Candy and Snack Food Thread

I love gummies in general (Peach Rings 4 Life!!!), but there are very few non-fruit flavors that are tolerable in gummies and the marshmallow-y ones tend to be especially bad, imo.

Red Bull - The Green Edition

Dragon Fruit?!? Every time I've had dragonfruit I get no discernible flavour coming through. Just a sweet, soggy mess having the consistency of canteloupe with some crunchy chia-like seeds.  

This drink, however, has a sour apple tang with some citrus-like finish. It's alright. What's more fun is to read the marketing media and all their misdirecting perspectives; example: "You have more than 100 times the amount of taurine in your body than is in this drink, so it's totally safe. Have two if you like.", "We use water in this drink. You drink water. Drinking this is like drinking water, plus awesome supplements your body craves. BRAWNDO!"

Fry's Chocolate Cream

Fry's is a heritage brand that produced the first industrialised and inexpensive chocolate bar called the Cream Stick. They continue to push out choccies, though no longer in Great Britannia. In 2010 or 2011 the new owners picked up the factory and moved it to Poland. The classic Chocolate Cream and Peppermint Chocolate Cream were purchased at a deep discount. Neither is worth it. The fondant is a bit sludgier than that found in a Cadbury Creme Egg. The chocolate wrapping is stiffer than cold paraffin. Unless you're some kind of snack archivist do not purchase this, even for probative sampling. Cassandra says, "Not worth it!"

We're very fond of Tunnock's tea cakes, which we used to be able to buy at World Market. But they stopped carrying them some time ago, and Amazon had some listed, so we took a chance on a case of them, and, of the 36 in the case, all but three were squashed.

Barq's Red Creme Soda

According to recent articles from junk food researchers, this soda isn't easy to find. Sure, that may be an angle proposed by these researchers to make content that doesn't match the reality of those who know where to get the sticky red goo,  but I must establish a context for those reading to read on further.

I'd have to say this was my first Barq's Red Creme. It is rare that I want to have a creme soda. I don't mind creme sodas, but they're not the first object I grab when wanting a crisp, refreshing pop. That'd be Dr. Pepper. Cheerwine, if I am in the American South.

With respect to Australia's Creme Sodas, I can say Barq's is better than Golden Circle's Creaming Soda. It is more exotic and has a better flavour profile than Bundeberg's Creaming Soda; it too also happens to be red.

Respective of North American creme sodas, I only faintly recall Big Red; however, I know it to be the soft drink of Texas that everyone from Texas will tell you is the best damned thing to drink on a hot summer day, drink at a barbecue joint, or float two jiggers of vodka in to enjoy as an adult. Hence, my standard of comparison is weak at best when I declare that Barq's is now my favourite creme soda.

Moreover, I do know Frostie makes a Blue Creme Soda which suffers from the Frostie pitfall of too much sugar. I also deem Boylan Creme Soda to be a top notch creme soda. I am aware A&W has a creme soda, but I do not like it very much. Stewart's Creme Soda looks like it will be great, but it isn't. I will go to bat for Stewart's Orange and Creme Soda, but that cannot be considered as a competitor because of its citrus addition. Finally, the less said about store-brand creme sodas, the better. 

In closing, I feel I can honestly endorse the Barq's Red Creme Soda and would suggest it as a staunch competitor to the most-known creme soda of the US, Big Red.

Wild considering I grew up in PA and Indiana and never had trouble finding Barqs?

Faygo - Cotton Candy

Some Faygo products are available in NZ. I've seen their Root Beer, Red Drink, Pineapple & Mango, and some others. A nearby convenience store had the Cotton Candy flavour. Wanting to share the Faygo experience, I bought and poured a few glasses for the family. Faygo, like Cheerwine and Frostie, puts some extra spoonfuls of sugar in their syrup to help the medicine go down. The cotton candy/candy floss flavour is accurate, prominent, and unyielding.

I went to town on some original Frito-Lays this weekend. Still the best stand-alone chip.

But you know what else is good? Injera crisps. I thought that was just a local thing since there's such a large Ethiopian population in metro DC and Baltimore., but it seems to be getting around.

Pringles Wasabi Nori

Another "WOW!" in this chip. Not too much wasabi. Much less, for those who have enjoyed them, than Tim's Cascade Potato Chips' Wasabi. The nori just snakes so delicately between the light sinus irritation each chip brings.

Fanta Fruit Twist

In obvious honour of the coming Coronation, NZ convenience stores of a certain calibre have begun to stock Fanta Fruit Twist. This is a UK Fanta I had in a 330ml can. Aggrieved at the loss of 25ml, I guzzled this Tahitian Treat knock-off with some gusto and light anguish, knowing that there is a bottle of Tahitian Treat on some shelf in some supermarket in the US undrunk by me. 

Say you're thirsty for some fizzy fruit punch. Say you're in USA. What choices would you have?

I've mentioned my affinity for Tahitian Treat, the Coca-Cola bottler recipe for diabetes. 
I've also mentioned my favouring of the Hawaiian Punch carbonated insulin interruptor.
Of course, if you're traveling to the upscale section of a convenience store or supermarket, Jarritos' Fruit Punch can be a worthy selection. 

Another brand name is Shasta. The Shasta brand produces Tiki Punch. This very, very red fizzy drink has the bouquet of Hawaiian Punch, the fizz of Tahitian Treat, and powerful hit of sugary fruit punch that very much puts this drink into the mix as a value play when other treats and punches are absent from supermarket shelves. 

Seek out Inca Kola. It's from Peru but you can find it in the cooler at Peruvian rotisserie places and nearby grocery stores all around metro DC. Tastes like bubble gum.

Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper

I swerved away from this convenience offering many a time. I thought, incorrectly, that it would not sate my thirst for sweet soda when I knew the US Cherry Dr. Pepper had given me a path to enjoy Cheerwine-like fizzy goodness. I took the plunge. The "Old Fashioned Soda Fountain Flavor" entreaty did not lie. This had such a brighter flavour compared to US Cherry Dr. Pepper. For those passingly following along, the Polish Cherry Dr. Pepper tastes like Sucrets cough lozenges - which, while not awful, can wear on a consumer mid-can. 

Anyhow, if you're in the mood to try something new in a "same but different" vein, this can will please you.

It's five or six years since I last found a can of Hires root beer, and it doesn't get easier. There was some Hires with vodka crap in the LC a few years ago but I'm not interested in that