Iraqi candy
While we were doing clearing operations in a neighborhood the other day, a friendly "hostess" offered us sodas and candy. This happens occasionally, and we graciously accepted.
This Iraqi candy had the texture of soft taffy. Upon biting into it, the first taste I noticed could be described as slightly sweet and chewy, but with a distracting rosemary taste. As it dissolved on the tongue, the taste shifted into the cheapest of Chinese restaurant teas. The final act as it was being swallowed was to take on the taste of shampoo. Bitter, soapy shampoo.
I smiled at the nice lady, and politely declined when she offered another one.
This Iraqi candy had the texture of soft taffy. Upon biting into it, the first taste I noticed could be described as slightly sweet and chewy, but with a distracting rosemary taste. As it dissolved on the tongue, the taste shifted into the cheapest of Chinese restaurant teas. The final act as it was being swallowed was to take on the taste of shampoo. Bitter, soapy shampoo.
I smiled at the nice lady, and politely declined when she offered another one.
Candies are pretty culture-specific, it seems. Mexican candies that are all dosed with chilis, the Dutch and their salty licorice, and as you've discovered, the Arab taffys that taste like cheap scented soaps.
Makes me want to see reactions of various foreigners to American candies. Ones I'm imagining having trouble crossing the culture barrier: Twizzlers, malted milk balls, circus peanuts (although I don't even very know many Americans who actually like them).
Posted by
Evan |
May 25, 2009 4:02 PM
I think there is a missed opportunity here to sell Suave to locals as a modern day Ambrosia.
Related: Korean candy tastes like freshly dug up ginseng and shoe polish.
Posted by
emptyhandedarmy |
August 10, 2009 7:23 PM
From my experience in Afghanistan, it seems almost every time I ate chocolate, it always tasted like soap. Even when I bought candy bars from the shopette, they tasted like soap. My only guess was that they were storing all the chocolate in connexes with cleaning supplies and hygeine products, and the constant heating up and cooling down every day was mutating them.
Posted by
Anonymous |
December 28, 2011 8:39 AM