American Candy!

My friend has skipped across to America for a little holiday. I asked her if she could bring me back some authentic american candy or chocolate. To my shame, I don't actually know any american candy...aside from maybe a Twinkie, but I'm kinda convinced that's a cake and not a candy/sweetie. Can our American cousins/duders suggest any candy for her to bring me back?

I recommend not requesting chocolate, as it's absolutely rank over here.

In fact, I extend that recommendation to nearly any American candy.

EDIT: Actually, I suppose it depends on where you live and what sweets you have available there.

I disagree with the duder above me. I love me a plain ole Hershey chocolate bar. But if you like almonds I'd go with the Hershey almond bar. But other than that I'm not sure were your from and what you do and don't have there. More insight and I'd love to help you more!

@Remedy25: Our chocolate is shit. My Brit girlfriend just visited. She loved SweetTarts, Jolly Ranchers, Rock Candy. People like our Twizzlers (licorice) and LaffyTaffy. I've sent her Skittles, Sour Patch Kids (sour gummies), Sour Punch Straws, Big League Chew (gum), Butterfingers (peanut butter chocolate bar), Warheads and Crybabies if you like sour stuff (though Toxic Waste from the UK is better), umm... can't think of anything else. Lucky Charms are comparatively cheap here. I sent her a load of that.

Hmm pretty interesting stuff. I'm trying to be specific with things and not ask for to much, in case she gets charged or whatever when she returns to the country. Oh, I'm from the UK by the way, I should have mentioned that. After just talking with her, she's apparently bought me some smoked jerky and is going on a short adventure to see what else she can find me.

I don't really know what kind of candy is unique to the states, but there's a lot of great confectionery out there. We do hard candies well, for one.

But yeah like people say just generally avoid the chocolate unless it's from a nice boutique somewhere.

Sour Patch Kids. You can get a HUGE bag for like $10 or so. God they are so good.

@Wrighteous86 said:

@Remedy25: Our chocolate is shit. My Brit girlfriend just visited. She loved SweetTarts, Jolly Ranchers, Rock Candy. People like our Twizzlers (licorice) and LaffyTaffy. I've sent her Skittles, Sour Patch Kids (sour gummies), Sour Punch Straws, Big League Chew (gum), Butterfingers (peanut butter chocolate bar), Warheads and Crybabies if you like sour stuff (though Toxic Waste from the UK is better), umm... can't think of anything else. Lucky Charms are comparatively cheap here. I sent her a load of that.

Actually, I'll echo those sentiments for SweetTarts and Twizzlers (although I think Redvines are better). Also, she lives in the UK and can't get Skittles, Rock Candy or Warheads?

Anyway, OP, don't listen to @Sackmanjones. Just look at his avatar. He obviously feeds off of nightmare fuel.

@Remedy25 said:

she's apparently bought me some smoked jerky

I hope you like boots!

I've had a several types of American chocolate. It all tasted like sugary fake cocoa mixed with powdered milk.

Candied bacon

@Demoskinos said:

Sour Patch Kids. You can get a HUGE bag for like $10 or so. God they are so good.

Sour Patch Kids are tasty bro.

I think we are going about this wrong. Just cause Hershey's is bad or whatever (I disagree with that but whatever) doesn't mean you shouldn't get it. Like Hockey Pulver sucks right but that doesn't mean its not representative of Sweden's candy.

Under the same theory I recommend the following American as Fuck Candies

(1) Necco wafers - made in MA (also horrible)

(2) Sky Bar (if you can find it)

(3) Mallo Cups

(4) Airheads BRO

(5) Salt Water Taffy

@mandude: We have grape Skittles. You guys have blackcurrant (which used to be illegal here; we're only just now getting blackcurrant). She's never seen rock candy before, but I know you guys have it somewhere. I wasn't sure about Warheads.

im not much of a candy guy, i prefer salty treats. but gummy bears are pretty awesome.

Anything other than chocolate, unless you can find some good regional chocolate.

@RustySanderke said:

I've had a several types of American chocolate. It all tasted like sugary fake cocoa mixed with powdered milk.

SOUNDS DELICIOUS

I really like a Payday candy bar.

I don't like American chocolate, they should have a taste of Cadburys and then tell me theres is better.

@Wrighteous86: That's mad. I was wondering why those two flavours were mutually exclusive when I came over here. Yeah, you'll mostly find it in some small tourist shops. It's also cylindrical, whereas I've seen actual rock shapes to be more common in the US.

I'm a big fan of Mike and Ike.

It's not American but my favorite chocolate is Ritter Sport. My second choice is Hersey Cookies and Cream.

American chocolate is so bad. I wouldn't even consider it the same thing except for how it looks.

@Hizang: We do have Cadbury. It's just more rare. Dairy Milk and all that.

And yes, yours is much, much better.

My personal favorite is mint Aeros. DuskVamp always gets me those, and some Haribo Tangfastics!

Yeah avoid American chocolate like the plague. You know that off brand cheap chocolate like Asda's value range, Or Tesco's. It tastes much like that. Its horrid. Can be a bit oily. and also tastes a little bit like hot sick. Thats when its pure chocolate. Mixed with other stuff its more tolerable.

Granted there is almost a UK version or every kind of American stuff. Go ahead and try them. The only outstanding thing to try is a Twinkie. Its basically a heavy sponge cake with cream. Its an experience. I sorta hate them...and yet I sorta pang to have another.

Oh besides my mention of chocolate. Flipz chocolate covered pretezles is good.

Moonpie I found out is actually just Wagon Wheels. Maybe try that?

Hot Tamales are my favorite. They are a cinnamon flavored gummy type candy with a harder outer shell. Also I don't know if you guys get York Peppermint Patties but those are the best. It's a a soft sweet mint disc that covered in a thin layer of dark chocolate. There fantastic plus they taste better the more you eat. So it's really are to stop eating them when you start.

Remember having a Jawbreaker on a Canada vacation as a kid. That was one memorable suck. We were totally into Atomic Fireheads as kids, which some kid's dad always imported from the states. They're quite common now. I love Twizzlers, which I sometimes import from the states.

This thread makes me want to go an online candy bender so bad...

F the candy man! What you need is for her to bring you back some authentic KC barbeque!

I don't eat a lot of candy, but I'm a fan of dark-chocolate peanut butter cups, and butterfinger.

A little 'candy eating' personal quirk of mine... mixing sour candy with fresh fruit. It's going to blow your mind.

Like Airheads Xtreme Rolls/Sour Belts and a peach or an apple.

Lucas candies. Seriously..

It comes in many forms. Frozen, liquid, and crushed like salt. It's suppose to go in your mouth, but if it wasn't meant to be snorted/injected than I have no idea why i'm doing it now.

MY GOD, I LOVE THIS SHIT.

It's really only native in California though.... I stock up whenever i'm down there.

We have bad chocolate?? If our chocolates bad... then good chocolate must be like... the best thing ever. European duders! Tell me the chocolate candies to buy!

@Hunter5024 said:

We have bad chocolate?? If our chocolates bad... then good chocolate must be like... the best thing ever. European duders! Tell me the chocolate candies to buy!

Cadburys Dairy Milk. If you like caramel, then Dairy Milk Caramello is even better.

If you say you've tried it already and don't like it, I will come to your house and cut you.

@mandude said:

@Hunter5024 said:

We have bad chocolate?? If our chocolates bad... then good chocolate must be like... the best thing ever. European duders! Tell me the chocolate candies to buy!

Cadburys Dairy Milk. If you like caramel, then Dairy Milk Caramello is even better.

If you say you've tried it already and don't like it, I will come to your house and cut you.

I hate caramel, but the other one has been added to my list of foreign candies to import this Halloween.

I'm not sure what you already do or don't have there, so I'll just do a list of what I like. You should try it too if you haven't already

Snickers (the almond version is great too, if you like almonds), Twix, M&Ms (plain, Penut or pretzel), Rolos, Risen chews, Charleston Chews, Kit Kat bars, Milk Duds, Snow Caps, Jolly Ranchers, Junior Mints, Payday bars, Starburst, Skittles.

@Hunter5024: You don't need to! There should be Dairy Milk bars in the likes of Fred Meyer's or Walmart. As far as I know, it's exactly the same stuff, but I could be wrong.

anything from sees candy or ghiradelli. the major brands all have crappy choclate

Everywhere but at home, American milk chocolate — specifically Hershey's — is known for its tangy or sour flavor, produced by the use of milk that Landuyt refers to as "acidified." Although Hershey's process has never been made public (and a spokeswoman declined to comment on its techniques), experts speculate that Hershey's puts its milk through controlled lipolysis, a process by which the fatty acids in the milk begin to break down.

This produces butyric acid, also found in Parmesan cheese and the spit-up of babies; other chocolate manufacturers now simply add butyric acid to their milk chocolates. It has a distinctive tang that Americans have grown accustomed to and now expect in chocolate. "I can't think of any other reason why people would like it," said Whinney, of Theo Chocolate.

Source

@Hunter5024: If you're looking for something good to import I'd suggest Belgian liqueur pralines.

@mandude said:

@Hunter5024: You don't need to! There should be Dairy Milk bars in the likes of Fred Meyer's or Walmart. As far as I know, it's exactly the same stuff, but I could be wrong.

If my research is to be believed then those are manufactured by Hershey in the U.S., and I believe that Hershey doesn't use real Cocoa anymore because the worlds supply is dwindling and it can't meet their demand. Maybe that's why chocolate in America is bad? I'll buy one from here, and one from there to compare.

@Remedy25: All right, here we go.

If you want "American" chocolate, I would go with Hershe's or Snickers. But I bet you guys already have that(wherever you're from). Therefore, getting "American" chocolate is hard unless you go to somewhere like New York City or San Francisco. I don't know where you're friend is going but if she/he is planning on to go to NYC, ask for Mast brothers chocolate. You can actually order online too. They are located in Brooklyn and roast their beans at the store and make their own chocolate. Don't go to M&M store in Time Square. Don't be that tourist.

Candies, on the other hand, are a different story. I would recommend Wonka Nerds or anything from Wonka. I have never seen Wonka until I came to the States so I'm guessing you haven't either. So Laffy Taffy, Nerds Rope, all that jazz. Also, Twizzlers. Now, I HATE Twizzlers. Although I have never tasted a rubber band, I bet it tastes like Twizzler. But it is also very American; mass produced, generic, simple and you can eat it on the go. So I would recommend that. Hope that helped.

@RustySanderke said:

Everywhere but at home, American milk chocolate — specifically Hershey's — is known for its tangy or sour flavor, produced by the use of milk that Landuyt refers to as "acidified." Although Hershey's process has never been made public (and a spokeswoman declined to comment on its techniques), experts speculate that Hershey's puts its milk through controlled lipolysis, a process by which the fatty acids in the milk begin to break down.

This produces butyric acid, also found in Parmesan cheese and the spit-up of babies; other chocolate manufacturers now simply add butyric acid to their milk chocolates. It has a distinctive tang that Americans have grown accustomed to and now expect in chocolate. "I can't think of any other reason why people would like it," said Whinney, of Theo Chocolate.

Source

@Hunter5024: If you're looking for something good to import I'd suggest Belgian liqueur pralines.

Do those have alcohol in them? Because I think I've made my stance on that subject clear:

@Hunter5024 said:

My body is a temple which needs to be kept pure for the coming of The Gentle One. Alcohol is a servant of evil and I will partake in no such temptations, lest I be cast out during The Great Purge. I see from reading this thread that many of you walk the Path of Pain, and I offer you my tears when the time for your comeuppance is upon us.

I'm not going to vouch for the taste-quality of these, but if you want try something more memorable...

@Hunter5024: Woops, never mind.

@RustySanderke said:

@Hunter5024: Woops, never mind.

But if you have any other recommendations for my annual I-feel-like-shit-because-I-spent-too-much-on-candy day feel free to let me know!

NECCO Wafers, Sugar Babies, Heath Bar, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, Lemon Heads, Poprocks, FunDip etc. I don't know which ones you'd have over there but any of those are pretty common in US grocery/convenience stores!

Those saying that American chocolate is bad must've never had Dove or World's Finest before. Shit is delicious. Caramel Dove chocolates are probably my favorite candies. Also, most of Mars' products are pretty damn good. Milky Way, Twix, Snickers, M&M's...how can you say 'no' to those? Hershey's by itself is pretty nasty, but some of their other products like Reese's and Kit Kats are fine.

@Hunter5024: Ok cool. I'd recommend Côte d'Or Bonbonbloc. There's a variety, but they're all great.

@RustySanderke said:

@Hunter5024: Ok cool. I'd recommend Côte d'Or Bonbonbloc. There's a variety, but they're all great.

Okay thanks! Though all these foreign names are making me incredibly suspicious, for all I know it translates into "Shit Flavored Garbage for Stupid Americans!" This will be an interesting Halloween if nothing else.

if you really want something interesting

get a abba zabba its taffy stuffed with peanut butter their only on the west coast i believe though.

@MikkaQ said:

I don't really know what kind of candy is unique to the states, but there's a lot of great confectionery out there. We do hard candies well, for one.

But yeah like people say just generally avoid the chocolate unless it's from a nice boutique somewhere.

But... Hershey's is awesome... :(

@Trilogy said:

I'm a big fan of Mike and Ike.

The only candy to make me gag... I disagree with your opinion greatly sir! HAVE AT THEE!!!