Chocolate and Potato Chips

Fifteen years ago I gave up eating potato chips.  I found that when it came to potato chips, there was no stopping point.  I could eat and eat and eat these slightly greasy chips and not find an end.  So I figured, if I don’t start, I don’t have to stop.  Don’t get me wrong.  I’ll still eat them with a sandwich, but I won’t buy a bag for myself.

About ten years ago I was driving in Hanover, Pennsylvania, and came upon the Utz Potato Chip Factory Store.  They had more varieties of chips than I’ve ever seen in a retail establishment.  The treasure was in the middle of the display floor in a small box.  Chocolate covered potato chips.  The perfect mix of salt and sweet…of chocolate and potato, who would have thought?

I’ll bet they’re good for you too.  Heck it’s got the four food groups…the starchy vegetable group, the salt group, the chocolate group…okay maybe only three of the four food groups….but if you want to add the milk group…dip it in some onion dip…

Old Chocolate

There are two kinds of old chocolate. 

Chocolate that you bought last year and just found yesterday and you're not sure if you want to eat it or not.

And there's the chocolate you used to be able to buy...some that you can still buy now, but can't find it most places.  I intend to discuss these.

Cherry Mash – These used to be the most popular candy bar in the country in the 1920’s.  It was peanuts and chocolate with a cherry fondant center. 

$100,000 Bar - (Now it's 100 Grand) These chewy candy bars are chocolates with crispies in it around caramel.  I remember the caramel being fresh tasting and stretchy.  This was really heavily advertized during the Saturday morning cartoons.

Aero Bar - (Chocolate with bubbles in it) Unlike 3 Musketeers, this chocolate was just whipped chocolate.  It tasted like milk chocolate and melted in your mouth easier because of the bubbles.  It was a real neat experience to eat.  It’s still made in Canada.

Sky Bar - (Four candy bars in four bites) ((okay so I'm a big biter)) this candy bar is one of the boss’s favorite.  She tells stories of enjoying her Sky Bar, unwrapping it and eating it in the perfect order.  Was it caramel, vanilla, fudge and peanut? Or was the vanilla first and the fudge last?  I don’t know…they all taste the same to me.

Oh Henry – This candy bar follows the peanut, caramel and chocolate formula, but I think there’s fudge in it, too.  In researching for this article, I found that the candy bar wasn’t named for Henry “Hank” Aaron, even though there was a huge advertising campaign linking Hank Aaron and the candy bar.  In fact, there is not a definitive explanation for the name.

Mallo Cups – These would be peanut butter cups are chocolate with a chewy marshmallow and coconut filling.  I don’t think I ever, ever got a Mallo Cup that hadn’t been damaged in some way.  In spite of the condition of these treats, the biggest problem was they were too small and the two cups in the package were never enough to truly satisfy.

Old chocolate is worth remembering and talking about.  As soon as you think of the packages or the tastes, it takes you back to a better time…