Comments on: The candy that required a passport

By: The Inadvertent Gardener

The Inadvertent Gardener — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:07:15 +0000

Susan, worlds apart is right! And hey — I don’t judge — you’re absolutely welcome to prefer M&Ms to Smarties. That just means more Smarties for me!

By: Susan

Susan — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:29:52 +0000

Hmmm … I have to confess my very American tendancies here. I prefer M&Ms. I like Smarties, but I’d reach for M&Ms before Smarties. I do agree that while the descriptions of the two candies sound very similar, the reality of the candies is worlds apart.

By: The Inadvertent Gardener

The Inadvertent Gardener — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:59:51 +0000

Lydia, I love that this is just another example of how awesome Ted is. I wholeheartedly approve! ;-)

Michele, that is so sad for your kids! I love the story of your painting your lips with the Smarties — I seem to recall trying similar experiments as a kid, myself.

Tea, good question…I’m going to have to go back into my stash and check that out. And to be sure, I don’t hate the powdery disk Smarties, but they hold no candle to the chocolate foreign kind.

By: Tea

Tea — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:39:54 +0000

Am I crazy, or do Smarties taste slightly of orange? No matter, I love them—far more than M&Ms.

Though, for the record, I like those powdery disk Smarties too.

By: Michele Mercier

Michele Mercier — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:02:24 +0000

The best thing about Smarties when I was little was lightly licking the red ones and then using the red dye to “paint” my lips. When I smell a Smartie, that’s what comes immediately to mind. I live in the U.S. now and M&M’s just aren’t the same. I can’t introduce my kids to Smarties either since my kids are gluten free and Smarties have wheat in them

By: Lydia (The Perfect Pantry)

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:20:04 +0000

I met my first Smarties soon after I met my Canadian husband. We were visiting his family in Montreal, and I needed a chocolate fix. I was looking for M&Ms and he said, oh no, you must try Smarties. It was love at first bite.

By: The Inadvertent Gardener

The Inadvertent Gardener — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:31:31 +0000

Chiot’s Run, all those options (sweet and savory) sound awesome! As I said, I’m generally a savory person, so this is a departure for me, but a tasty one. :-)

Jenny, the letter on the cap was the best! When I was a kid, I always thought you could collect them to spell S-M-A-R-T-I-E-S, but it turns out it was an effort by the company to help teach kids how to read, or at least how to say the alphabet.

Cheryl, that’s awesome. I agree — they should not be wasted on the unappreciative!

By: Cheryl Arkison

Cheryl Arkison — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:06:10 +0000

I have a Canadian friend in Texas and she feels the exact same way as you do! The last time I sent her some she had to take back the ones her daughter had already shared – said the kids couldn’t fully appreciate the wonder of the Smartie.

By: jenny

jenny — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:59:24 +0000

You’re making me homesick! I also used to love the cardboard tubes, and the lid always had a letter on.

By: Chiot's Run

Chiot's Run — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:52:59 +0000

I find myself not really craving sweet. I do like some really really dark chocolate, which I buy on occasion.

What I really crave: salty fried green plantain chips, which are difficult to find here in NE Ohio. I on a rare occasion (once a year) can find a plantain green enough to fry crispy. Generally I have my dad bring back chips for me when he travels back from Colombia (doesn’t that cound as local?). I also really love boiled yucca or fried yucca “fries”. I have yet to spot fresh yucca here, but I can find frozen yucca at a latin foods market in Cleveland (although the market just closed – sigh).

If I were to pick a sweet item it would be arequipe a kind of caramel they make in latin America (it’s soft and you eat it with a spoon). I can’t really eat it by the spoonful like I used to, I do love it stirred into coffee though. My dad occationally brings some back for me. I make the jar last as long as possible.