Sunday, October 28, 2007

Halloween at Legacy

While there were more princesses and Spidermen out today than ghouls, goblins and ghosts, Halloween was definitely here today. More than 500 children and their parents crowded Legacy Village for the annual trick-or-treat event. What struck me was the different candy preferences that kids today showed from my childhood memories.

Opting to stay away from chocolate, our store offered an array of non cocoa-based treats including Laffy Taffy, Sweet Tarts, Skittles, Twizzlers, Nerds, Tootsie Rolls and an assortment of hard candies. What surprised me the most was that, aside from the Skittles, kids seemed most excited about the red licorice Twizzlers. I guess it is a generational thing. I just never really got into the gummy bear-type candies, so licorice was about the last thing I wanted to see in my plastic pumpkin. Of course, chocolate trumps all -- one thing that seems to transcend age, gender and ethnicity.

Most of the kids showed pretty good manners, being prompted by parents to say "Trick or Treat" and "Thank You" to my "Happy Halloween!" In fact, it was mostly the older kids and adults who disappointed. Call me old fashioned, but I really don't understand how people can justify ransacking a mall for free candy without putting any effort at all into a costume. I'd say at least 50% of the kids and adults who carried bags and asked for candy for themselves were not in any semblance of costume. Maybe that's justified if you look at it from the point of view of decronstructing what this "holiday" has become -- a blatant excuse to beg for sweets. So, by not dressing up, they are inadvertently pointing out how absurd the holiday has become. One kid blew me away when he came up for candy and refused to say "Trick or Treat," opting instead to leave after a brief look into our basket to see that there was "nothing good." Egads!

Enough of my rant on that, though. Brian and I actually really enjoy Halloween. Dressing up is fun, and most of the kids (and quite a few adults) really get into it and have a great time. And it's a great excuse to make our favorite Halloweevil Pumpkin Pies (very spicy and tasty) and hang out with the neighbors during the local trick-or-treating hours. While I dressed up as a "pink princess" in the store today, with my pink and gold wig and velvet dress, I may opt for something more subtle on the actual day. More on that when the time comes...

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Hello, Heat and Flavor Enthusiasts!



Everyone's been asking when I'd start a blog, since I can't be in our stores all the time. Beware, though, you just might get what you asked for!

I will post at least once a week, and more often when my culinary and writing inspirations happen to converge.

Enjoy!