Non-North Americans...sweets question

[Martin Milner]

I understand Martin was given S'mores when he was here, maybe he can describe them as a newcomer to the scene.

Yup, when I stayed with Cees and her lovely family in SLC, they took me for a cookout up in the mountains, and we had a great time toasting stuff over the campfire.

I tried s'mores, unfortunately too sweet for me and that's saying something, I could say filthy, but the day went down in my memory as it was the first time their son Bran got to pee on a rock (the toilets being locked), and I had caught on camera the first moment he realised he needed to. We went back and re-enacted the event for the camera, but we couldn't be sure exactly which rock, so we had to pretend. That was a Good Day.

I used the Bran sideshow as an opportunity to surreptitiously fling the s'more into the bushes, but if anyone's really hungy, look for the big pee-stained rock at the campsite about half way up on the right, and go about 20 yards downhill and it's there, unless the bears and ants got it.

I also discovered that Twinkies are not nearly as nice as one might hope, and was glad I only brought a box of ten home with me, as it was less to throw away.

[Walden]

As for the Hershey bar part, they melt easiest, besides being in rightly proportioned segments. I noticed, a couple years ago, that Hershey changed the way they divided them, but then went back to the former way. I miss the white paper wrappers inside the sleeve. They switched to foil, and now they've gone to a wrapper that's not even especially easy to open. Oh well, not as if I eat Hershey bars often, anyway.

P.S. S'mores were a Campfire Girl thing too.

With this thread around, I did a little looking, and apparently the earliest known published recipe appeared in a 1927 Girl Scout trail book. I guess, since this thread is addressed to non-North Americans, I ought to mention that Girl Scouts is an affiliated organization with what is called Girl Guides in some countries.

I would say however that based on avan's description of graham crackers, they sound more biscuit-y than cracker-y.

While sweet, they still have the general look, texture, and impression of a cracker, unlike animal crackers, which seem to be cookies. They are a common ingredient in desserts. Often crushed and mixed with butter and sugar to form crusts for cheesecakes, cream pies and the like. Hi-Ro make good crusts too, for Hershey pie.

And this thread reminds me of discussions I've had in other forums about things like Bovril, Ovaltine vs. Milo, etc, which are food items that might not be so common in USA (not sure about Canada).

Ovaltine and Milo are both available in the USA. Ovaltine is quite well-known.

[jmccain]

It's interesting that this subject is just below the Diet Club thread as I opened the forum window today.

Cosmic balance? Diversity? You be the judge.

Best, John

[toughknot]

As a kid I got to tour the Kellog plant ( in Battlecreek?) while visiting relatives in Kalamazoo. There were absolutely no cameras allowed. Coperate recipe and processing secrets at stake ya know.It was eaiser to cross back and forth over the border than to get a camera into that plant.The smell in the room where Cornflakes were processed stayed in my nares for weeks. I still get nauseous just looking at a box of them.Never had a s'more til I was an adult when friends I was camping with brought some freshly made to our campsite. I still dont know how they kept the grahmn cracker from falling off the stick.

[Redwolf]

When I was a kid, our favorite field trip was a tour of the Hostess bakery in Spokane. I'll never forget the smell inside the baking room...heavenly! FWIW, in addition to Twinkies and such, Hostess also makes bread, and that's what they were usually making in the Spokane plant (though we got to see them putting the filling in Twinkies too).

I want some chocolate now.

Redwolf

[susnfx]

The mention of suckers earlier reminded me of some fantastic suckers we got at the drugstore in the late 50's, early 60's. They were a sort of caramel-y flavored hard sucker with bits of peanut in them and tasted heavenly. They disappeared and I didn't see them again for decades - although I thought of them once in a blue moon. Then one day a couple of years ago, I was strolling through the Sundance outlet store and on the counter were big jars of all kinds of suckers - including the peanut wonders! I was as excited as a kid. I go back and get one now and then for a treat.

Susan

[mamakash]

I know this catalog/site has been mentioned before, but it's worth mentioning again.
www.vermontcountrystore.com

If your looking for a long lost candy or food, you'll probably find it here. Everything from Flake bars to Cherry Mash to Eclipse Coffee Syrup.

My mom and I stock up on Jacob's and McVie's biscuits when the Irish shop gets a shipment in. While we have many foods in the states, you simply cannot get traditional tea biscuits. Any attempts to replicate them fall short of the real thing. I really like Hobnobs. Crunchy, oaty, just sweet enough.

My family is not from England. We just really like cookies and really appriciate good cookies. It must be the Italian on my mom's side. These are people who can appreciate a good cookie!
That includes Pizzelles, but those are easy to make at home.
Yum.

[Martin Milner]

My family is not from England.

There there, Mamakash, we can't all be.

[trisha]

Why is it when I read American threads like this I always feel a whole load healthier about what we do eat over here ?

And I'm with Redwolf on the gelatin...and we aren't even veggie.

Trisha

[Darwin]

When I was a kid, we used to put graham crackers into a glass of milk, and eat them with a spoon after they had softened. I seem to recall doing the same with animal crackers.

We used to make our own ice cream sandwiches with home-made ice cream and graham crackers. (Remember those big crank-driven ice cream freezers with the crushed ice and coarse salt?)

Don't care much for graham cracker crust on cheesecake, though. The flavor is too overwhelming. Oil and flour is the way to go--and a layer of sweetened sour cream baked firm and topped with a strawberry glaze. Of course, I've given all that sort of thing up now.

My Aunt Jessie May Hogue (my father's aunt, actually) used to make and sell suckers. She had large, heavy silver-grey metal molds in a variety of human and animal shapes. The suckers were transparent, came in various primary colors, were vaguely fruit flavored, had long, thin wooden sticks in them, and smelled of olive oil, which was used to grease the molds. Being a bit on the meddlesome and clumsy side, I wasn't even allowed in the kitchen when there was molten sugar syrup about.

Aunt Jessie ran a cooking school some time before I was born, and went in for rather ornate dinners and killer desserts. My mother learned a lot from her. Both of them were sugar junkies who enjoyed spreading their addiction amongst us helpless children.

[mamakash]

My family is not from England.

There there, Mamakash, we can't all be.

I'm still in therapy and trying to come to terms with it.

[Walden]

It just seems, sometimes like society's going to the abode of the damned in a handbasket.

M&M packages now have a slogan on them "What is it about the green ones®?" in clear reference to a supposed rumor that green M&Ms are an aphrodisiac. In times past, one would not have expected mainstream chocolates to be marketed in this manner.

[mamakash]

OK, who here remembers the orginal red M and M's? I vaguely remember being three and my dad's sister liking the red ones. That must have been '75, '76. They stopped production of the red M and M, as the dye used was a suspected carcinogen. Of course, there are red M and M's now, but with a different dye.

[caniadafallon]

I remember the original red, mamakash, and remember them going away because of the carcinogen. Now of course there are blue ones... they scare me. Something about blue food, y'know?

~Ad

[TomB]

[quote="Martin
I also discovered that Twinkies are not nearly as nice as one might hope, and was glad I only brought a box of ten home with me, as it was less to throw away.[/quote]


Martin: Twinkies are pretty good, but did you get to try Suzie-Q's? Those are the best, in my mind.

All the Best, Tom