Candy Corn Threshold

Halloween was a few days ago, and halloween reminds me of mellowcreme pumpkins. Mellowcreme pumpkins are a candy confection that is related to the candy corn. The ingredient list of both Mellowcreme pumpkins and candy corns are the same. Sugar, sugar, sugar, sugar, and flavorings. Alright so really it's sugar, corn syrup, salt, honey, gelatin, confectioner's glaze, dextrose, and various dyes and artificial flavors. But, corn syrup is sugar, honey is sugar and dextrose is sugar, so there is a lot of sugar packed into these goodies.

The mellowcreme gets its name from the gelatin portion. Gelatin is the primary reason that marshmallows are so fluffy. It is also used in the pumpkins (and candy corns) to make them soft and delicious. So really, mellowcreme pumpkins are a cross between marshmallows and rock candy.

Anyway, mellowcreme pumpkins fall prey to the same failings as candy corns: the candy corn threshold. I have had this theory for a number of years, ever since winning a "guess how many" candy corns are in a jar contest.

I started eating the candy corns. As I ate the candy corns I reflected on how wonderful they tasted, and how I could eat candy corns for my entire life. Then suddenly, I bit into a bad candy corn. It tasted disgusting. There must have been a bad candy corn in the bunch. So I fished into the jar and came up with another candy corn. I popped this fresh candy corn in my mouth, bit down, and was disgusted! What are the chances of having two bad candy corns in a row? Especially after having so many that were absolutely fantastic?

I put the jar of candy corns aside, and pondered. Had I eaten past a line in the jar below which the candy corns were turned? I examined the jar minutely and could find nothing to suggest that the corns were tainted. I waited quite a while before delving back into the jar. With a good deal of trepidation I ate another candy corn. It was delicious! Perhaps there were only a few bad corns and I happened to get two in a row. But alas, this was not the case. I had a few more and then suddenly they turned sour again. I had gotten through barely a dozen before the taste turned from divine to damned.

So, that was how I discovered the candy corn threshold. You can only eat so many candy corns before some physiological phenomenon occurs which tells your taste buds that enough goodness has passed through. When that occurs you have to stop eating candy corns and allow the system to recover. The body does slowly recover, but it is a recovery and not a resetting. So if you press on while not fully recovered you will hit the threshold much more quickly.

Candy corns are not the only food that has a candy corn threshold. Marshmallow peeps also fall victim to this phenomenon. But peeps are much more insidious because there is a very real chance the the peeps have turned bad, especially if you have moved on to the second package.

For those who don't eat candy corns the same thing can be true of alcohol. You are having a blast, and then suddenly you lift your most recent drink and you feel sick. You put the drink down, get some air, drink some water, anything except taking another sip. You start feeling better, so you have another sip. If it doesn't taste too bad you start drinking some more, but it'll only be a few sips until you are at the threshold again. The point where your body says, any more alcohol and I'll puke all over your shoes. Unfortunately with alcohol, you can go well past this point before your body catches up on the scoring. So kids, stick with candy corns.