CORONA DEL MAR TODAY

Red Vines: The Most Disgusting Candy On the Planet

I recently gave in and bought one of those large tubs of Red Vines for my son’s birthday party. It’s nearly gone, and just now, I grabbed a piece, thinking it would be a nice treat.

It was not.

It was like biting into scented plastic. It was fake tasting and bad. I spit it out sadly.

Then I took a little trip down memory lane, to my childhood in St. Louis, where we had the real deal called Switzer’s.

Switzer’s made cherry licorice candy in a factory by the Mississippi River. As a child, when we’d go to the Arch or to take a ride on the S.S. Admiral, there were times when the factory was operating and the days were humid and you could stand there and breathe in cherry sugar. It was like living in candy land, but with a muddy river and an arch overhead.

Life is too short for bad candy. Sadly, if you are not a chocolate freak, there is little hope. No one is rushing to make great gourmet versions of cherry licorice, red hots and lemon drops.

Do you have a favorite childhood candy that you can buy today — that still tastes good?