In this episode:
- WILDsound FALL Feature Screenplay Contest winner Scott C. Clements (scarletavenger.blogspot.com),
- listener Jack in NJ and album art,
- problems with Greg’s Toshiba laptop,
- Dennis in CA coming back on the show in November,
- Jennifer Hudson,
- Bill Cosby’s son getting shot,
- photos from the October NAVA meeting at the Digital Press video game store in Clifton, NJ,
- trick or treating memories,
- our most and least favorite Halloween candy,
- parents sorting through their children’s candy,
- Fruit Roll-Ups,
- the Italian snack taralli,
- fruit snacks (hard vs. gummy),
- chocolate Easter bunnies (hollow vs. solid),
- the 70th anniversary of The War of the Worlds radio performance in West Windsor Township, NJ,
- jelly bean flavors,
- and the three-year anniversary of The Paunch Stevenson Show.
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Necco, originally in New England, is the oldest candy company in the USA. They also make Clark Bars and Squirrel Nuts, which are horrible. Yet they make Haviland Thin Mints, which are good, and of course Sweethearts Conversation Hearts, which are okay.
Here is a picture of Taralli, which I mentioned in the episode….
Thanks for the shout-out, Paunchies! Wow, when I suggested album art, I didn’t know it would change every week. The Paunch Stevenson Show goes above and beyond.
Jack, any time. Thanks again for the suggestion. What are/were some of your most and least favorite candies?
Ahh, Taralli, a staple of any Italian-American holiday. On Thanksgiving and Christmas we also have Torrone, which is Italian nougat. Kinda of gross though. Congrats on three years!!
Do you guys remember what Doritos were like before they became really disgusting? I used to like them in the 80s, when they weren’t all powdered up like crazy. I think in the early 90s they added several flavours and increased the coverage of the seasoning. I could still tolerate them at that point. But naturally Pepsi had to take it to the extreme and put on even more powder. So instead of “cool ranch” you now have “cooler ranch” etc. There’s so much seasoning on the chips that you end up with huge clumps of build-up on your fingers when you eat them. The seasoning is so intense it just makes me want to throw up. I don’t think it’s just the Doritos. A lot of the snacks I used to like are now just bastardized versions of their former selves.
I forgot to mention something last episode. Did you know Michael Jackson was originally hired to score Sonic 3? He was later dropped because of his rampant pedophilia, but some compositions are still in the game.
Juan P. I don’t remember Doritos ever being all that great. Keep in mind that your food tastes usually change greatly from childhood. When I was a kid I wouldn’t eat anything but junk. I even hated, I mean hated McDonalds. I think I was in my early 20’s before I ate McDonald’s again since I was a toddler.
Dennis, money lost on Michael Jackson was the least of SEGA’s problems in those days. Sonic 3 was also the last great classic Sonic game, prior to SEGA going in the 3D direction.
Oh no, Doritos were never wonderful, but they’ve definitely become more unedible over time. I know that people’s taste can also change with age, but the big food companies have been messing with their products too. They keep substituting in crappy ingredients and not telling us…like using peanut powder as a filler in chocolate (a pretty old trick), and replacing sugar with HFCS. I think I remember something about Hershey screwing around with their chocolate:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2008/09/chocolate-cocoa-butter-replacements-hersheys.html
Dennis, I never got into the Sonic the Hedgehog games. Everyone made a huge deal about the first one, but when I played it, I found it simple and boring. The Super Mario games had more interesting level designs. Am I crazy? Should I give them another chance?
Juan, I used to eat Doritos all the time. I stopped around 2000. I think I know what you mean about them being covered in more powder…and they went from tasting somewhat good to tasting like weird chemicals.
When I was little, some of my favorite cereals were Count Chocula and Frankenberry. They were similar to Lucky Charms: hard marshmallows and crunchy oat pieces. They tasted perfect. Then, maybe some time in the 1990s, the crunchy oat pieces were changed to a more airy, almost Cookie Crisp-like consistency and texture. General Mills ruined them. Why? Was it to cut costs?
I guess it doesn’t matter because I haven’t touched any of that garbage in several years.
i was the laziest trick-or-treater. in 1986 i went out wearing a fake nose i’d shoddily fashioned out of silly putty. when my relatives from italy would visit, they brought over THE most disgusting sweets; maybe this is an italian thing that you can relate to; but does rock hard sugar-coated almonds in small plastic nets mean anything to you fellas?
David, that Halloween costume sounds hilarious :) Those Italian almonds in the small nets sound familiar. The truth is, even though my family’s background is Italian, I don’t like most Italian food or desserts other than basic, standard pasta dishes. In fact, I don’t like any ethnic foods other than Italian, Chinese, Japanese, and Mexican, and even in those cases I only like the most basic dishes.
I won’t go anywhere near Indian, Ethiopian, or Filipino food. The smell makes me nauseous. (Sorry to all our Indian, Ethiopian, and Filipino listeners out there, I’m just being honest.)
Italian candies are gross.