Sugar, oh honey honey

Plenty of both were at the ALL CANDY EXPO!! The Expo, at McCormick Place, is the largest confectionery show in the Americas. It is not open to the public. But when I heard about a few months ago, I knew that this golden opportunity should not be passed up. So I, and three of my partners in crime (four if you count Amelia) registered - for free - as buyers for our own candy companies. Shut up, we could totally have candy companies.

Rarely has a brainstorm panned out so well. Sam and I were joined by Gina - uh, I mean, Amelia - around lunchtime, and by Sooz a bit later. We each left with two bulging bags of the most awesome candy ever. It was like fantasy Halloween for grown-ups. I was actually getting blasé as the afternoon wore on.

Vendor: "Here, take some chocolate truffles delicately sculpted in the shape of swans!"
Me: "Eh."

The best part was getting into character. I should be receiving store samples and price information from five or six vendors in the mail sometime soon. I think I honestly believed I owned a small candy shop catering to college students and teenagers by the time we left.

So here's a quick rundown...

Tastiest candy: creme brulee in real eggshells, sugared and torched right before our eyes

Friendliest vendor: a Turkish vendor at the Turkish pavillion who was thrilled by my nametag. He discussed Greek and Turkish history with me for a bit before offering me as many of his faux Kinder Eggs from the glass case as I wanted (I took three) and giving Sooz a bag for her loot

Sneakiest industry tip: A vendor I was talking to at the Pez booth told me that best plan for getting repeat business from children and teens was to keep ordering different Pez dispenser series' as soon as one was gone. The theory being that if you already have a certain dispenser, you're only going to buy another one if you lose or break it. He also stressed that even if a kid came in asking for an old dispenser, it's still best not to have them anymore. "Maybe they'll learn to buy two next time," I said, playing it up. "That's exactly what we're trying to train them to do," said the Pez man approvingly.

Best entertainment: tie between the Jelly Belly band playing in the lobby area on a small stage between buckets of Jelly Bellies, and a steel drum band outside during lunch who played the steel drum version of "Bang the Drum All Day"

Worst candy: I can't guarantee this, since I haven't tried it, but I'm going to go with the "sweet walnut sausage" from one of the Turkish vendors, along with his balls of carrot paste with nuts. Both were billed as natural aphrodesiacs. Hmm.

Best thing Sooz walked away with: a giant talking Yoda-head Pez dispenser

All that, plus ... a chocolate fountain! We had freshly dipped strawberries.