Ginger Pride

What: Halls Cough Drops (Canada Dry Ginger Ale flavour)
Where: Toronto
Cost: Unknown

I have been sick sick sick for the last few days. Bad times. I have to admit, however, that when I felt that first tickle in my throat a not-so-small part of me was excited, because I would finally be able to eat these Ginger Ale-flavoured Halls.

They have been floating around in my purse since I first spotted them at a newsstand inside the TTC a few months ago. I dug them out mid-way through a coughing spell and was pleased to see that other than a few scuffs on the package they were in good condition.

Never has my coughing been cured so sweetly.

These cough drops are my new favourite thing. They work just as well as regular Halls and they taste like the flat ginger ale my dad used to give me when I was sick as a child. If not for the mentholyptus I would eat these year round.

I'm going to brave the elements to go get some zucchini (my body is telling me to make chocolate zucchini loaves and I am listening) and while I'm out I will definitely be on the lookout for more of these cough drops.

9.1/10

HR

Kickin' buttz

What: Kickbutt Amped Energy Ballz (Cherry)
Where: Elmvale, ON
Cost: ~$3 (purchased by Eric)

My friend Katie invited me to her parents' house for Family day last Monday. I am blessed to have lovely friends, so it should come as no surprise that their families are just as fun to hang out with.

After a leisurely morning we walked through the town to check out the restaurant that had just burned down. I looked at antique tea cups then we gave some cream to the feral cat colony.

I love small towns.

On the way back we stopped at the local gas station and Eric bought these ballz for me. I ate them as we drove south through Barrie back to Toronto

They looked like two large, cherry gumballs, and for a fleeting second I wondered if perhaps they actually were. Maybe they would give off protein and vitamins while being chewed. Like Nicorette for body builders.

Without thinking I popped the first ball into my mouth.

It was a bad idea. The ball was like a candy-coated power bar. It didn't even taste like cherries, it was just gross. I think that the small size meant that there was not enough filling to mask the taste of the caffeine and other additives. It took me forever to finish it and the lingering taste of chemicals in my mouth made me decide not to eat the second one.

Soon I realized that I didn't know what the inside of the ball looked like, so I took another bite. It was chalky and brown, and seeing it made it even harder to swallow the second time around.

For something that claims to be a "Certified Natural Heath Product" those ballz sure were disgusting.

I had to rustle around inside the huge bags of food Katie's mom sent us home with to find something to clear the taste from my mouth. Fortunately Pat is a wonderful cook (and host) so it was not hard to find something delicious to cleanse my injured palate.

1.7/10

(10/10 for the muffin)

HR

Bisous

What: Hershey's Kisses with Cherry Cordial Flavoured Creme
Where: Toronto
Cost: $1.49

I love holidays that are celebrated with candy. It isn't necessary, but sometimes I enjoy having an actual reason to indulge my sweet teeth.

And then there are the sales.

Scrounging through discount bins full of limited edition holiday candy is one of my favourite pastimes.

I wandered in to a Sobey's near my work a few days ago and was rewarded with a heavily-discounted package of Hershey's Kisses, filled with cherry cordial flavoured creme*.

Other than a splash of lime cordial in my club soda now and then (vodka optional) I associate cordial with Anne of Green Gables. I remember very clearly the way my 9-year old self thought raspberry cordial might taste - syrupy sweet and potently fruity. I think I was expecting the filling to taste similar to that imagined cordial, but perhaps more cherry-like.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't.

What was more surprising was the fact that it barely tasted like cherry anything. Far from a chocolate-covered cherry (they are filled with cherry cordial and I assume that this is what Hershey's was aiming for) it was mostly just very sweet and vaguely coconutty.

Definitely not something you could confuse with currant wine.

7.1/10

HR

*I've said it before, but I have an irrational hatred of the word "creme". I have even gone so far as to change my foster cat's name from "Creme Brulee" to "Steve". He hasn't noticed yet.

Olympic Dough Rings

Can anyone tell me why sprinkle donuts used to be called "Hawaiian"?

If you live in Canada I'm sure you have seen these donuts in every Tim Horton's. Basia bought this one for me somewhere last week.

Eight years ago when they announced that the Olympics would be in Vancouver (my hometown) I assumed I would be back there by 2010. But here I am still in Ontario, without even a TV to watch it on.

But I ate that donut.

And I enjoyed it, although I wish the sprinkles were maple-flavoured. Or even just sugar-flavoured. What kind of sprinkles have zero taste?

Go Canada!

HR

What do you call a bear with no teeth?

What: Chocolate-Covered Gummy Bears
Where: Peterborough, ON
Cost: ~$3

I was fortunate enough to play a few shows with the lovely Basia this week. We arrived in Peterborough a few hours early on Wednesday, so I wandered around a bit to see what the city had to offer.

To my surprise and delight, there was a large candy store just around the corner from the venue.

Amongst the (too) expensive imported British chocolate and limited edition Star Trek Pez dispensers I hit the jackpot with these gummy bears.

Although I have never tried chocolate-covered gummy bears before, I was fairly certain I would like them.

I love gummy bears. Haribo Gold-Bears are my favourites, but I have never eaten a bear-shaped candy that I didn't like. Also, I have been saving up money over the last few months to buy a five-pound gummy bear.

I am not joking.

In case of emergency candy/chocolate cravings I always seem to have secreted* a Big Turk within arm's reach somewhere. These bears were basically adorable, bite-sized versions of that chocolate bar.

The reaction backstage was mixed (and may have involved much singing of the Gummi Bears theme song), but I loved them.

9.7/10

I'm curious to see what sugary secrets Hamilton might hold tomorrow. Sadly, we will be without our friends and recent touring pals, the Luyas, but check out their blog to see the non-candy related fun that goes on offstage.

HR

*by "secreted" I mean "hidden", not "synthesized and discharged from specialized glands". But one can always hope...