Only once a year is the sweetest of oral fixations satisfied in such a luscious, mouth-watering way. It’s no accident that this is the same time of year that sexy nurses and Playboy bunnies take to the streets. That’s right, I’m talking about Halloween—and the East Asian candy that comes with it, of course.
When people think of Halloween candy, they often overlook corn. While corn is featured in many Halloween candies, it is often the ninja ingredient, sneaking in as high fructose corn syrup. But in this
Asian candy, corn is clearly the star of the show. Presenting: corn gummies. These gummies come shaped as miniature corn cobs and taste like corn as well.
Mango, a typical Asian fruit, may sound like a much more appealing gummy to many. Cocoaland’s mango gummies come individually wrapped in bright yellow packages and taste just like very ripe mangoes. The gummies’ texture is pleasant and not overly sticky.
The Korean "CW" gummies come in a variety of fruity flavors. They are rectangular and covered with sugar. While the flavors may be more appealing to typical Western tastes than corn gummies, the CW gummy texture is almost not gooey enough, and needs to be softer. Furthermore, one almost wishes that the fruity flavor was stronger so as to better complement the sugary sweetness.
Ginger candy is generally popular in Asia and comes in many varieties. One Indonesian kind (Ting Ting Jahe) has a strong gingery flavor nicely balanced by sweetness. This is the candy of choice for ginger lovers. One caveat: it manages to stick to every tooth in your mouth.
A Korean variety that comes in a green and white wrapper is less fiery. Unlike the gooey texture of the first, this candy’s texture is similar to a slightly waxy Tootsie Roll knockoff. While the texture may appeal more to some, the flavor may leave something to be desired. Pak Fa Fui, a ginger candy that hails from Macau, comes in a small blue box sporting a man in a swimsuit. The gingery flavor is somewhat overpowering and is accompanied by unnecessary citrus notes. This candy is not as sweet as the other varieties. This brand is not recommended for satisfying a sweet tooth.
Last but not least, there are Hello Kitty marshmallows filled with either strawberry or blackberry flavor. As one might expect, they come in bright pink packages with Hello Kitty’s face printed on the front, and they are very sweet. They are the typical insubstantial stuff of Halloween days gone by—the kind of candy that keeps small children trick-or-treating way past their bedtimes and hyper till the wee hours of the morn.
