It’s another mashup between the Writer’s Workshop and The Thursday Ten.

 

The prompt in question:

 

I like just about any candy you have, and it shows, unfortunately. Anyway, these are the first ten I thought of.

Starlight Mints

I wrote about starlight mints for last year’s A to Z Challenge. (This year’s is coming up on April 1, by the way, and I hope you’ve signed up. If not, check this out for further details.)

Twizzlers

We don’t go to movies like we used to, at least not since my stroke, because it’s too hard to get out of chairs once I get into them, but when we did, this was one of my favorite candies.

Dots

Another movie favorite. The same company comes out with all-black licorice ones, which are called Crows.

Skittles

Yet another movie favorite. We went to the movies once and I bought a big bag of these. When I tried to open it, the bag tore and about a quarter of them spilled out onto the floor, making these little “ping”ing sounds. Was my face ever red…

Hershey Bars

Occasionally (i.e. when I can talk Mary into it), we get a couple of the big bars and split them. I’m not talking about the five-pound ones…

Tootsie Rolls

Not the big ones; the stubby ones and the ones the Knights of Columbus sell every year. I worked for a company that kept bowls of candy around, and these were one of them.

Snickers bars

If I can’t talk Mary into the Hershey bars, I can usually talk her into Snickers. Ron Santo, Hall of Fame third baseman from both Chicago teams (he played his last season for the White Sox), used to advertise these. Ron suffered from diabetes all his life, and a Snickers in the dugout would keep his blood sugar up during ballgames.

Starburst

Another candy they used to have around the office, at practically every company I worked for. They used to pass around baskets of these during classes.

Candies from Ferrara Pan

This company is based in Forest Park, Illinois, just off the Eisenhower Expressway (I-290). They make Lemonheads (and other -heads candies), Boston Baked Beans, Jaw Breakers, and Red Hots. They merged with a couple of other candy companies and also produce gummy bears and other kinds of candy. I saw an episode of Unwrapped on The Food Network which visited the Ferrara company and saw how they make the “pan” candies. Really interesting: the process is similar to mixing cement or polishing rocks. I love shows like that, that show how things are made. I have a degree in Production and Operations Management, so I guess it figures.

jelly beans

I got my love of starlight mints from my grandmother; I got my love of jelly beans from my mother. They don’t even have to be Jelly Bellys or other designer brands; any old cheap jelly beans will do. Mom also liked spice drops, another favorite of mine. Like I said, I like just about any kind of candy.

I could probably do another ten, but that would be overkill. I mean, I didn’t talk about M&M’s (plain and peanut), Brach’s Royals (caramel candy with a flavored filling, like orange, maple, vanilla), Caramel Bullseyes (I liked eating the bull’s-eye first, then the caramel), or any of the others. What’s your favorite?