candyfreak a journey through the chocolate underbelly of america

But, of course, there are no untarnished pleasures. 'It would allow me to reconnect to the single, untarnished pleasure of my childhood. 'I had decided to write about candy because I assumed it would be fun and frivolous and distracting,' confesses Almond. And then there's the Kit Kat Darks incident Almond has a case of the short-lived confection squirreled away in an undisclosed warehouse. To wit: the author has 'three to seven pounds' of candy in his house at all times. Almond loves candy like no other man in America. If you can imagine such a manic journey-better yet, if you can imagine being a hungry hitchhiker who's swept through America's forgotten candy meccas: Philadelphia (Peanut Chews), Sioux City (Twin Bing), Nashville (Goo Goo Cluster), Boise (Idaho Spud) and beyond-then Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America, Steve Almond's impossible-to-put down portrait of regional candy makers and the author's own obsession with all-things sweet, would be your Fodor's guide to this gonzo tour.With the aptly named Almond (don't even think of bringing up the Almond Joy bit-coconut is Almond's kryptonite), obsession is putting it mildly. Candyfreak is like a good candy bar: a piece of delicious, ephemeral fun.' -SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, Picture a magical, sugar-fueled road trip with Willy Wonka behind the wheel and David Sedaris riding shotgun, complete with chocolate-stained roadmaps and the colorful confetti of spent candy wrappers flying in your cocoa powder dust.

A story as all-American as the aroma of peanut butter and milk chocolate wafting from its pages.'-THE BOSTON GLOBE 'This is gonzo food writing at its best. A delicious read.'-PEOPLE 'Combines the patter of a stand-up comic with the soul of a 10-year-old whose allowance is burning a hole in his pocket. PRAISE FOR CANDYFREAK 'Hysterically funny.

Candyfreak a journey through the chocolate underbelly of america