Section B · Page 6
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The University Daily Kansan
Friday, February 9, 2001
Sweet Tooth For comments, contact Sara Nutt at 864-4810 or editor@kansan.com
841-PLAY
1029 Massachusetts
MAY BE A GIRL'S
The good, the bad and the AWFUL Kansas staff taste tests Valentine's confections
BEST FRIEND.
BUT THE MAN
WHO GIVES THEM TO HER USUALLY
FORMS A SOME
WHAT CLOSER
RELATIONSHIP
VALENTINE'S DAY FEBRUARY 14TH
Nestle Pretzel Flips — white fudge covered Gold Ring pretzels with Valentine stripes: four and a half hearts
with valentine stripes; four and a half hearts. The fudge covering is sweet and rich with a good flavor, but the pretzels need to be a bit crisper. The Flips were more popular with the female taste testers. You may eat half a bag and feel full, but they are light enough to consume many in one sitting. Plus, the salty pretzels cancel out the sweet coating. Flips are like two snacks in one.
Russell Stover Looney Tunes Treats — individually wrapped snack-size bars of crispy milk chocolate with caramel: three hearts.
Although the bars aren't visually appetizing, the candy bar taste is appealing to those with a real sweet tooth. Our testers said that the caramel was too soft and gooey without enough crunch to balance it out. Recommended serving: one at a time. These babies are very rich.
Necco Sweethearts —
the original Valentine's candy in the traditional flavors. We taste tested the large and small hearts: three hearts.
elementary school
The testers had consumed many of these hearts in a combined total of 49
Valentine's parties, but much of the nostalgia had disappeared. Not much has changed — the candies are still chalky and strange tasting. Although both sizes come in the same flavors, the testers deemed the larger candy "too much chalk at one time, but the flavor is better."
The general consensus is that these cute-looking little candies taste BAD. They have zero chocolate flavor and are way too sugary. Not only do they taste bad, but they are an odd gray-tan-purple color and the beloved Valentine's sayings are barely legible. However, one tester found a potential use for the horrible little candies: "You should face them with Ex Lax and give them to your ex."
Necco Chocolate Sweethearts — like the traditional Necco hearts but chocolate flavored: one-half of a heart.
Candy makers cash in on hearts
By Sarah Warren
writer@kansan.com
Kansas staff writer
"Girl Power." "E-Mail Me," "2001 Hugs."
These are just three of the sayings on the 8 billion candy sweet-hearts produced by the Necco Candy Company for sale during the Valentine's Day season, according to www.neco.com.
There's the traditional, the jumbo, the newer chocolate and "Ultra mint" versions. That's a lot of sweet nothings, and there's differing opinions about what role candy should play in Cupid's day.
Sam Han, Wichita junior, works the information and candy counter at the Kansas Union. Han sells the little conversation hearts by the pound this time of year, but said that the coy sayings on the candies were nothing more than money grabbers for companies like Necco and Brach's, who also makes the hearts.
"Personally, I think that candy companies are making tons of money using this holiday," Han said. "But, hey, people just like candy."
Andrea Barefield, Minneapolis, Kan., senior, said she agreed with Han about the commercial aspect of Valentine's Day.
“It's like they try to make as much money as they can, when it's just supposed to be a holiday that you spend with someone you love,” Barefield said. “I may not be a big fan of Valentine's Day, but I'm a big fan of candy.”
Another big fan of candy is Bonny Martens, an employee at Penny Annie's Sweet Shoppe, 845 Massachusetts St. Martens, unlike Barefield, happens to be both a candy addict and a fan of Valentine's Day.
"I think candy is more useful than flowers for Valentine's Day," Martens said. "Id much rather get the candy because it's sweet and wonderful."
But for Jeanie Schaller, Manhattan sophomore, sugar isn't enough to win her over on Valentine's Day — the sugar's got to be mixed with chocolate.
"Chocolate is probably the best gift I could get," Schaller said. "Sweethearts are okay, but they're not chocolate."
Brach's Valentine Peppermint
Edited by Brandy Straw
Nougats — chewy, r individually-wrapped candy with a heart in the middle: one heart.
These taffy wannabe treats have the consistency
have the consistency of the scum on a tube of toothpaste
of the scum on a tube of toepastap after the lid has been left off overnight. The candies are very minty but best left in the traditional Christmas-tree version. They also leave a gooey film on the roof of your mouth that is not fun to try to scrape off. Officially rated a negative seven by one tester.
M&M's Minis Valentine Heart — a chocolate heart
shell with mini M&M's inside; two and a half hearts.
This candy package had a cute rattling sound, but when the foil wrapping was removed, the outer chocolate shell looked like it had been shipped to the store last December. Plus, the unwrapping and breaking of the heart was like biology class only tastier. The dusty chocolate wasn't very sweet and tasted three months old. The M&M's were too small to enjoy one at a time. The rating was boosted because of the cuteness factor and functional gift for-small children appeal.
Russell Stover Assorted
caramel, coconut, toffee, marshmallow and other chocolates in a heart-shaped box; four hearts
There's something for everyone in Russell
Stover's traditional, heart-shaped box of chocolates. The only problem is that you'll have to fight everyone else for the good pieces. The milk chocolate-covered caramel was rich and creamy but stuck to the testers' teeth. The best part of the box was watching one tester bite into a coconut chocolate by mistake and then spit it out. Rated a four because of the wide, yet sometimes disgusting, variety.
Barbie Candy Necklace Kit — pink and white candy beads, white, heart-shaped candy pendants: four hearts.
Blame it on the sugar buzz? The testers decided this last sampling should be called "Barbie's Kinky Necklace Kit." The kit received a score of four hearts for making-and-eating fun potential. The candy is hard and crunchy, and the testers recommended making an all-pink necklace because the white beads "taste funky." One tester said it was, "better than edible underwear, but not as much fun as chocolate body paint."
--- Sara Nutt
Ratings are based on a one to five heart scale, one being something to feed only to those you passionately dislike and five being the equivalent of Valentine's ambrosia from the love gods.
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