Smarties vs. Rockets

My good friend Danielle posted last week about how in the US, Smarties are not Smarties - they are Rockets.

My friends to the North and I have had many a discussion about what Smarties are--to them, they are candy-coated chocolate goodness, and to me (and every other American) they are heavenly pure sugar wrapped into little cellophane rolls.

That got me wondering what "Canadian-Smarties" are called in the US - are they even available? Yes, I wonder about these things.

I think it's funny because both those candies have "ways" of eating them. Everyone has their little ritual for indulging in the sugar high.

Chocolate Smarties are normally eaten one color at a time - keeping the red for last. You can sort them all out and pick and chose which color goes first. My favorite way to do it is by shaking them out of the box, one at a time and stuffing the red ones back in until that's all that's left. They are fantastic because they don't melt - ever. I actually prefer them to M&Ms.

The Rockets, have similar rituals. Some sort out the colors, some crush them into small pieces and roll a lollipop in them. I like to let them melt on my tongue until there is just the teeny middle part - kind of like a disc shape - left. Then I crunch it between by teeth. Cue the sugar overload.

My best friend's husband has a very particular way of eating them too and we were lucky enough to get a demonstration last time we visited. He puts a whole Rocket candy on each row of teeth and crunches. But wait, there's a twist. There are 27 Rockets in each pack so you get to eat the first one however you so please.

That's him, telling me alllllll about that 27th, oh-so-special, Rocket.

I think we have issues.

I like my coffee with a bit of warm crazy

Last night, I was having a conversation with a friend of mine and she asked me "How do you like your coffee?"

A normal person would be able to come up with a straight and relatively simple answer within seconds. I am not normal. I instantly knew exactly how I like my coffee... but the answer was far from simple.

Early morning, when I'm at home I like it with a bit of milk and sugar. I don't like heavy cream in the morning and I don't want too much milk because it makes it too cold too quick. I don't want too much sugar either, I enjoy sweets more later in the day.

At Starbucks or Second Cup, I like the raw sugar and milk - just because they have some and it's delicious. If the coffee's too strong or too bold, then I'll have cream instead. At Timmies, it's usually double-double. Unless we're in for a long car ride, then I'll take one cream, one sugar.

At work I'll have 2 sugars and one milk. It takes me ages to drink my coffee at work so a bit more sugar makes it taste better longer. Most time we have that coffee whitener thingy so I got used to not using a lot.

If I have a coffee after dinner or around dinner time at home I'll take it with just sugar - not quite sure why. If we're at the restaurant though, I'll add a milk in there.

Lattes are a whole other story but generally, skim milk - half sweet - no foam works best. Tea lattes are delicious with soy, no foam.

Yes, I'm OCD - mostly on little things like ordering coffee, organizing hair clips and other such random details.

I found a man who's learned to deal with it all - doesn't understand it, but puts up with it, bless his little soul.