So yesterday I mentioned the FREE Peanut M&Ms at the DMV Select office in nearby Falls Church, VA. By the way, if you need to get anything simple done at the DMV, that’s definitely the way to go. No standing in lines, queuing up at 7 a.m. or other nonsense like that. It’s fast and efficient. And there’s candy.
Cathy Kaye, the city’s treasurer, asked if she could help me when she spied me photographing her dish of candy corn. I suppose it’s not every day that some freak wanders in and starts taking pictures. But let’s be honest – candy corn really is the king of Halloween candies, right? It deserves to be photographed before all other seasonal candies, in my book.
I explained that I work for the candy industry and told her about this site. She was good enough to explain that I was not only taking a picture of candy corn, but that it was a special dish as well. It is a 1920’s criss-cross box, so named for the criss-cross pattern in the glass. It certainly does have a good art deco look to it, with straight lines intersecting at right angles and accentuating the length of the box. It has the look of a piece of art uniquely representing a time in history, like the Chrysler Building, except without the gargoyles. I imagine this is the candy dish Tom and Daisy had in The Great Gatsby.
Thanks, Cathy, for sharing your dish and the candy corn in it with me and with the rest of the community.
Do you have a favorite candy dish? Take a photo and share the link and the story behind it!
11:35 am on October 21st, 2008
Isn’t there a legend/story on the color of candy corn? We’re trying to share with our pre-school class the history and legends are always fun.
1:27 pm on October 21st, 2008
Hi, Amanda. I don’t know this story. I thought it was because of the autumn coloring in nature – golds and oranges. I have looked a bit but haven’t found anything on that topic. I will report back if I do find anything.
8:38 pm on October 21st, 2008
This is a heartwarming story – it means that people at the DMV have souls!!! And Carl – what is that picture by your name – I know it’s candy but I can’t tell what kind. And how do I get a picture by my name? (There’s no time between the opening of the candy and the eating of the candy at my house, so no dishes.)
8:21 am on October 22nd, 2008
My understanding of the colors is that the yellow is the kernel of the corn end (that we eat). When you look at the full kernel it fades from a yellow to a white. Candy corn is modeled (and exaggerated) from the original colors.
10:35 am on October 22nd, 2008
Denise – go to http://gravatar.com to set your avatar. Mine is a dish of sour candy I photographed: http://flickr.com/photos/carlweaver/2755888394/in/set-72157606679090622/
I am all about the photography.
5:11 pm on October 22nd, 2008
I am not terribly familiar with Flikr, so I just set my gravatar to show my favorite candy dish!
8:34 am on October 23rd, 2008
That’s not a candy dish. That’s your hands!
4:58 pm on October 23rd, 2008
Carl — exactly! Cut out the middleman and straight into the mouth.
9:59 am on October 24th, 2008
Stephanie, you are the very model of efficiency!