S10 S U N DAY, J U N E 11, 2 017 L ATI M E S .

CO M

ROAD TRIPS FUEL

HEY, SWEET RIDE!

BY ALICE SHORT >>> If you paid attention in biology, you may remember
that human beings are primed to crave sugar. When we gorge on, say, Skittles
or Sour Patch Kids, our levels of dopamine, linked to the pleasure centers in
our brain, rise.
That means regular consumption of candy on a long road trip is a must.
We have some recommendations about how to stock your vehicle before you
enter your final destination in the navigation system.
We’ve based our selections on a few highly subjective ground rules:
8 Road trips are not a time for artisanal anything, so there will be no mention of
infusions or dried fruit or ginger sea salt.
8 We’re long on hard and chewy sweets because, even if you’re motoring across
the country in a luxury sedan, your candy is not completely safe from sun or heat.
8 Many of our recommendations are packaged in single-serving cardboard boxes
or plastic pouches.
8 We are (temporarily) disregarding all those sugar-is-death warnings from the
medical industrial complex — as are many Americans. In the 52 weeks that
ended on April 30, 2016, we spent $21.5 billion on candy, a 2.6% increase over the
previous 12 months.
So pop open that Diet Dr Pepper, shove a Tootsie Pop in your mouth and hit
the highway.

Good & Plenty
What: Chewy, licorice-flavored bits housed in a thin
candy shell.
Basics: Good & Plenty, first manufactured at the end of
the 19th century, is one of the country’s oldest contin-
uously produced brands. Fans like the contrast between
the sweet candy shell and the pungent licorice flavor (but
licorice is polarizing, so unless you’re traveling alone,
you’d be well advised to carry alternatives).
Trivia: The oblong candies come in white and deep pink.
That rosy hue comes from two ingredients: Red 40 and
K-carmine, the latter of which is derived from the
crushed bodies of female cochineal, or scale, insects.
Price: About $1 to $2.49 for a 6-ounce box
SweeTarts, Pixy Stix and Nerds
What: They are, in order: sweet and sour candies; straws
loaded with sweet and sour candy that has been pulver-
ized; and tiny, pebble-like sweets, all part of the Nestle
empire.
Details: SweeTarts and Pixy Stix are all about sugar and
tartness. Nerds are for those of us who like our tiny,
crunchy bits in boxes that offer two flavors pouring out of
two spouts.
Trivia: Pixy Stix were a key ingredient (along with Cap ’n
Crunch) in a sandwich made by Ally Sheedy in “The
Breakfast Club.”
Prices: SweeTarts, about 99 cents to $1.30 for a 1.8-ounce
roll; Pixy Stix, about $1 to $2.49 for a pack of several
straws in assorted flavors; Nerds; about $1 to $2 for a
1.65-ounce box
Haribo Gold-Bears Gummi Candy
What: Bear-shaped fruit-gum candies.
Details: There are a lot of gummies on the market, but
Haribo Gold Bears have a huge following — consumers
who eat them by the bag. Gummi fans often note that
one of the key ingredients is gelatin, a source of protein,
which almost elevates Gummis to health-food status.
Trivia: Thrillist reports that in the ’30s, the Haribo com-
pany “produced a line of ‘Teddy Bear’ gummies named
for [Teddy] Roosevelt, presumably because of his habit
of eating actual bears.”
Price: About $2 to $2.29 for a 5-ounce pack

PayDay Skittles Big Hunk and Abba-Zaba

What: A peanut caramel bar.
Details: Think of it as an energy bar. With all those
peanuts rolled in caramel and a center that resembles
nougat, it’s a great midafternoon pick-me-up (and it’s
much slower to melt than chocolate). For road-trippers
of a certain age, it may inspire nostalgia for an era when
no one thought about blood glucose levels.
Trivia: Several years ago, PayDays were promoted with
the slogan “Can you make it to your next PayDay?” and a
nickel was wrapped with every bar.
Price: About $1 to $1.50 for a 1.85 -ounce bar
What: Sweet and sour candies that are somehow both
crunchy and chewy.
Details: Skittles, introduced in the U.S. in 1979, were
quick to catch on with Gen-Xers and millennials.
Trivia: Earlier this year, there was a Skittles spill on a
Wisconsin roadway, and some accounts suggested that
the candy was destined to be cattle feed. Parent com-
pany Mars said that particular batch of candy was sup-
posed to be destroyed, rather than fed to cattle, but the
episode spotlighted a practice that surprised many city
folk: Unwanted sweets are sometimes added to livestock
feed as a source of cheap carbohydrates. If you detect the
taste of “Green Apple” in your burger, now you know why.
Price: About 99 cents to $1.50 for a 2.17-ounce pouch
What: Big Hunk is a long, white bar of nougat with
roasted peanuts; Abba-Zaba is another long, white(ish)
bar of taffy with a peanut butter center.
Basics: We suspect that Big Hunks appeal to road-trip-
pers who are fearless when it comes to loose fillings. They
were introduced in the 1950s and later became part of the
Annabelle Candy Co., which also makes Abba-Zabas.
(Both bars will survive in hot cars for much longer than
chocolate.)
Trivia: Abba-Zabas have been referenced in several
movies, TV shows and songs, including the 1998 Dave
Chappelle film “Half Baked” and the 1999 Tom Waits
song “Chocolate Jesus.”
Price: Big Hunk, $1.29 to $1.69 for a 2-ounce bar; Abba-
Zaba, 99 cents to $1.69 for a 2-ounce bar

Kathy M.Y. Pyon and Allen J. Schaben Los Angeles Times

Lemonheads and their cousins, Necco Wafers Sour Patch Kids

Chuckles, Jujyfruits and Red Hots
What: Tiny, crunchy, yellow candies made by the Ferrara
Candy Co., as are Chuckles, Jujyfruits and Red Hots.
Basics: The sweet and sour taste of Lemonheads is not
subtle. Candy purists may not give them a second
thought, but ignore the haters and give in to the sweets
that crack between your teeth. Chuckles, which come in a
package of five, may satisfy a craving for jelly candy.
Jujyfruits are gum-drop-like, and Red Hots need no
explanation.
Trivia: Jujyfruits were featured in a “Seinfeld” episode in
which Elaine, hearing that her boyfriend has been in an
accident and has landed in the hospital, stops to buy a
box before going to see him, somehow prompting a
breakup.
Price: Lemonheads, $1.99 to $2.29 for a 5-ounce box;
Chuckles, $1.49 to $1.99; Jujyfruits, $1.99 to $2.49 for a
5-ounce box; Red Hots, $1.99 to $2.29 for a 5-ounce box
What: Flat candy discs packaged in a paper tube.
Details: Necco Wafers are sometimes associated with
baby boomers, and it’s easy to find people of a certain age
who happily recount how they survived long, hot sum-
mers by consuming roll after roll. Fans are vociferous
about the look (kind of like a communion wafer) and the
flavors: lemon, lime, orange, clove, cinnamon, winter-
green, licorice and chocolate. Detractors sometimes
complain about a chalky taste and have been known to
place them on lists of “worst Halloween candy.” Ignore
them.
Trivia: Necco is one of the oldest continuously operating
candy brands in the U.S. “The wafers were shipped to
battlefields during the Spanish-American War and dur-
ing World War I,” according to “A Brief History of Necco”
at Eater.com. Perhaps it had something to do with the
long shelf life, rumored to be two years.
Price: About $1.29 to $1.69 for a 2-ounce tube
What: Soft, chewy candies shaped like children.
Basics: Sour Patch Kids are all about texture and a
combination of sweet and sour flavors. They were intro-
duced to the U.S. market in 1985 and were, for a time, a
staple of post-soccer-game snacks and movie theater
concession stands.
Trivia: Each piece is coated with “invert sugar” (a mix of
fructose and glucose) and “sour sugar,” which includes
citric and tartaric acids.
Price: About $1.75 to $2 for an 8-ounce bag
travel@latimes.com
Twitter: @latimestravel