Candy Ramadan: Day 6

Today's candy is Mamba Fruit Chews, which I haven't had (or seen) since I was about nine years old. They're basically the rectangular version of Starbursts, with four flavors: lemon, orange, strawberry and raspberry. Back in the day a package of Mambas came with five pieces of each flavor, but to my disappointment they now come with six pieces of three random flavors. I got orange, lemon and strawberry with the package I bought at Jo-Ann Fabrics (again with the Jo-Ann Fabrics!). And of course I wound up with orange, lemon and strawberry because my favorite flavor is... raspberry. Oh well. Apparently the raspberry Mambas are another Candy Sasquatch.

I read a review where someone called Mambas the least user-friendly candy ever because of the excessive packaging (each individual candy is wrapped, then each flavor is wrapped together in a little six-piece brick, then the bricks are wrapped together) but I like having the candy arranged fruit-abetically. Plus it makes it seem like you're getting three candies for the price of one.

What's great about candy (besides the sweet, sweet sugar) is that everyone has a great childhood memory linked to candy. Whenever I see a butterscotch hard candy I think of my best friend Laura's grandmother who kept them in a Folger's coffee jar in her bedroom. I think of Halloween when my brother and I would dump our sugar bounty on the floor and painstakingly arrange everything into categories: chocolate bars, miscellaneous chocolate, chewy fruity things, the Spree/Sweet Tarts/Smarties pile, gum, hard candy, the lame pile with the pennies and raisins, and the shitty candy pile. We'd then spend hours negotiating trades while our parents would help themselves to the candy we didn't want. Mambas make me think of the fourth grade when my teacher, Mr. Schuldiner, would throw us Mambas for correct answers. Nothing made my day like seeing a raspberry Mamba brick sailing towards my head. I bet they can't even give out candy in school anymore.

Feel free to share your candy memories and don't forget about the Reese's Piece Corps' Operation: Af-Candy-Stan and send me any ideas for troops or organizations who need candy donations.