Doggedly searching for the crux of the biscuit.
Sure, it's Satan's holiday and all that, but try telling that to a sugar-craving grade schooler. Right. Not a fight you'd take on willingly. Just because you're willing to let their little teeth rot, that doesn't mean you have to let their eternal souls rot as well. Beliefnet has the rundown on this year's religiously-themed candy offerings.
Holy pixie sticks ("The sand art you can eat!") are available from biblecandy.com, who also have five, count 'em, five bible stories you can use with them. You'd think that Lot's wife being turned into a pillar of salt would be the go-to choice here, but no.
Testamints, available at christiandollarstore.com, are exactly what you'd expect, but they face competition from Scripture Candy Old Fashion Soft Mints and Sweet Messages Meltaways. There can be only one; expect this fight to turn ugly. Bible Bars are touted as the "perfect Abrahamic after-school snack," being modeled on a recipe from Deuteronomy, but after reading the ingredients (wheat, barley, raisins, honey, figs, pomegranates and olive oil), you can count on your house getting egged if you hand them out tonight.
More offerings are listed, including the predictable Noah's Ark Gummi Animals, but being the multicult liberal that I am, I'm drawn to the ecumenical varieties. The Star of David chocolate pops are touted as "the best-looking certified kosher candy," but the prize goes to Halal Crispy Treats.
For Muslim kids, the snack favorite made with halal gelatin. Some panelists found this treat to be "Islamalicious"; a few felt there was "something slightly off" in the flavoring and cited a faint aftertaste. "As a fan of kosher marshmallows, I'm happy to see that Muslims are embracing marshmallows as well," a Jewish taster noted.
Me too, Jewish taster. Me too.
TrackBackI think Paul Wolfowitz would say that it is foolish to underestimate peoples' desire for marshmallows.
Posted by: Sterling at October 31, 2005 01:57 PMGrowing up in Brooklyn, although I'd certainly spent considerable time in other states, including 6 months living in East Lansing Michigan, 6 months in upstate NY, and elsewhere, the different ethnic mix of Seattle took me quite some time to get used to when I moved there at age 19, particularly insofar as I had endless contact with people who had never met any Jews before, which is not something that happens so much in NYC.
So close to 30 years later, I still recall the rather confused conversation I had with a young evangelical Lutheran, whom it took a long conversation with to explain why it was that Jews don't celebrate Christmas (really). Then we moved on to Easter. There was more. And then she -- dead serious, I swear -- asked me hesitantly if Jews celebrated Halloween.
I assured her that secular ones such as myself did.
At least she didn't ask to see my horns.
Posted by: Gary Farber at October 31, 2005 04:51 PMMy biggest laugh this year is the fundies who lament the way this fine Christian holiday has become so commercialized. Darn those pagans for trying to corrupt one of 'their' holy days. (Perhaps they are just warming up for Christmas.)
Posted by: Charles Watkins at November 1, 2005 01:51 AMIn my neighborhood in Tokyo, a group of foreign and Japanese parents puts together a map of participating houses and guides their kids around for trick-or-treating. A good time is had by all... except a British family who won't let their kids participate because Halloween is anti-Christian. So America doesn't have all the fundie types.
Posted by: Gaijin Biker at November 1, 2005 02:45 AMCross-shaped lollipops with exploding candy
Just goes to show the importance of keeping an open mind. I would have thought radical Muslims would be the ones with exploding candy. It's Islam-malicious!
Posted by: Gaijin Biker at November 1, 2005 02:54 AMUnrelated to issues of religion and Halloween, last night I was made to feel truly and genuinely old: a trick-or-treating child came to the door with a cellphone held to his ear.
Posted by: Robust McManlyPants at November 1, 2005 03:41 PMThe kid can't even be bothered to put his phone away while he's at your door? Unless his costume was "self-centered prick", I say no candy.
Posted by: Gaijin Biker at November 1, 2005 11:51 PM