Reagan's favorite candy was the black licorice flavored jelly beans.
I am not even sure the Red Vines brand is any more "licorice" than "Mazola", "Imperial" and "Parkay" are butter.
My kids love the real thing, unleaded:
Posted on 08/24/2012 5:00:12 AM PDT by Daffynition
Made myself ill with those as a child over 60 years ago and cannot even look at them today. The odor is etched in my memory and if I even see them, I have to work at not recalling the smell.
Licorice is not known for having any particular metals in it, nor is anise, a cheaper herb used as a licorice substitute or additive in cheaper licorice candies.
However, most licorice is produced and processed in China, which may be the source of the problem.
Ah yes, ouzo.
My first experience with ouzo was one Saturday night at a place named "John Bull", a famous sailor bar on the waterfront of Pireus, Greece.
The prices were way out of my pay grade and the B-girls relentless, but one of my shipmates discovered that the small store right next door sold bottles of ouzo for 50 cents, so everybody bought ouzo and smuggled it back into the bar under our peacoats.
The first time we tried it, we all agreed that it was kind of like licorice and it went down a lot easier than liquor, so we mixed it with Coca-Cola and all got really weirdly drunk.
The effects were devastating. The next day I finally was able to roll out of my bunk around 1600 hrs. (4 p.m.), horrified at the fact that I had survived.
After that, most of us decided it tasted more like paragoric than black licorice.
* Another sea story from an ancient mariner from the days of the real "Old Navy"
Aw crap. I just ate 3,281,489 bags of it.
“Lead? There is a China connection here.”
That was my immediate thought too.
My all-time worst candy is the chocolate-covered orange peels you find in chocolate samplers sometimes. You’re supposed to bite into those and find something tasty, or at least edible, not a rind that belongs in the compost bin!
The base flavor has some similarities with liquorice, fennel, and tarragon..
Why does it not surprise me that the ancient Romans were not only the conquerors of the known world, they were, most importantly, the rulers of the sexual flame. As far back in history as we can determine, the need for a male or female aphrodisiac has been the prize by which many who created recipes thought to induce sexual stimulation, were measured and rewarded with unbelievable wealth and fame.
The ancient Romans knew this, the Greeks and Egyptians worshiped at the alter of love potions, and the Asians created an entire industry devoted exclusively to finding the secret of the sexual hard drive. It was well known early on, that a woman's sexual appetite could be enhanced by eating certain foods. The secret therefore was determining what foods best achieved the goal, an aphrodisiac that rendered her helpless to his charms.
Anise, or Pimpinella Anisum Umbelliferae, to call it by its correct name, has been used by humans in a wide variety of roles, not the least being its reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac. Found in detailed texts from the sixth century B.C., Pythagoras, the mathematician and philosopher, spent countless hours contemplating the uses of anise. He believed that simply holding this herb in your palms, could prevent seizures in epileptics... sheeesh, he sounds like could have qualified as my CPA. One century later, Hippocrates, the grandfather of modern medicine, prescribed a more reasonable use for anise and recommended it for coughs.
Held is such high esteem, Anise was widely cultivated for its fragrance, flavor and other medicinal properties. However, it was as THE SEXUAL EQUIVALENT TO DYNAMITE, proven so valuable that the local tax collector would accept Anise in place of the coin of the realm.
Smelling anise enhances relaxation, sleep patterns, emotional balance and even a sense of humor. It relieves stress from overwork. But if there were a top ten list of the qualities of Anise as an aphrodisiac, it may be what it does to remove the most common sexual inhibitor DRUM ROLL PLEASE ...
The #1 reason Anise is the sexual secret weapon of choice... IT CURES A HEADACHE
Anise Peanuts
2 cups (500 ml) raw peanuts* without shells, removal of skins from peanuts unnecessary. 3 1/2 cups (900 ml) water 5 whole star anise**
4 tsp (20 ml) Szechwan peppercorns** 4 Tbs (60 ml) soy sauce A 2 inch (5 cm) piece of fresh ginger root unpeeled, cut into 3 or 4 pieces
1 tsp (5 ml) sesame oil 1 tsp (5 ml) salt 1 tsp (5 ml) hot pepper flakes (optional)
1) Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat.
2) Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 3 cups (750 ml). * Available in Asian specialty shops and health food stores ** Available in the spice section of finer supermarkets and Asian specialty shops..
Excerpts from my soon to be published book.. "SOUP, SEX, and the Single Man" ..:)
29 parts per billion for those unaccustomed to stupid reporters who mix units and measurement systems like a tossed salad...
Made in China?
“what happens to people who eat twice as much as others?”
They die and get sold to the scrap dealer instead of buried.
I remember black licorice candies that were round and shaped like a suction cup. You could get them to stick to the roof of your mouth to ensure that your teeth were bathed in dissolved sugar for an extended length of time. They were great!
Sorry but the top worst candies in the world have to be
Circus Peanuts and Candy Corn
Love Italian food — and black licorice — but, sorry, Italian desserts are not good IMO, especially the cookies. Anisette is just gross. But I love fennel.
Love the bags of Aussie black licorice chunks.
Warning, black licorice passes through a dog quick as a .308 round through paper. Our Siberian Husky got into a bag of it, and we had a mess to clean up.
Loves me some black licorice. Yep, I like Ouzo and absinthe as well...
Sorry, but circus peanuts and candy corn don’t come anywhere close to the most disgusting candy ever made, namely marzipan.
My mother was convinced that I loved the stuff, so every Christmas, I was rewarded with copious amounts.
Bleah.
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