DWEC=driving while eating candy

car_candy.jpg
Hello. I am still writing for Candy Addict from time to time, and I am currently working on an article about car candy–you know, candy you always have in the car. I polled the other Candy Addict staffers, and, well, none of them seemed particularly into the car candy idea. Now, I thought EVERYONE had car candy, but apparently I was wrong (it’s been known to happen). But, I’d like to poll you all and hear about your car candy choices, car candy philosophies, all that good stuff. Fess up, won’t you?

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56 Responses to DWEC=driving while eating candy

  1. Grace says:

    If I go on an extended car ride I must have:
    1. ipod
    2. water
    3. CANDY/GUM
    I live in Chicago and when my parents lived in the Twin Cities, I would drive up there quite often (and quite often on too little sleep or right after work or both). So, I need the ipod to sing to or if all else fails, I need CANDY to keep me awake. Specifically Japanese Gummy candy. They are convenient because they come individually wrapped (important so you don’t HAVE to eat the whole bag), Werther’s hard candy (because I LOVE toffee) and Gum (preferably Big Red).
    Now that my parents have retired to Tampa, no more impromptu road trips to the Twin Cities (plus gas is WAY expensive now!). But I have road trips coming up in the summer and I will have that candy on hand!

  2. Carrie says:

    I have at least 4 flavors of Orbit gum (bubblemint is my favorite) and a box of Tic Tacs (which I don’t even really like) in the center console.

  3. Sasha says:

    I pretty much always have some godawful but handy chalky organic mints, and jelly bellies (which taste like fruit flavored poison to me) and I only eat these items in the car. And occasionally CubyRop as well.

  4. myrnie_twin says:

    Hmmm…given my 2yo daughter’s fiendish addiction to candy, it’s hard to keep around! I love to keep little jelly candies around though, and frosting covered animal crackers are a must on long car trips.

  5. xtina says:

    gobstoppers! I keep them next to the center console, the box fits perfectly between the emergency brake and the passenger seat. I love snacking while sitting in traffic…even took a picture a few weeks ago, mp3 player + candy….perfect traffic combo http://flickr.com/photos/tina1001/2387871353/
    occasionally I have peanut butter nips with me that I eat while driving, but those usually leave the car with me.

  6. Jen says:

    This one time I left some powdered Mexican candy in my old car. It spilled everywhere and melted into my seats! Needless to say, I haven’t brought any candy into my new one. :o)

  7. Julia says:

    My grandparents *always* had lemon drops (Brachs?) in their car. They would get all warm in the summer and were soooo delicious. They’re a big sensory part of my memories of visiting them. I loved sucking that rough powder coating off and then they were smooth underneath, yum.

  8. Jean says:

    My father-in-law always kept an open package of black licorice in the car. For this reason, my husband will only eat black licorice if it is stale.

  9. Elaine says:

    Mints or gum, but it’s really too hot here to keep candy in the car. I once left gummy bears and they morphed into something resembling those fake spill tchotchkies from the gift shop. Tasted good though.

  10. megan says:

    Today my car snack was a little piece of “nature’s candy”…a blood orange.
    But usually there are mints and gum.
    You know what? I don’t nearly keep enough candy in my car!! What’s wrong with me?

  11. jan says:

    Gotta have a container of Smint on hand, preferably Peach flavor. They have the BEST dispenser for car-candy, since they come out one at a time with a simple push of a button.
    I’m also addicted to Orbit gum in the Mint Mojito flavor – I bought a whole box of them at Costco and placed a pack in every room of the house (except the bathrooms), and of course in the car console.

  12. Sarah says:

    My dad ALWAYS has jolly ranchers in his car.

  13. Aradi says:

    I dont need car candy. I like car candy. If I get car candy, my kids find it and devour it. So I dont bother 🙁

  14. Kristin says:

    I don’t have a car, but on long bus trips I always have sugarless peppermint Bubble Yum, candied ginger (hello motion sickness!) and small Reese’s.

  15. Susan M says:

    Car candy is delicious in concept, impossible to practice with any real consistency, as I face the same issues as Aradi. I have a sleeve of Tums whose wrapper is peeled back and I tried to fold the foil and paper back over them to protect them, but they are gathering “car dirt”. I need them in there for nausea, which occurs only about twice a year, thus the car dirt accumulation. Candy doesn’t last in my house, much less my car. Also, as chocolate is the only REAL reason to eat candy IMO, but it would melt in the car, therefore it must be rapidly consumed and all traces of it hidden. It’s the right thing to do.

  16. sue says:

    I’m in the ‘impossible’ camp. Chocolate is about the only candy I like, and it melts. Don’t care for sticky or hard candy. I guess if pressed to choose, I’d say Ginger Chews, original. Then I’d imagine them covered in dark chocolate.
    My husband is a Tic Tac man. Always Tic Tacs in the console of his truck.

  17. jess says:

    Orbit gum (usually 2 flavors) and sometimes some sort of mint, usually sugar-free (altoids sugar free most often). Generally no regular candy, just breath smell helpers. 😉

  18. Emily says:

    I always have gum in my purse but have never really thought about car candy (except to contemplace getting a container of the the Eclipse gum in the picture). You’ve opened up a whole new world for me! (And I can’t wait to try the Mint Mojito gum someone mentioned in the comments)
    While reading this, though, I found myself absolutely unable to resist the urge to eat one of the Jolly Ranchers I keep on my desk.

  19. Anna says:

    I take public transportation mostly, but when we’re going on roadtrips I get sour cherry balls. I’m always delighted when I find them at pit stops along the way too. On our cross country trip, New Mexico’s gas stations were reliable sources. 🙂

  20. chris says:

    I don’t *always* have car candy, but sometimes I have TicTacs (orange flavor) in the car. Also, my grandparents have an ancient bag of hard candies (the marble-sized, individually wrapped kind) that are all sticky and icky when you try and unwrap them because they are that old. And my other grandmother always has coffee nips in her car.
    I think I gotta go get me some car candy!

  21. Lydia says:

    Car candy? Oh, yes, I’m into that! Actually, It’s purse candy, because it’s all about the flavor of the moment for me, so if I leave candy in the car, it will be forgotten and go stale. So I always have something in my purse: currently my faves are Dove milk chocolate Promises and Haribo Gummi Bears. I don’t get to eat them in the car as much as I’d like to because I have a 3 year old who watches everything thing I do, and one must keep up the appearance of healthy living for the kids. Right?

  22. Jessica says:

    My stepfather since I first met him has ALWAYS had car candy. He says it makes it easier to drive on long trips. Usually it is some sort of gummy, like Swedish Berries or those Dare RealFruit gummies. Either way I don’t mind taking a trip in his car!

  23. Callista says:

    We always have some sort of gum and mints in the car at all times.

  24. Frances says:

    Mints and gum are a must! Plus they are non-melty which are big factors down here in SoCal.

  25. sara says:

    Always have gum in the car. Currently it’s Orbitz mint mojito.

  26. Lulu says:

    Chocolate is tough (melts) but must-haves are: Skittles, Altoids (for post car-coffee), Nerds, Red Hots (increasingly tough to find).

  27. debbie says:

    i don’t keep candy in the car because of the heat and humidity in hawaii, but i do eat in the car from my purse – candy that i keep for eating in the car are m&m’s, granola bars and trail mix – stuff that i can grab and stuff in my mouth. i do drive around a lot for my work out in the field – sometimes as much as 60+ miles a day – when i need a quick candy or salty/crunchy fix, i do a pit-stop at 7-11’s or gas station shops, and long’s drugstore too….but i do try to stick to what i have on-hand in my bag.

  28. Nicole says:

    I don’t consider myself a candy addict at all so maybe this isn’t that helpful… the only candy I keep in the car is a tin of Altoids.

  29. Cassandra says:

    I always have a tin of Altoids in the car. Sometimes I stick a Cliff bar in the glove compartment just in case I get stuck in traffic or can’t wait for dinner after work. Not candy, but good in a pinch.

  30. Hilary S says:

    I keep gum and mints in my car – any type, I’m not particular about a certain brand. I like to try new ones. I don’t think that counts as car candy much, since it’s really there to cover the evidence of a strong or flavorful lunch. I used to have nuts and dried fruit. But I ate it all and haven’t replaced it in a while. I keep Yogos in my diaper bag for my daughter (it melts in the car too easily). On trips, there is usually some chocolate and something fruity that can be stretched out over a long period, like Mike & Ike or Gobstoppers, etc.

  31. maryse says:

    i have a giant 5lb bag of dumdums in the trunk of my car and every couple of weeks or so i pull out a handful and tuck them in the side pocket on the driver’s side door. i’m not a huge candy eater but a sucker or two on my commute home make me not want to kill someone.

  32. shelle says:

    I love to have red vines in the car, has to be a fresh batch thought not the hard to chew variety. When I travel with kids in tow from CO to WI we have been known to bring along the 5lb tub, it makes it round trip. Skittles(including the sours) are good too but you have to eat them one at a time and not look at the color so it is a surprise. I love candy but am trying to break the sugar habit- so dark chocolate before I leave the house.

  33. melissa f. says:

    i’m down with the red vines as well. when paul and i were dating we would buy packages of this fruit flavoured “licorice” i’ve only ever seen in the midwest. it was so juicy. and so good. green apple? i don’t know. it’s why i was fat for my wedding, i think.

  34. wakana says:

    altoids… love them!

  35. I must have snacks in the car for times when I forget to eat, because going too long without eating is bad for me, and worse for the people around me. Usually this is crackers or pretzels or trail mix.
    But the result of having snacks in the car is that sometimes I eat them when I don’t need to. Ergo, I must have something to suck on when I want to distract myself from eating snacks I don’t need.
    My current favourite is sugar-free icebreakers sours. They don’t melt which is a good summer car candy choice. Other favourites include any altoids sour candies (tangerine my favourite). Sour gummies and sour jelly beans are yummy but disappear too fast.
    The tiny container of tiny mints ( frisk is my favourite, eucalyptus frisk best of all) goes in my purse and sometimes serves the same purpose — keeping me from snacking.

  36. Kimberly says:

    Seriously can’t believe that “Candy Addicts” aren’t on the car candy bandwagon!! I love the car candy – I usually go for M&M’s they are especially good in the summer when they get all hot and melty inside!!

  37. chez shoes says:

    If I could eat sweets, car candy would be a bad idea – living in L.A. and being stuck in traffic so much, I’d totally eat out of boredom and become as big as a house!

  38. kat says:

    “trader joe’s english soft peppermints”
    i keep a large tin in my car.
    originally it was for motion sickness – they have real peppermint oil in them, which seems to help.
    now i’m just addicted.
    as soon as i get in, i pop the tin open. sometimes before i’ve even reached for it, my 10yo asks “can i have a peppermint too?” he’s addicted as well apparently.
    (they’re seasonal, so i buy stacks of the tins with each shopping trip.)

  39. diane says:

    ginger altoids, I rest my case

  40. aimee noel says:

    I don’t really keep candy in my car because I only drive it a few times a month, but if I’m out an about I’ll stop and get some wonka candy… they really know how to make non-chocolate candy! chewy runts, gobstopers, giant chewy sweet tarts…
    ps. i found giant chewy nerds at Target in the check-out line and have bought them a few times now and LOVE them!

  41. IamSusie says:

    I like those Eclipse Mints in the car. Since they are too strong for my kids, they get to be all mine! I keep lots of stuff in the car that other people carry in their purses. If we ever have chocolate in the car, it only lasts a few minutes.

  42. Lisa says:

    Altoids. Always the Altoids. Or Altoid gum.

  43. Laura says:

    Always ginger altoids. Always. In my purse, in the car, whatever. Sugary but also great for motion sickness. But I also like dark chocolate so occasionally I’ll put some in my purse. Too hot here in Florida to leave them in my car.

  44. Emily says:

    Yes! We call it ‘road-trip food’ and in fact we only ever eat Sweet Tarts and Spree on road-trips, but it’s a ritual. Driving loooong roads in Texas, the tartness helps to stay awake, and they keep fine in the extreme heat. Funny post, because I never really considered if others did a similar thing.

  45. Charlene says:

    Eclipse gum – always (it doesn’t melt) -for “guests” and Breathsavers. Tried the chocolate-covered Altoids (yummy) but the cycle of melting-solidifying-melting was too much!

  46. sue says:

    I may have to rethink this–especially in light of Maryse’s comment about candy dulling road rage. H-m-m-m. Anti-Bozo candy? I just remembered Trader Joe’s coffee candies. May give them a try. But I’ll have to get a lot better about brushing my teeth after snacks.

  47. Josie says:

    Whilst at the check out of our supermarket my husband made me buy EVERY single flavour of Tic Tacs for the car. I usually just have mint ones in the car but given the number of empty juju fruit, gummy bear and jelly bean packages after my husband has had to take a car trip exceeding an hour, I should have known mint ones would not suffice.

  48. sharon says:

    There are english hard candies that come in a round tin — they are labelled
    “travel sweets” my favorities are the black currant but lemon and butterscotch and mixed fruit are all nice

  49. gum for sure. and those eclipse containers are very cool sitting perfectly in the cupholder. secondly any hard candy. especially important for those long drives!

  50. Let’s see i have Orbit bubble mint gum, mentos fruit flavored, and jelly bellies (these don’t last very long)!

  51. Let’s see i have Orbit bubble mint gum, mentos fruit flavored, and jelly bellies (these don’t last very long)!

  52. Lisa says:

    Um, yes, nerds are good because one of those dollar sized boxes for the movies lasts a really long, long time in the car. Other people have covered the mints/gum thing, but one great candy that hasn’t been mentioned is Sugar Babies! They are a good car candy as 1) they get warm but don’t melt completely 2) It’s hard to eat too many because you can eat one at a time, but if you do eat a lot of them 3) it doesn’t make you feel queasy. And you can buy them for a buck at Walgreens like the Nerds in the movie box sizes to pass around for the whole family.

  53. Brenda says:

    I usually have Altoids (peppermint or ginger if I can find them) and lately Ice Breakers. I like the Lemonade and Pomegranate best, then peppermint. The containers are great – small and metal and keep well in the glove box.

  54. ellen says:

    I can’t keep candy in the actual car – too hot most of the year in Oklahoma, but I always have some kind of candy in my tote. Usually it’s some kind of Altoid or sour – I can’t keep anything chocolate because I’d eat it up instantly. I also always have some kind of gum, usually Orbit. For road trips I like Coffee Nips, and a bag of crunchy edamame.

  55. stinkerbell says:

    oh see now that I no longer drive it is candy in teh bag (always the tangerine altoids) but when I do the travel trips… all kinds of crap (candy and chips this is what drive trips are about) and that must include Starburst, Skittles, Redvines, REAL Cherry Sours… oh I am drooling now 🙂

  56. Jenny says:

    Mmmm, we like to take along Caramel Creams!!
    Pure bliss poking your tongue through the soft creamy center!! Also Bob’s soft peppermints , and Smarties, and Violet flavored mints. I found those at an old timey store and they are marvelous. M & M’s too. I remember having bags of those Brach’s Royales when I was little. Chocolate is for winter only though! Fruit jells are great too! We are not amateurs here…………

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