A spoonful of sugar

Lips and lemons

There are certain smells and tastes that remind us of our childhood. Cherry lips, sherbet lemons, parma violets and floral gums are just a selection. No, they are not flowers, they are sweets! Known for their pungency and unmistakable flavour, these sweets and others were the best sellers of the 1970s. Now, they are back. In a flood of nostalgia, the retro sweet is becoming a hot favourite of the new millennium.

Big business

The UK spends more on sugar confectionary and chocolate per head than anywhere else in Europe so this is big business. Myriads of old fashioned sweet shops have started springing up all over the country with huge jars of sour plums and rhubarb and custards lining their shelves.

Internet businesses such as www.aquarterof.com and www.cybercandy.co.uk are booming. One reason for their success is the anonymity. A grown-up may feel slightly odd going into a sweet shop and buying bags of fried eggs, giant shrimps, flying saucers and cola bottles! This way everyone is happy.

The major stores

Even exclusive stores such as Selfridges, Harvey Nichols and Liberty are cashing in on the trend and stocking traditional sweets such as strawberry bon-bons and pear drops.

Sarah Smith, owner of The Sugar Boy in Canterbury describes sweet buying as ‘very emotional. People are transported back in time and such is their joy when they discover their childhood favourite that they bulk buy, even whole jars. Men also tend to buy more than women.’

Mood and memory

Mood is also a major factor in sweet buying. Research has shown that people rarely buy the same sweet twice in succession.

Kate from Bangor, North Wales remembers, ‘being allowed to go to the shop on her bike with friends. Mum would give me 20 pence, you could get loads for that.’

Michael from Lincolnshire recalls, ’getting 11 sweets for his 10p pocket money’. Chocolate covered cinder toffee was among his favourites. ‘We then sat on the village green and ate it all.’

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, what are you waiting for?

Nelly
December/January 2005

樱桃和柠檬

它们带有某种甜美和芬芳，让我们想起童年的时光。比如，Cherry lips、sherbet lemons、parma violets和floral gums，只不过是其中的几种而已。这些可不是花，而是好吃的糖果。这些以及一些其他的品种都是上个世纪70年代最畅销的糖果，他们口味刺激，令人难以忘怀。现在，它们又回来了！在一种怀旧的情怀中，这些糖果又卷土重来，成为新千年的宠儿。

无限商机

英国人平均每人在糖果和巧克力上的开销比欧洲其它任何国家都多，因此在英国这是个不小的产业。老式的糖果店如雨后春笋般在全国各地不断涌现，店内装有sour plums和rhubarb and custard的瓶瓶罐罐挤满了货架。网上糖果店也大量涌现，如 www.aquarterof.com 和 www.cybercandy.co.uk 。网上销售的成功在于人们购买糖果可以不被别人发现。如果让一个成年人走进一家糖果店，买几大包fried eggs、giant shrimps、flying saucers和 cola bottles，他难免会觉得有点奇怪。而网上购物就不存在这样的问题了，可以说是皆大欢喜。

主要商店

即使那些高档商店，如Selfridges、Harvey Nichols和Liberty也未能免俗，开始卖一些传统糖果，如草莓糖和梨形糖。

萨拉•史密斯是坎特伯雷的Sugar Boy糖果店的老板。她认为“买糖这一潮流有强烈的感情因素在里面。当他们发现儿时最爱的糖果再次出现时，兴奋不已，因此他们会买很多，甚至整罐整罐地抱回家。而且往往男人比女人买的还要多。”

情绪和回忆

买糖这种行为还体现出人们的情绪化。研究表明，人们很少连续两次买同一种糖果。

凯特来自威尔士北部的班戈，她回忆道：“小时候，妈妈会给我20便士，同意我和小伙伴们一起骑车去糖果店，20便士可以买不少呢！”

迈克尔来自林肯郡，他回忆道：“我总是花10便士的零花钱买11颗糖，然后和伙伴们坐在村里的草坪上把它们吃个精光。”他还记得那时最爱吃裹着巧克力的太妃糖。

如果爱吃甜食的话，那还等什么呢？赶快行动吧。