Candy of the Day: November 5, 2009

Last week, I posted about the start of the 2009 World Series Championship between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. Well, the series ended last night. The New York Yankees won the championship in six games (4-2). Starting pitcher, Andy Pettitte, only let in three runs in the first 5.2 innings he played.  Designated hitter, Hideki Matsui, put his name in the record books by bringing the Yanks six RBIs and a home run, becoming the World Series MVP.

The Yankees won the series last night in their newly built stadium, which stands in Bronx, New York, right beside the former ballpark. The old home of the “Bronx Bombers” was best known as the “House that Ruth Built.” Back in the early twentieth century, Babe Ruth was the all-star player for the Yanks, winning the team seven division pennants and four World Series titles. That’s where the candy comes in. Although the Baby Ruth candy bar was named after President Grover Cleveland’s daughter in 1921, the chocolate-covered peanuts, caramel, and nougat were made famous by “The Great Bambino”. Ruth’s fame on the baseball diamond brought the same amount of success to the candy bar whose name resembled his. So as we celebrate the New York Yankees’ twenty-seventh World Series title, we remember the “Sultan of the Swat” with the Baby Ruth.

Candy of the Day: November 4, 2009

Yesterday was Election Day here in the United States. Over the past four to six months, candidates have been campaigning for the fateful day of choice. American voters swarmed their local voting stations to cast their ballot, and make their voice be heard. Politicians fought for major influential seats in various positions at all levels of our government.

Because I am centralized in New York, I was most informed on the elections within the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut Tri-State area. I would tune into my regular television programming and find commercials for politicians like Chris Christie, John Corzine, Michael Bloomberg, and Bill Thompson. Although I was unable to vote for any of these candidates, I was excited to find the winners this morning.

Only seeing the back and forth negative campaigning of the New Jersey governor race, I was unaware of specific policies. Nonetheless, I learned that Chris Christie, a man whom I had only known as being “the crazy guy who wanted to be the governor of the dirtiest state in the country,” had won the election. After learning of his victory I had found out that Christie was the first Republican to be Governor of New Jersey in twelve years, and stood on a vow to attack the state’s fiscal problems and political corruption. A job well done to the new governor, and best of luck!

Although that race was quite exciting, it didn’t interest me nearly as much as the mayoral election in New York City. I don’t live in any of the five boroughs, so why should I care about this election? The truth is… Michael Bloomberg is my idol (along with the notorious actor, Ryan Reynolds). I just finished reading his biography and was impressed by all of his accomplishments in the fields of business and politics. Being a political and financial enthusiast, Bloomberg attracted my intrigue. Unable to cast my vote for Bloomberg, all I could do was pray for victory for the incumbent mayor. My prayers worked, and Bloomberg was elected to his third term as mayor of New York City.

So what do politics have to do with Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cups? Whenever I eat a Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cups, I feel victorious. I always remember the commercial for the candy from when I was a kid featuring a world-class gymnast (whose name I cannot recall) eating a chocolate-covered peanut-butter while performing a highly advanced technique. From then on Reese’s became the victorious candy. The blend of two flavors makes me feel like a champion. In addition, Reese’s are somewhat shaped like crowns, providing a sense of royalty and importance to the peanut-butter cup. These politicians have campaigned for months, and finally came out victorious yesterday. They run our government, keeping order in our area. They are true champions and deserve a Reese’s Peanut-Butter Cup.

Candy of The Day: November 3, 2009

All my life, autumn has been never autumn until I would rake up every leaf in my yard. Autumn has officially arrived. I spent my entire election day with a rake and big black garbage bags. The leaves and colorful trees bring back old memories of pumpkin and apple picking with my family. We would climb red leafed trees, play baseball and kickball in the street, and ride bikes around the neighborhood, dodging all the fallen leaves on the road.

In addition to all those wonderful recollections, I also recalled candy corn. Back in the day, my mom would put out a bowl of candy corn in our living room. Although it never lasted for long, I never forget watching television and eating candy corn, while season was eminent outside. Candy corn is the candy of autumn and autumn is here today.

Candy of The Day: November 1, 2009

It’s November 1st. Many view today as All Saint’s Day, yet others (including myself) see it as a sour day – consumed with regret of all the candy eaten the night before.

I’ll be honest. I ate WAY too much candy last night. I’m the type of person who snacks while trick-or-treating. And so, I walked around for two hours in the pouring rain last night ringing door bells, and chomping on countless Reese’s, Junior Mints, Butterfingers, and Hershey Bars. Then, my friends and I returned to my house and scoffed up some homemade brownies. It all tasted great going down. But today, I am filled with regret.

Regret is a sour feeling. When tasting a sour food, like the notorious hard candy, Warheads, our body cringes. The sour taste is strong and makes your ears tingle. Sucking on Warhead makes the mouth quiver. That feeling emulates today (or at least my day). I have a sharp pain in my stomach and it can’t go away. I feel like I’m going to get sick, as if I ate an outdated dairy product – most of which are sour.

Today is a sour day. Today is a Warhead day.

It’s October again, and that means post-season major league baseball. Tonight is game one of the 2009 Major League Baseball World Series. The Philadelphia Phillies have crossed the New Jersey Turnpike to the Bronx, to take on their northeastern neighbors, the New York Yankees.

Baseball spirit is everywhere. Here, in “Yankees Country,” I see “pinstripes” paraphernalia every way I look. Stores sell Yankees clothes, mugs, and posters. ESPN and YES have dedicated countless hours to commentary and analysis of the upcoming championship series. Admission to the historical games are so vital to fans that some can be found on Ebay at starting bids of over three thousand dollars per ticket! One Pennsylvanian woman allegedly went so far to offer sex to get a ticket to the World Series. 

Baseball is swarming our culture at the moment. As the atypical candy of baseball, Big League Chew has been chosen to be today’s Candy of the Day. The shredded bubble gum packaged in aluminum foil bags resembles the chewing tobacco baseball legends gnawed on while on the field. Bubble Gum, especially Big League Chew, has replaced tobacco within the past twenty years due to the poor health effects of the tobacco. Every little leaguer will be watching the World Series tonight, hoping to stand on the diamond someday like Jeter and Howard. They aspire to make it to the pros and as the bubble gum slogan says, “You’re in the big leagues when you’re into Big League Chew!”