How to Properly Eat Candy Corn

Fall is in the air, Halloween is around the corner and the stores are filled with bags of candy! It is a great time of year, isn’t it? There is always that sweet feeling of anticipation when I see the first bags of candy corn hit the stores!  As I am walking through the aisles buying my normal groceries I can’t help notice the candy corn display. I walk by looking straight ahead, but I know they are there.  Unlike jelly beans, which I will stalk the stores looking for the first bags to appear, with candy corn the weather has to be just right – it must be sweater weather, a chill in the air and the trees must be changing colors. It must be at least mid-September at the earliest. 

Yes, these are the rules and they must be followed!  I have slowed down in front of the Halloween displays, I have even reached out to grab the bag, but not yet, I must wait just a bit longer.

When the time is just right I will buy my first bag of the season.  Once home I empty the colorful nougats in a bowl, because candy corn is for sharing (another rule of mine, and see, I do share my treats).  The temptation is to pop a handful in your mouth all at once, but avoid that temptation. There is a proper way to eat candy corn. I won’t go as far as calling it an art form, but nevertheless there are rules for this (just ask my sister Kathy, she will confirm this fact). Here is how you do it:

One at a time take a single piece of candy corn, then with the candy between your thumb and forefinger gently press until the bottom yellow section gets smooshed. Then starting with the top eat in order – white, orange and yellow. While some may disagree, please don’t reverse the order, it just isn’t right. You must do this slowly because you need to savor each piece and analyze whether the colors taste the same or different. I swear the white piece tastes differently than the others, but even in my advance age I am not positive. What do you think?

Oh, and I should mention – don’t eat candy corn outside of Fall. Christmas or Valentine’s Day candy corn is near sacrilegious. And even though they sell “Indian Candy Corn” with the chocolate bottoms, it simply just isn’t right, trust me on this.