Gummy Bears were all the rage when I was a kid, but we were those kids that weren’t allowed to eat candy. I remember the feeling of puzzled amazement when I went to friends’ houses and they had chips and cookies and candy and, yes, SODA! They made soda, in cans, that you could drink at home! Who knew?

So you can imagine how candy was rationed - outside of the small stash of Halloween treats we were allowed to keep, it was nonexistent in our house. As we got older and had a little discretionary income from babysitting and such, we’d sneak a visit to the local 7-Eleven. I wasn’t a chocolate lover as a kid (weird, I know), so I’d go for things that were fruity or sour - like gummy bears. Soft and squishy and so full of flavor!

I’d try to make them last, but couldn’t resist eating them all at one go. As I got older and more health conscious, though, the sugar and weird food coloring freaked me out, so I stopped eating them.

Until my recent discovery of Surf Sweets, that is!

These little babies pack a burst of flavor. They’re moist and chewy and fruity and I like them even more than the plasticy originals I grew up on. Better yet, I don’t have to worry that I’m ingesting some crazy food dye. I know, I know, it’s still just sugar, but oh, they’re so good (and at least it’s real sugar, not corn syrup)! Opening the bag makes my mouth water and, though I always tell myself that I’ll just eat a couple, the bag is usually empty before I realize that I’ve just popped the last little delicious bear in my mouth. Some things never change.