Pollywaffle
Hey, not bad. You'd think that American candy would have covered all
reasonable permutations this side of fudge-dipped yak nougat,
but they've somehow overlooked "Choc-coated marshmallow filled wafer,"
more's the pity. "Choc" in this case refers to something listed on the
ingredient label as "compounded chocolate," which sounds like something
you'd earn at the First Bank of Snackville but which is actually a
combination of chocolate and things you normally would specifically
request to be kept out of your chocolate. But hey, it's Pollywaffle! B+
Jaffas
More "choc," this time in the form of "choc-orange in a crisp shell." I
couldn't figure out what made the orange aspect of this candy so odd
until I realized that it tastes more or less like real oranges, which is a
rarity in the world of snack foods. Anyway, the back of the package claims
that if you laid all the Jaffas sold in one year end to end, "you'd eat
your way from Darwin to Hobart." I can only assume these are the names
of a lovable pair of talking dachshunds from a children's television show.
C+
Tim Tam
One of the least disturbing of the items shipped to me, these are
chocolate biscuits ("biscuits" being the Australian term for what we
call "empty calories") coated in chocolate with some sort of chocolatey
substance between them. Like most of these items, they seem to contain
some sort of secret mega-sweet ingredient that makes my pancreas throb.
I think it's called "cane sugar." Heaven knows I'm used to sweet
stuff, but a few bites of these and I feel like I've been mugged by
an Oompa-Loompa. B
Mint Slice
Whoa, hey! These are great! These are mint-chocolate cookies and -- I'm
bordering on treason here -- they're better than the Thin Mints the Girl
Scouts hawk. This is because they've managed to coax the minty goop from
Junior Mints into immoral cohabitation with a cookie in a disreputable
hotel of chocolate. I'd love to see what the people responsible for
these things could do with Do-Si-Dos. A
Cherry Ripe
As if the words "Cherry Ripe" in big yellow lettering weren't enough,
the package also explains that this candy bar contains "Ripe Juicy
Cherries." I don't know if there was some scandal involving underripe
cherry treats in Australia's history or if we're just supposed to admire
their patience, but comes across as overcompensation either way. C-
Picnic
I was relieved to find out that this contains neither fried chicken nor
potato salad. To the contrary, it's actually a pretty reasonable
log o'candy, somewhat reminiscent of a 100 Grand Bar, except without
being conveniently halved. More package fun: a suggestion that you
"please dispose of empty package thoughtfully," which puts me in
the mind of considering the motif of duality in the works of
Gabriel Garcia Marquez while tossing the wrapper over your
shoulder. B-
Thanks to Contessa Choculum for her contribution to the Cause.