Bad Candy Contest

At the Southern Foodways Symposium on Friday night, my friend Peter McKee and I had a "bad candy throwdown" on the front porch of Taylor Grocery.  The verdict: yes, bad candy does exist.  Both entries were awful, but--thanks to help from my brother-in-law, Marvin--my candy won because it lasted longer.  Peter's entry: an Idaho Spud, the "spud that made Idaho famous."  Coconut, cheap chocolate, and a mushy marshmallow (the only marshmallow I've ever met and not liked, incidentally).  A few quick bites and my suffering was over.  I entered a watermelon lollipop covered with chili pepper that extended all the way down the sucker stick. When your eyes watered, you couldn't use your hands to wipe them dry! It took Peter more than 10 minutes of suffering to finish it.