Hello, fellow foodies! With Halloween just around the corner, I’ve got chocolate on my mind and not just the usual candy bars. Between midterms, a stock pitch, and a vacation to Mexico, I didn’t have time to explore local restaurants, but I did indulge in some delectable Mexican food. For the first time in a while, I had three proper meals a day, which is a refreshing change from my bad habit of snacking on chocolate in the kitchen when I’m hungry. Instead, I devoured cheesy, gooey quesadillas packed with tender chicken and endless salty corn chips dipped in the freshest guacamole. Still, the real star was the Mexican chocolates I brought back home. Maybe it’s what gave me the strength to tackle my stock pitch, or as my team says, we “ate that stock pitch.” My chocolate addiction comes from my dad, who thought buying a bulk of chocolate boxes and bars at the Cancun Airport was a great idea. But it all worked out because now I get to share them with friends and keep some for myself while writing this article or stressing about midterms. I consider myself a self-endorsed chocolate connoisseur, and chocolate has always played a significant role in my family. My dad always brought home expensive chocolates from New York after work. I’ve visited multiple chocolate factories in different countries, gaining a wide flavor range of chocolates and insights into the chocolate-making process.
We bought a couple of different brands of chocolate in Mexico, but I was not a fan of Maria Tepoztlán. It tasted slightly waxy and grainy, not the sweet, silky chocolate I usually crave. Traditional Mexican chocolate has a more rustic feel, with a more grainy texture due to the sugar and spices that aren’t fully refined, unlike commercial American chocolate. This gives it an explosive flavor that’s distinct from the overly sweet American chocolate. Although others enjoy Maria Tepoztlán chocolate for its bold spice flavors, my palate doesn’t align with it. It’s meant to be enjoyed differently, often melted into drinks like hot chocolate. Clatier, on the other hand, was a much more enjoyable experience, with its creamier texture and subtle notes of cinnamon and vanilla. This experience took me back to when my friends and I were excited to find unique international candies, especially the rare ones. For example, the matcha Kit Kat is a Japanese twist on the regular Kit Kat. The flavor profile of the matcha Kit Kat is heavenly, with subtle sweetness and a bittersweet green tea flavor that lingers on the tongue, making it more sophisticated than other chocolates.
Meanwhile, the Chinese Lucky Candy, with its nostalgic strawberry flavor, is a hard candy that has a fruity taste. It perfectly balances sweetness with a hint of tartness, all wrapped in shiny red paper for good fortune. While trick-or-treating, this neighbor served a platter of Turkish delight, a chewy, fragrant treat infused with rose water or lemon that gathered a crowd around his apartment. Then there’s the Yupi Gummy Candy Strawberry Kiss from Indonesia, a delicious sugar-coated gummy in adorable heart shapes, bursting with tasty strawberry flavor and coated in pink and white sugar. Also, how can I forget my favorite from India — MangoBite, a hard candy packed with the intense sweetness of ripe mangoes? I’ve had many more international candies over the years from trick-or-treating, and these are just a few of the delights you can find at local convenience stores or even on Amazon. This Halloween, I encourage everyone to try international candies for new flavor experiences, like me, who ate
