Candyfreak

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Who remembers their favorite candy from childhood? Does it still exist? Or do you glance down at the glistening wrappers in the candy aisle, wistful for a time -- and a bar -- gone by? Take comfort; you're not alone. For Steve Almond is obsessed with candy, too, allowing himself a daily ration to keep his consumption within bounds. During his "infamous campaign of 1973," he experienced a "run of seven cavities," which required the regular numbing of his jaw to fill. And he keeps an ever-ready stash of several pounds of the sweet stuff, stockpiling boxes of certain favorites against a feared drought.

Almond's obsession sends him on a cross-country quest to rediscover the candy bars of his youth, notably the vanished Caravelle (not to be confused with the 100 Grand (a bar of similar ingredients but wholly inferior quality), Almond's personal Holy Grail. But along the candy trail, our sleuth also discovered a number of quirky small-production bars, too. Almond extols the virtues of these small producers, companies that continue to roll out their treats despite pressure from the big candy conglomerates that gobbled up and discontinued many of the bars of our candy-filled childhood. Almond's unbridled enthusiasm for confectionery delights is both hilarious and infectious, a tribute to a substance that evokes fond memories for readers of every ilk.
(Summer 2004 Selection)