I do not like caramel corn. Caramel popcorn to be more precise. I never have, and I thought I never would. Even as a kid I only wanted CRACKER JACK® for the prize. I’d fish that paper packet out and promptly hand over the candy-coated treat box to my little brother. All that changed with Garrett popcorn.
I am a popcorn fiend; it’s one of the few snacks I can eat with abandon until I reach the bottom of the bag. For years after I settled in Chicago, I was a CheeseCorn™ devotee. I could polish off a small bag without regret, not caring in the least if my orange stained fingers left a trace on whatever I happened to touch. One day a remarkable thing happened, some CaramelCrisp® had mistakenly crept into my CheeseCorn™. Because I was rotely consuming my corn I noticed only after it was in my mouth, otherwise I would’ve risk this life-changing moment by tossing the intruder. The buttery caramel delighted my taste buds, and I searched my bag for another kernel. I was hooked.
The next time I went into Garrett I bravely ordered an entire bag of CaramelCrisp®. I couldn’t believe this was caramel popcorn! I wasn’t supposed to like it, I’d conditioned my taste buds from childhood through adulthood not to like it. I’d tried dozens and nothing even approached Garrett popcorn.
After that leap, my regular order became Chicago Mix (which qualifies me as a bonafide Chicagoan by the way). I had no problems popping into a store quickly to get my fix. That was until Oprah let the world in on the secret. Ugh, waiting in line behind eager tourists for something I felt was rightfully mine as a city dweller and devout Garrett popcorn fan irritated me. I wanted an express line for the regulars to bypass that person with a hundred questions asking for a thousand samples and pondering bag sizes and tin designs while I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to push them. #Firstworldproblems. (The Garrett popcorn people are saints, I tell you!) After four years, it’s died down a bit and more shops opened so I’m back into my popcorn groove.
THEN…just when I had my routine down (the five-year-Chicago-Mix-routine) Garrett popcorn goes and pops my lid yet again with Garrett Chocolate Covered CaramelCrisp®. WHAT?! My mind is officially blown. I received an email announcing April’s special flavor (of course I’m on the email list, duh!). I tweeted about it, thought about whether I would try the dark or milk chocolate, and finally made it to the store within a few days. This stuff is amazing!
Suddenly I was one of those irritating tourists at Garrett popcorn for the first time. I asked for samples of both the milk and dark chocolate; I pondered which size to buy; I let several people go ahead of me because I couldn’t make up my mind and finally opted for the dark chocolate. It was well worth the dirty looks Chicago natives shot at me. The contrast of the thick, dark chocolate coating was perfect against the light and crunchy, caramel butterflies. However, it’s a good thing Garrett Chocolate Covered CaramelCrisp® is only around for April because I’d likely push people out of the way to get it, and while I’ve never been I’m guessing they don’t serve Garrett popcorn in prison.
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