Its Finally Here! Dae-hou 대회 1: Candy

I have been putting in a lot of work into this new project so, I hope that you guys enjoy this new series. I present Daehou, World Contests!

Hey Everyone!!!!

And welcome to the first Daehou. Today, we will be going a bit to the sweet side to find which countries have the best candy. Here is how it will work. I will pick a top 3 or 4 based on a number of criteria: Flavor, Cost, Uniqueness, and how easy it is to find in another country. Are you guys ready, because her we go.

#4 on my list would have to be the USA. It isn’t very surprising that the USA is on this list. You can find American products all over the world and just about every has heard of brands such as Hershey’s, Skittles, or M&M’s. While they are readily available, these are so common that you can get bored of them fairly quickly. And despite a couple of difference between each brand, there only about 3 different variations: Chocolate, Chocolate with Caramel, and Fruit overload. But all I can say is this, they are cheap and readily available anywhere, with different flavors depending on where in the world they are (such as Macha Kit Kats in Japan), but the flavor gets old pretty quickly, which is why it is not higher up on the list.

Japanese Green Tea Kit Kats, representing America

Next, we are heading to Europe and taking a trip to Germany. Germany is considered by many to have the best chocolate in the world. I have tried German chocolate a few times and I must say, the taste is euphoric. You may think that chocolate is a one trip pony, but not in Germany. Germans have chocolate down to an art, with different tastes and intensities. If you go to a German chocolatier, you will find hundreds of Truffles, Bars, Bon Bons, and more in this place, each one better than the next. Oh, that reminds me, The German club in my school every year sold German bon bons during passing periods and they would completely sell out in a matter of hours. These things are addictive. And they are not the chocolate kinds that I am talking about, these things are like a Fruity Gum thing that was absolute heaven. The Problem I have with Germany on here is that German chocolate is expensive and can be a bit difficult to find in a small town like I live in. as good as it is, it just isn’t all that easy to get, which is why it only places 3^rd.

The Bon Bons our German club sold (they are French but i associate them with Germany)

Now we are crossing the channel and heading to the UK. I love Britain. You could call me a bit of an anglophile if you want, but man do they have some amazing sweets. Opposed to American chocolate that has a very strong taste, British chocolate is extremely sweet and almost sugary. One thing I have always wanted to try was Flake, which if you don’t know is a British Chocolate bar that comes off almost like bark on a tree. These candies are fairly easy to find in big and medium sized cities, as there are typically British themed shops around these areas to shop at and can come up at a decent price. They have such a different sense of taste compared to American candy that I don’t think some people would like them. For instance, there is a candy in the UK called a Fountain (I think that is what it is called. People from the UK please correct me.) that is basically a piece of black licorice (which a lot of people dislike) that is dipped in a sweet powder. I have not tried this but I fell that some people would have a hard time eating this, hence why this is only #2.

Cadbury Flake, Representing the United Kindom

And lastly, we have to head over to Asia and stop at the candy capitol, Japan. I love Japanese candy! These are always making you think “what can they do now?” If you don’t know, japan has a crazy mindset when it comes to candy, thinking that you can put just about anything in anything and it will be good. This can be problematic at times, but it can also turn out to be a perfect match that you never would have thought about. They also take western brands and turn them into new flavors, such as the Macha Kit Kats that I mentioned above. Many of their brands have made it into popular culture. My favorite candy I actually tried for the first time during a trip to Florida with my high school marching band. It is called Hi-Chew. It is a Fruity chew that starts out as a gum kind of texture. As you chew, it starts to turn into a taffy, which intensifies the flavor, and it eventually completely melts in your mouth. If you are wondering where you can find this amazing candy, try just about any Pop culture store in your town. FYE, Spencer’s, Many different stores at your local mall, and only for about a dollar. Japan Has everything and more that you are looking for in a candy, and that is why Japan takes the cake in this Daehou.

 

My favorite candy in the world! Representing Japan

What do you guys think? Do you agree? Do you think I missed anything in this blog? Or maybe you have an idea for another Daehou that you want to hear about. This is only one person’s thoughts, so please let yours be heard. Don’t Forget to Like and subscribe and I will see you guys next time!

Ni Mingtian Jian

Gavin Williamson

Photo Credit: Featured: https://umad.com/candy-wallpaper-3411.html

America: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/smartertravel/the-shocking-secret-of-the-green-tea-kit-kat_b_7165682.html

Germany: http://www.foreigncandy.com/eiffelbonbons.html

UK: http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1378641

Japan: http://www.candywarehouse.com/hi-chew-candy/