-you-couldn't-name candy from (of course) movie theater concession stands. The author discovered what that weird flavor was: clove! Rather a sophisticated flavor for the candy market, and jarring when one is not expecting it.
Some of the descriptive passages are downright lyrical, as when Almond talks about the nearly-orgasmic state in which the sight of a perfectly-running machine coating candy bunnies in smooth, silky chocolate... The process is called "enrobing", and Almond waxes ecstatic about it more than once, to the point of writing haiku.
Others get weird, as some of the people interviewed by the author are clearly obsessive in their own right, whether it's in sustaining their family business or in collecting increasingly-rare vintage candies and, in one case, wrappers.
I also enjoyed reading about the regional specialties, many of which I'd never heard of. There's Valomilk, in which they actually make chocolate cups filled with a near-liquid marshmallow-flavored filling, so it oozes out when you bite it - a deliberately-difficult-to-eat treat, eh? And then there's they Owyhee Butter Toffee, about which Almond says "if you are one of those people who views butter as the high point of western culinary achievement, as I do, track down some of this stuff. It was like sucking on a sugar cube sauteed in butter, only much much smoother."
Entertaining and informative, with autobiographical touches mixed with how-they-make-it looks at the candy business - recommended!
Journal Entry 2 by GoryDetails at Central St. (See Notes For Details) in Hudson, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, February 22, 2017
GoryDetails at Central St. (See Notes For Details) in Hudson, New Hampshire USA on Wednesday, February 22, 2017
Released 7 yrs ago (2/22/2017 UTC) at Central St. (See Notes For Details) in Hudson, New Hampshire USA
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
I left this book in a free-info rack inside Benson's Bakery on Central St. at around 2:30 or so, while stopping by for some of their awesome cupcakes. Hope the finder enjoys the book![See other recent releases in NH here.]
*** Released for the 2017 Becky's Hugs challenge, in memory of Becky Johns. ***
*** Released for the 2017 Heads Shoulders Knees Toes release challenge. ***
*** Released for the 2017 Wine+Food release challenge. ***
