شیرینی‌فروشی: سفری به زیرزمین شکلاتی آمریکا (برنده جوایز الکس)

Perhaps you remember the whipped splendor of the Choco-Lite, or the luscious Caravelle bar, or maybe the sublime & perfectly balanced Hershey's Cookies 'n Mint. The Marathon, an inimitable rope of caramel covered in chocolate. Oompahs. Bit-O-Choc. The Kit Kat Dark.Steve Almond certainly does. In fact, he was so obsessed by the inexplicable disappearance of these bars--where'd they go?--that he embarked on a nationwide journey to uncover the truth about the candy business. There, he found an industry ruled by huge conglomerates, where the little guys, the last remaining link to the glorious boom years of the candy bar in America, struggle to survive.Visiting the candy factories that produce the Twin Bing, the Idaho Spud, the Goo Goo Cluster, the Valomilk, & a dozen other quirky bars, Almond finds that the world of candy is no longer a sweet haven. Today's precious few regional candy makers mount daily battles against corporate greed, paranoia, & that good old American compulsion: crushing the little guy.Part candy porn, part candy polemic, part social history, part confession, Candyfreak explores the role candy plays in our lives as both source of pleasure & escape from pain. By turns ecstatic, comic, & bittersweet, Candyfreak is the story of how Steve Almond grew up on candy--and how, for better & worse, candy has grown up, too.Steve Almond has published over 100 stories & poems—in publications ranging from Playboy to Tin House to Zoetrope—and 2 previous collections of stories, My Life in Heavy Metal & The Evil B.B. Chow. He is the author of 11 books of fiction &nonfiction, including Against Football. Almond is the recipient of grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council & the National Endowment for the Arts. He cohosted the Dear Sugars podcast with his pal Cheryl Strayed for 4 years, & teaches Creative Writing at the Neiman Fellowship at Harvard & Wesleyan.

driven By His Obsession, Stubborn Idealism, And The Promise Of Free Candy, Self-confessed Candyfreak Steve Almond Takes Off On A Quest To Discover Candy's Origins In America, To Explore The Little Companies That Continue To Get By On Pluck And Perseverance, And To Witness The Glorious Excess Of Candy Manufacturing.

from The Twin Bing To The Idaho Spud, The Valomilk To The Abba-zaba, Almond Uncovers A Small Legion Of Singular Handcrafted Candy Bars Made By Unsung Heroes, Working In Old-fashioned Factories For Tiny Profits To Produce Something That They Love. Fascinated By The Emotional Power Of These Confectionary Delights, The Primal And Persuasive Experience Of The World In Our Mouths, Almond Describes Our Candy Cravings In Sensuous And Titillating Detail. Though The Road Is Laden With Free Samples, He Discovers That The World Of Candy Making Is Not The Sweet World Of Childhood Reveries But One Beleaguered By Stiff Competition, Closely Guarded Secrets, And Increasingly Limited Markets. But No Matter. As He Also Finds, Every Candy Maker, Even When Poised On The Edge Of Failure, Is Happy, Indulgent, And Childlike. For Finally, Even The Darkest Market Forces, Even The Clout Of The Big Three Candy Companies That Threaten To Wipe Out All Others, Cannot Lessen Our Desire To Lose Ourselves In Chocolate.

candyfreak Is The Bittersweet Story Of How Steve Almond Grew Up On Candy--and How, For Better And Worse, Candy Has Grown Up, Too. Almond Gives Us A Hilarious, Sugar-high Tour Of Those Old-fashioned Candy Companies.

the New York Times - Kate Ja.cobs

…p; For The Most Part, Almond Goes At The Subject As If He Were A Giddy 5-year-old, Creating An Entertaining Book Full Of Repeatable Tidbits About The Candy Industry.

Perhaps you remember the whipped splendor of the Choco-Lite, or the luscious Caravelle bar, or maybe the sublime and perfectly balanced Hershey's Cookies 'n Mint. The Marathon, an inimitable rope of caramel covered in chocolate. Oompahs. Bit-O-Choc. The Kit Kat Dark. Steve Almond certainly does. In fact, he was so obsessed by the inexplicable disappearance of these bars—where'd they go?—that he embarked on a nationwide journey to uncover the truth about the candy business. There, he found an industry ruled by huge conglomerates, where the little guys, the last remaining link to the glorious boom years of the candy bar in America, struggle to survive. Visiting the candy factories that produce the Twin Bing, the Idaho Spud, the Goo Goo Cluster, the Valomilk, and a dozen other quirky bars, Almond finds that the world of candy is no longer a sweet haven. Today's precious few regional candy makers mount daily battles against corporate greed, paranoia, and that good old American compulsion: crushing the little guy. Part candy porn, part candy polemic, part social history, part confession, Candyfreak explores the role candy plays in our lives as both source of pleasure and escape from pain. By turns ecstatic, comic, and bittersweet, Candyfreak is the story of how Steve Almond grew up on candy—and how, for better and worse, candy has grown up, too. Prologue: Some things you should know about the author Author will now rationalize Chocolate = enabler In which an unhealthy pattern of dependence is established Ill-advised discussion of freak economics Night of the living freak Mistakes were made Caravelle: Elegy I love Manny Feeding the beast Top-secret chocolate situation Politics of the rack Last man in America with black jack gum Capo di tutti freak Love song of Ray Luther Broekel Welcome to the boom There are men upon this earth who tread like gods Feuilletine, revealed Freak fetish Official dark horse freak of Philadelphia Wee Willie and the pop-a-licks rage Southern-fried freak Chocolate haiku Freak retentive In the belly of the freak Unstoppable freak energy of Mr. Marty Palmer Southbound with the hammers down Candy bar on your chin Marshmallow parallax Depressing but necessary digression Boise: Gateway to ... Boise Ladies and gentlemen, the Idaho spud Huckleberry, hounded American lunch How will the spud survive? Past is just ahead Remember this name: Banana-zaba Second depressing but necessary digression Little hidden bomb in my Idaho spud Few final relevant facts Acknowledgments Freak appendix. A self-professed candyfreak, Steve Almond set out in search of a much-loved candy from his childhood and found himself on a tour of the small candy companies that are persevering in a marketplace where big corporations dominate. From the Twin Bing to the Idaho Spud, the Valomilk to the Abba-Zaba, and discontinued bars such as the Caravelle, Marathon, and Choco-Lite, Almond uncovers a trove of singular candy bars made by unsung heroes working in old-fashioned factories to produce something they love. And in true candyfreak fashion, Almond lusciously describes the rich tastes that he has loved since childhood and continues to crave today. Steve Almond has written a comic but ultimately bittersweet story of how he grew up on candy-and how, for better and worse, the candy industry has grown up, too. Candyfreak is the delicious story of one man's lifelong obsession with candy and his quest to discover its origins in America. A self-proclaimed candy fanatic and lifelong chocoholic, traces the history of some of the much-loved candies from his youth, describing the business practices and creative candy-making techniques of some of the small-time companies producing the addictive treats