NEAROF

How much do I love Skittles? You know that 1-800 number on the back of food products that nobody ever calls? Well, a few years back, when they swapped out lime for apple flavouring in the green Skittles, I called and gave them a piece of my mind. I felt like a grumpy, monocle-wearing gentleman [...]

Do you love hops? I mean, REALLY love hops? To the point where chewing on a mouthful of the things would totally make your day? Well, you’ll love Hop Head, a microbrew from Kelowna, B.C.’s Tree Brewing. Hop Head is an India Pale Ale in the correct sense, so don’t expect an insipid Alexander Keith’s [...]

Every Easter, Cadbury Mini Eggs make their way to Canadian convenience store shelves. It’s been this way for ages. Little egg-shaped candy-shelled milk-chocolate droplets, about the size of a peanut M&M, wrapped in a purple plastic pouch. Along with the related Cadbury Creme Egg, they’re about as ubiquitous as the Easter Bunny himself. And yet, [...]

I don’t want to overstate this, but Old Dutch ketchup chips are a part of the Western Canadian cultural landscape. From hockey arena concession stands to convenience stores to transit-station vending machines, kids from this corner of the globe know and love ketchup chips in general, and Old Dutch ketchup chips in particular. If you’ve [...]

Peanut butter is one of life’s great pleasures. It’s also packed with calories. Hence, people looking for a peanut-buttery snack without the caloric baggage are stuck with roughly zero options. Add in an element of chocolate craving, and you’re stuck, brother – up chocolate creek without a peanut butter paddle. Reese’s, the purveyors of fine [...]

Trident Layers gum is like a regular stick of Trident chewing gum, but with a layer of favour goo in the middle that holds the other two layers together. It’s like a sandwich, but where each slice of bread is actually a slice of gum, and the filling is a sweet, sticky flavouring instead of [...]

Different people have different mental associations with Coca-Cola. For me, it’s a trip in a bottle to my favourite local watering hole in Koubri, Burkina Faso. Sweltering heat, choking dust storms, and non-stop honking and scooter exhaust can wear down even the most patient of souls. Solution? Grab a seat in the shade at the [...]

A whole lot of granola bars are little more than glorified chocolate bars sold with a healthy spin designed to make parents feel better about sending their kid to school with a lump of sugar wrapped in foil plastic. The other granola bar camp tries so hard to appeal to the health-conscious that they fail [...]