Seeing Culture with a Sweet Tooth - part 1

Still trying to shake off my cold, I went to bed thinking about cough candy twists. There's nowhere I know of to buy them in Tokyo and if there were a place, I shudder to imagine how much they would cost. It got me thinking: even if I were in England, I would probably struggle to find such sweets unless I went to some boutique sweet shop where they cater to the nostalgic tastes of the moneyed middle class. The closest thing to a traditional sweet shop that you can find in most towns in England now is the Pick 'N' Mix concession in the local multiplex cinema.

I don't know exactly why the decline began, but I imagine that multinational confectioners could afford to buy screen advertising. I know that by the time I was about ten years old Topps' Push Pop was being heavily advertised on British television. For confectionery other than chocolate, I have never seen any advertisements for traditional British confectionery other than:

Maynards Wine Gums



Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles (now part of the Nestle empire)

Polos (ditto)

Bassett's Liquorice Allsorts



and Trebor Softmints

None of these are sold in jars displayed behind the counter of the local corner shop.

It's a shame really, because sweets now are bland. They're all tangy and tart, with no real difference in taste. There are no kids walking around with paper bags of chocolate limes, rhubarb and custards, pear drops or liquorice comfits. These shouldn't be expensive sweets because they were never expensive when I was a kid. And now, if I ever have kids, it's going to be so difficult to pass on this part of my heritage.