Plot Monkeys

Nope, not a typo.

This blog is inspired by the Charm’s Blowpop. Sour Apple. I have one in my mouth right now. I’ve been sucking on these suckers for about a week now. They are, after all, fat free. I picked on up at Nationals…someone had used them for promo…sorry that I can’t tell you who because I ripped the little label off before I unwrapped it, but the flavors instantly transported me back to my childhood.

It’s funny how we all have our favorite candies from childhood. My sister in law loves Milk Duds. Before her diet, she would steal them all out of the kid’s bags at Halloween. Me, I’m going after the $100,000 bars. And don’t get between me and my Hot Tamales.

Not that I have a horrible sweet tooth, but sometimes, it’s about the memories more than about the candies themselves. To say I was raised in a strict household is a huge understatement. We lived in a mostly hispanic/Italian neighborhood, next door to my grandmother’s house. My grandmother lived with one part of her house on a relatively busy road. Behind her was a gas station that my grandfather owned at some point before I was born, but was now owned and operated by some cousin of his that we didn’t talk to. (No, I have no idea why.) Anyway, catty-corner from the gas station was a Little General Store. Did you have Little Generals? It was like a 7-11, only with no gas (which, clearly, was across the street.)

My grandmother used to let my best friend, Denise, and I cross the busy intersection to go the Little General to get banana slushies.

Did you ever have banana slushies? They serve them now at 7-11. They aren’t quite the same.

I think it was the freedom. The fact that my Nanie stood on her porch and watched us walk, watched us cross and timed our stay inside the store, didn’t matter. We were free! Our pockets filled with nickels so we could load up on a big slushie and pick up a pack of Adam’s Sour Orange gum (my favorite!) or those really, really long Pixie Sticks (Denise’s favorite.) No one cared about sugar rushes. No one cared about empty calories. There was mild concern about tooth decay, but we brushed, so hey, no biggie.

When we were at Denise’s grandmother’s house (she lived six blocks away from the big intersection) we did our sweet’s shopping at a bodega smack down in the middle of our neighborhood. Right down her street. We didn’t call it a bodega, but that’s what it was–a small, hispanic-run store that sold bread, milk, some produce, fabulous deli sandwiches, deviled crabs and other latin delicacies…and candy. We called it the corner store. I’m quite certain the proprietors spoke no English, but Denise was bi-lingual, so it wasn’t a problem. We’d still spend our nickels on our favorite sweets while picking up a gallon of milk for her Nene. We were all of 10 years old.

The idea of me letting my daughter walk out of my SIGHT beyond the circle of our cul-de-sac gives me nightmares. It was a different world, then, I guess…but damn, it doesn’t seem like that long ago. And as much as I love my neighborhood now, there isn’t a store anywhere near that the kids can go to to get candy. I think now that’s a shame.

To think this whole blog started with a Blow Pop.

Which, by the way, makes me miss those big, flat lollipops that Charms used to make–the sweet and sour ones. Talk about addictions.

Anyone else like dipping their lollipops in really cold water before sucking on them, or is that just a Florida thing?

So…what were your favorite childhood indulgences? What sweet is it hard to pass up when you see it now, just because it reminds you of days gone by?

Happy Birthday, today, to my Dad. He likes nonpareils. The chocolate ones. And a Hershey’s Candybar with Almonds. The big thick ones you have to break the chunks off of!