Old Fashioned

I stopped in at this Mom & Pop convenience store near my place to get a drink. These places always over priced, beat up, run down and in a little strip mall alongside some other lame retailers. Despite this they have charm and usually you'll find something you never thought you'd find. I saw McSweeny's Jerky Chew and some Old Fashion Taffy and had to get some as I can't even remember that time I had eaten either of these.

I'm sure if you looked for the Jerky Chew you wouldn't be too hard pressed to find it, but I've just never looked for it. It's basically a huge rip off because the jerky is so shredded and light weight. If you were outside and it was windy once you took the lid all the jerky would blow away. The container it comes in weighs more than the product and probably cost more to make too. It comes in the classic plastic round case just like the real chewing tobacco. Now you can eat your jerky and keep the tin in your back jean pocket just like your Pa! And once you turn sixteen you can graduate up to the real stuff! Now you're a real man.

I didn't think anyone would buy or eat taffy nowadays because there are so many other better candies out there. The Old Fashion Taffy is pressed thin and packaged in wax paper, so it has that retro thing going on. It's not as soft and the name taffy would suggest. I peeled the paper back and took a bite and it broke off leaving crumbs all other the counter top. It's a lot more brittle than soft, but it does soften up in your mouth once you sweep all the little bits of the counter and eat them.

These "retro" candies were pretty disappointing in the end. I think the best candy from your youth would have to be the five cent candies that every store used to carry and that they still carry and the best thing is that they are still five cents each. You could mix and match and get anything and everything you wanted, but dinosours, juice berries, red hots and cola bottles were always the best.