Friend of the Blog Week: Chuck Woolery

The real Chuck Woolery is not a friend of the blog but the mysterious Soda & Candy Afficionado follower Chuck Woolery was at the ground level when this blog started. Another fun fact: the blog follower Chuck Woolery is actually a female and doesn't eat candy on the obscene level that I do. Despite her lack of a sweet tooth, she was still able to contribute to my candy experiences in profound ways.

Her contributions also bring to light a new request from followers and readers. Chuck Woolery was innovative in her candy eating and came up with new combinations and assisted yours truly with fine tuning a few of his own. With this in mind, I would like to hear from readers of their candy combinations, interesting eating methods or any culinary creation that incorporates candy in some way. The same goes for soda. Honest submissions may be featured on the blog so get working.

Below is one of Chuck's finest combos, a Swedish Fish wrapped around a Sour Patch Watermelon.

Swedish Fish Jelly Beans

                                                                                                

Having pounds of jelly beans in your house is dangerous. Since buying all the beans, I've had to replace four bags: two Starburst, Life Savers and a Mike & Ike. Despite breaking into those bags prematurely, I did not touch the bag that was possibly the most anticipated, the Swedish Fish Jelly Beans, for the sole reason that I was not sure I could find another bag. When I came across these, they were the last bag in the section.

Getting right to the beans (because when I ripped open the bag I dug in for a handful) there will be three areas for comparison and rating for all beans: similarity to a traditional candy bean, how the taste compares to the original candy (do Starburst beans capture the essence of Starburst flavor?) and lastly, overall taste.

Swedish Fish Jelly Beans

Similarity to a traditional bean: 6.0 - The beans are small, but that alone isn't the reason for this score. The shell is thick for the size and sort of merges into the jelly center, rather than there being a defined border. I feel the shell, in traditional beans, can typically be removed carefully with the teeth. The Swedish Fish beans however, do not completely feel that way.

How the taste compares to the original candy: 8.0 - This is exactly, if not better, than expected for flavor. True Swedish Fish are a category of their own, with the only argument being which size is the best. With that said, the beans really do capture the cherry sweetness in a completely different form.

Overall flavor: 6.9 - I want to give this a seven, I really do, but there is just something about these that make me feel like I won't finish the whole bag in one or two sittings. The bag is a bit large, but my candy binges are larger, and when I crave a candy or find something new and totally delicious (see Mike & Ike Fruit Twists) I lose control. I don't feel that about these but that's not to say I dislike them. They just haven't won me over.

Despite his appearance, the guy on the right tasted delicious

From the company: Serving size 33 pieces - 150 calories, 0g of fat, 37g of carbs, 27g of sugar, and 0g of protein.