So, I have to ask you Wickeds: Taffy–love it or hate it? Does it bring back happy memories of childhood days at the seashore or adult woes of lost fillings and crowns? What’s your favorite flavor? Spill your guts on the subject of taffy.
Liz: Congrats, Edith! Looking forward to getting the new book! I love taffy… when I was a kid, my grandparents would bring me to Salisbury Beach in the off season if they felt like taking a drive. We would go to the taffy shop and get a big box with all the flavors and eat half on the way home. Now every time I see it I have to buy some.
Barb: I love salt water taffy. We used to get it when I was a kid in the summers at my grandparents place in Sea Girt, NJ. In Boothbay Harbor the taffy shop has big windows so you can watch the stretching machine at work. It was a huge hit with both my kids and now grandkids. My favorite flavor is licorice. I hate banana. There’s always a pile of them left in the box.
Jessie: Congratulations, Edith! I love this question, Barb! I love taffy! There is a candy shop in Old Orchard that has a whole wall of bushel baskets filled to overflowing with colorful nuggets of the stuff wrapped charmingly in waxed paper. I even love Laffy Taffy in either sour apple or grape flavor! It is not as classy as the salt water variety but it has a charm of its own, at least to me!
Sherry: There weren’t any taffy shops in Iowa (when I was growing up) that I can recall. But I do have a hazy memory of pulling taffy at some event — probably either Girl Scouts or a church group. I remember we all had to butter our hands and took turns pulling. It was delicious. In February I was at a candy store in Tarpon Springs and one of my friends bought some salt water taffy. I agree with Barb that the banana flavor is awful. I’m so happy for you, Edith!
Julie: Sherry, I’ve always wanted to pull taffy. Maybe we need to try it at our next Wicked retreat. I love, love, love taffy. Probably because it reminds me of vacations at the beach. When I was little, we lived near the ocean and went to the beach all the time. But when my family moved to Maryland, going to the beach became more of an adventure, and I learned all about boardwalks, Thrasher’s fries, Grotto pizza and the wonders of real salt water taffy. It isn’t kind to my fillings, but I still love it.
Edith/Maddie: Thank you, gang! I also love taffy – except for banana flavor. I think I like peppermint and peanut butter the best, oh, and lemon. And… I remember making taffy with my mom and sisters once. My mother had a major sweet tooth, and it was fun buttering up, pulling, and tasting, of course. Any time I’m in a coastal town I always try to bring home a box of salt water taffy, from Oregon to Cape Cod.
Readers: How about you? Taffy yay or nay?