Candy Dish Blog

Live in Maryland? Forget to get your sweetie some sweets for yesterday? Hope is not lost. Head out to the store now, get your mitts on some discount candy and blame it on the recent storms. Gov. Martin O’Malley has declared this week Valentine’s Week. I bet the CVS around the corner has all that yummy chocolate and other goodies at 50% off this morning.

So if you didn’t stick the landing yesterday quite as well as Alexandre Bilodeau did in the Freestyle Skiing Moguls, fret no more. Just go to the nearest drug store, supermarket or convenience store and stock up. I won’t tell your secret. Just give Gov. O’Malley a thumbs-up or a high-five for saving the relationship.

Chocolate Valentine’s Sculpture by emilywjones.

We already know that candy in its various forms is the best Valentine’s Day gift. What about the worst? I surveyed our staff here at the Candy HQ about their worst Valentine’s Day gifts, either given or received, and found these selections:

1. A crock pot
2. An ant farm
3. A singing stuffed animal
4. A unicorn dancing on heart shaped clouds (No, I didn’t make this up.)
5. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Bupkis.

Remember – Getting your sweetie a bad gift can be even worse than getting nothing at all. Be sure to get out today, before the pickings are even slimmer, to get your Valentine’s candy.

And if you get someone a unicorn-themed gift, be sure it is a candy unicorn, like on the cupcake above. They are sweeter than the normal ones you encounter.

Unicorn Cupcake by kristin_a.

Not a day goes by that I don’t hear about some new study linking chocolate consumption to heart health.  No seriously, I get these daily pubmed updates e-mailed to me. They’re great. You should try them.  Oh, what’s that?  Normal people don’t read the latest scientific abstracts for fun? Oh well, you don’t need to be a nerd like me to know what’s going on with chocolate and health, as it is science anyone can bite into.

Many studies in both humans and rodents have observed lower deaths due to heart disease in chocolate consumers compared to non-consumers of chocolate.  This is an exciting and interesting phenomenon for us chocolate lovers, but certainly inspires wonder as to why this association exists.  Tons of scientists are asking the same question, hence the growing body of research filling my inbox.

Results from most studies looking at blood pressure and chocolate consumption show that flavanols (the antioxidants in chocolate) reduce blood pressure and risk for hypertension.  Studies have also found that these antioxidants fight inflammation in the heart muscles, leading to overall better heart health.  Meanwhile, stearic acid, one of the fats in chocolate, is thought to have a positive benefit on blood cholesterol levels.  These examples reflect some of the most common conclusions. However, scientists are coming up with new ideas about how chocolate might be beneficial to the heart all the time.

So when your sweetie gives you a box of chocolate from their heart on Valentine’s Day, remember it just might help out yours.

Editor’s note: Yes, we know it’s not Tuesday. In the midst of the blizzard coming through the DC area, some things slipped by us. I will continue to blame the oompa loompas until someone can legitimately point a finger my way.

Woven heart and passion fruit chocolates by jamescronin.

You may have forgotten with all the Super Bowl hoopla, talk of chocolate rivers and birthdays for our mothers, but Valentine’s Day is this coming Sunday. Remember to make this a sweet holiday for your special sweetie. Everyone loves a little candy, so stop by your favorite store and stock up.

I just got a Valentine’s Day gift from Susan, who was in New York yesterday with Jacques Torres, one of our favorite chocolatiers. Jacques’ work is incredible. It may be a bit late to order something from him, but if you are in New York, stop by one of his stores. In LA? Stop by and see Hasty Torres. Together they are a prime example of how chocolate brings people together and makes love grow. Great folks.

Think chocolate is too normal for Valentine’s Day? How about a gift basket of classic or old-time candies? Sweethearts, Mary Janes, NECCO Wafers, circus peanuts, mints, Boston Baked Beans, Lemonheads – they are all timeless in their appeal. Sometimes classic candies can be a great way to show that your love, strong as it is, is a classic itself.

What are you getting for your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day?

The National Retail Federation just announced the results of its annual survey, which showed a number of interesting predictions for Valentine’s Day spending. Check this out:

• On average, each person will spend $103 on the holiday.
• Spending on friends, coworkers and pets (yes, I said pets) is up while spending on significant others is down.
• Men will spend about twice as much as women will, dropping $135.35 as opposed to women’s relatively miserly $72.28.
• Candy is the second most popular Valentine’s gift, with 47.2% of people expecting to buy it, bracketed by cards (54.9%) and flowers (35.6%).

Ladies, while you are out and about buying gifts for your coworkers, don’t forget that we guys like candy and pretty things too. Let’s try to balance the Valentine’s Day spend gender disparity once and for all. Tori, Susan, Susan and Laura, I hope you are reading this. I expect some nice goodies from you on that special day.

So how much are you planning to spend? And what do you plan to buy?

Chocolate heart by Bob.Fornal.

My favorite thing about the arrival of February? Easy – Sweethearts conversation hearts. I love the way they taste. I love the inscriptions. I love that kids still exchange boxes of them in school. That’s why each February I await the new Sweethearts messages like a kid waiting for Santa.

This year’s new messages do not disappoint, but I was sad to see one go.

First of all, in 2010 we say goodbye to ”Fax Me” which I wholeheartedly support.  Has anyone ever received a romantic fax?  I mean really.

We say hello to, among other things, “Text Me” and “Tweet Me,” both of which I can get behind.  “Text Me” is especially a natural since I am told by Candy Science Laura and the other people in the office who do not remember Commodore 64s and Ataris that texting is the preferred method of communication in a budding romance these days.  “Tweet Me” is a little more unexpected since most tweets would appear in the streams of everyone following you and therefore you’d be unlikely to type “@CandyUSA Last night was brills and I think you are totes cute.”  However, I suppose you could direct message @CandyUSA to pass along your sweet nothings.*

Other new messages messages this year include: “You Rock,” “Soul Mate,” “Love Bug” and “Me + You”. NECCO, the makers of these tiny little romantic candies, also brought back some classic expressions: “Puppy Love,” “Sweet Love,” “Sweat Pea” and “Love Me.”  Are you as surprised as I was to learn “Love Me” had been out of the mix for awhile?  I’m so glad they brought it back.

And finally, on a personal note, I was sad to learn that “E-mail Me” was being retired even though I think it was the right call.  In the early days of our romance, my husband and I did a lot of flirting via e-mail.  No one does that now.  E-mail is a business tool.  My husband IMs me, my friends write on my Facebook page, even my Dad texts me.  No one sends e-mail anymore. So, it was time to say goodbye to the “E-mail Me” Sweetheart, but I’m still sad to see it go.

Apart from the new sayings, Sweethearts have made some other upgrades for Valentine’s Day this year.  New flavors include Green Apple, Blue Raspberry, Strawberry, Lemon, Grape and Orange. On top of that, the colors are a lot brighter and more fun. 

Plus (this is my favorite part), there’s now a Sweethearts iPhone app that allows you to send a customized heart to someone you love.  You can also use the online version of the application to post to your own Twitter account or send it via e-mail.

If you were in charge of NECCO for the day, what message would you like to see on a conversation heart?

______________________________
*You figured it out.  @CandyUSA is our handle on Twitter.  Not following us yet?  What are you waiting for?

Disclaimer; I am in fact a scientist, and we are not traditionally known for our smooth social skills.

One of the most important factors to bear in mind whilst searching for your V-day date is keeping it cool.  Nobody wants to go out with a nervous babbling stress ball.  Also, clean up your breath. Hot, stinky, nasty breath is just one word: unacceptable. Uh uh.  I may not know from personal experience, but statistically 9 out of 10 propositions fail when stank breath is involved‡.

Good news though. There is one solution to both of these dating no-no’s.  Chew a piece of sugar-free peppermint gum or pop a little mint into your mouth.  The minty flavor will freshen your breath and cool you down, or at least trick your nerve cells into thinking they are cooler.

One of the dominant flavor compounds in mint, methyl salicylate, interacts with specialized nerve cells that sense temperature.  This minty flavor molecule triggers nerve cells to send the “I’m cool” signal to your brain, although there is no actual temperature change.  Convenient, as prior to making your move, your brain could use all the false cool hopes it can get.

Follow my advice and I guarantee that sparks will be flying.  If not with your new sweetheart, your mint candy can substitute for this phenomenon.  The mint flavor compound menthanol has the ability to fluoresce, which accentuates normal static sparks so that they become visible. Chomp down on a mint Lifesaver in the dark with your valentine and watch the sparks fly.

‡Editor’s note: This statistic was made up by Laura, and although believable, is not based in scientific fact. But take care of that stank breath anyway. Your date will thank you.

A pair of hearts… by Nanimo.