Twizzlers Twerpz
the name pretty much broadcasts "this is for kids"
Sour sorta had its heyday a couplo years ago, but sales did rise 14% in '03, so maybe that's enough for Hershey's. Twizzler Twerpz' official description is "strawberry and orange tangy filled chews." They're sposed to be Twizzlers filled w/ cream. The center is slightly frothier, but they're basically just gummy bites. And not all that sour - more puckery-faux-fruity. Despite any gut revulsion, once they cross the threshold, they have a briefly addictive effect even for an adult (tho the Plano guy couldn’t even stomach the super-sweet artificial smell). Hershey's on a sour kick: It also intro'd watermelon and sour-apple Twizzlers the latter of which is an unfortunate green.
posted by TG @ 7:38 AM
23 comments
23 Comments:
tg: these were introduced in december. guess they are just now getting to plano.
that aside, liked your links to the taste sites. but tell me, is "hot" as in chile pepper hot, not a taste? or is it just pain?
salon.com reports today that a rumor is going round that bill clinton is trying to become a vegetarian
is he's all like 'dude' said... related to twisted link?
regular reader is a perceptive one, instantly detecting the staleness of twerpz. i coulda written about a couplo fresher sweetz coming soon (to a NYCE posting near you) but hadn't tried 'em yet whereas i got the twerpz right here. i heard twistedlink got hammered on jello shots last night. bet he's not up yet
Regular Reader,
The heat in chiles is technically not a "taste." It doesn't fall under any of the four tastes of salty, sour, bitter, or sweet (or the much debated fifth taste of umami).
From my understanding, the reaction triggered by the capsaicin in chiles is technically a "texture" or, more specifically, a chemosensory irritation. Other common irritants are mustard oils (e.g., in mustard, wasabi, and horseradish), menthol (e.g., in peppermint), eugenol (e.g., clove oil), and carbon dioxide (e.g., any carbonated beverage).
"Sour" seems to be on the rise, largely as a consequence of a growing Mexican-American population that has a particular affinity for tart, salty, and spicy candies (often all at once). Sour Patch Kids may not challenge Hershey's Kisses in the gringo market. But, with increasing regularity, we're seeing signs that corporate America is recognizing the Mexican-American market and targetting products accordingly (e.g., Coke With Lime, a variety of specialty Blue Bell flavors, et al.). I imagine that's a trend that will continue, particularly around these parts.
Scott
Twisted Link,
You write, "All tastes are 'chemosensory irritations,' aren't they? It's just a matter of intensity."
Not really. Taste involves the triggering of specialized receptors (i.e., taste buds) by taste molecules. Rub a sugar cube against your tongue and you experience the taste of sweetness. Rub a sugar cube against your arm and you only experience a scraping sensation. It's not a matter of intensity, as no amount of sugar applied to your arm will create the experience of sweetness (and on down the line with the other tastes).
Irritants, however, do not uniquely affect the taste buds. Squirt some Tabasco on your tongue and you experience a burning sensation. Squirt some Tabasco in your eyes and you experience a burning sensation. This is the idea behind a number of non-food products that utilize irritants, such as pepper spray (based on capsaicin) and Vicks VapoRub (based on menthol).
The tastes (sweet, salty, sour, bitter) reach us through one set of receptors. Irritants (e.g., menthol, mustard oils, capsaicin, et al.) reach us through another. They're different senses.
Scott
Scott sounds like a taste expert. Will he please explain why if some people eat artichoke and then drink water, the water will taste sweet. I understand all people do not experience this.
tg:
you're getting a better quality of reader today. and then, dude, you're not
maybe also he can explain why airline food tastes so bad it makes you want to bail out
I do like it when there is lots of educational information on the blog. You know I like to keep learning. I'm not the type of older person to let myself stagnate. I like to keep busy and open to new experiences, which is one reason Oak Cliff seemed like such an attractive place to live.
Charlotte,
I'm no expert. Just an amateur with an interest in food.
As for artichokes, the effect you describe is usually attributed to cynarin, a chemical that appears in the plant (especially concentrated in the leaves). I've heard some say that it stimulates the sweetness receptors, while others say it deadens the bitterness receptors (thus creating an illusion of sweetness). I imagine some studies have been done to try to get to the bottom of it; but I haven't read any.
As for airline food, D.B., it's a mystery to me. I usually just stick with the peanuts. (Speaking of nuts, whatever happened to real honey-roasted or smoked nuts? It seems like all flavored nuts these days are just coated in a nasty synthetically flavored powder.)
Scott
scott really classes up the joint, doesn't he. that's how it is all the time over at his regular crib, dallasfood.org. it sure is great to have some real info on this thing. so: where my shallow homies at?
I don't consider myself shallow. In fact, I am a very deep person.
good idea twisted. let's case the joint.
mary, i think twistedlink is trying to say that he rented that roach motel of his to someone else. someone YOUNGER than you. maybe apartment 3G is vacant
cathy: have you forgotten that paris hilton wants me as her companion? and of course, she is thinking of someplace grand, tho it may surprise you, like me she is intrigued with oak cliff. I can never think of the name -- which actually may change from time to time-- but do you know that motel on the hill on fort worth avenue. paris was thinking that all the little cabins would be great for the hired help. i, of course, would be in the main house.
and isn't it grand that you finally, finally got married. but when are you going to find a becoming bathing suit?
ya know, you all think scott is some hotshot new goumet talent. but how seriously can you take someone who laments about the declining quality of honey=roasted nuts? does he eat them with his microbrew beer?
could this scott perhaps have the first initial f.?
gimme a break
scott pretends to be a newcomer to teresa's blog. but i visited his site and perused his reviews of maple ave mex joints. it was obvious to me that before taking the digital photos of the dishes he ingested, he must have studied the disgusting food web site i clued you onto yesterday. man, some of his pics were worse than disgusting: would you believe a tomato soup floated with worms? twisted, you gotta look for yourself. it's dallasfood.org
I, too, visited Scott's Web site. I was especially taken with the cold goat dish he had. It made me happy to think the Lombardi kids might not have been slaughtered out of pure meaness, but to bring joy to the gourmets of the world. One question for Scott, however: does cold goat cause waxy yellow buildup?
Remember people: This is Teresa's web site, not Scott's, and she who has blue hair rules!
for twistedlink:
http://www.assateague.com/egret.html
Twisted Link,
You say, "Are they [i.e., taste buds] specialized nerve endings (which would be my guess)? or are they physically and chemically different than that?"
In a nutshell taste buds are clusters of specialized taste receptor cells. Check out the following page for more info:
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/T/Taste.html
You ask, "And why does my eye burn when I rub a jalapeno on it, but my big toe does not?"
I know a lot of home cooks that have to handle chiles very gingerly (or even with gloves) to avoid burning their fingers. Some parts of the body are more sensitive than others; so effects won't be felt uniformly across the body. (And, of course, some people are more sensitive than others to certain irritants.)
At the end of the day, though, you really shouldn't put things in your eye, Twisted Link.
Scott
Re: optics and edibles. Can anyone explain the phrase: "He/she is the apple of my eye?" Never made sense to me.
Gracias Twisted! Enlightment, if not in a Buddhist way, certainly in a culinary phraseology one. That brings me to the French term of endearment: "Mon Petit Chou." Translation: "My Little Cabbage." I find very little endearing about cabbages or even brussels sprouts. But, then, I'm not French. Mon Dieu!
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