Snack Pen Pals
Do you remember years ago—like I’m talking YEARS ago (it was back in 2007)—that we had a candy exchange in the ALI community? We had a form that people filled out stating where they were from and the common candies found in their neck of the woods. And then they could request a certain type of candy that they had heard about or a country they were curious about. And then everyone matched and sent each other candy. I have zero memory of who got my candy. I think mine was sent by someone in Australia.
I read an article about snack pen pals, and how people are grabbing friends on distant shores and trading boxes of snack foods. Because this is so true:
Back when traveling was a thing, supermarket snacks were undoubtedly a must-have souvenir. I’d always make a point to visit at least one grocery or convenience store during any trip, and then spend any leftover foreign cash on candy and junk food at airport stalls.
Online shopping has eliminated the same need that drove the original candy exchange. If I want to get the kids a box of Nutella B-readys, I don’t have to fly to France or have someone send us a box. I can go online and easily find them for sale. So that has killed some of the excitement around a snack exchange or candy exchange.
But it’s the surprise of ending up with something you didn’t know about; something you would have found if you had traveled and gone to the supermarket yourself in a foreign country. Plus the joy of a random box of treats popping up. Plus, your friend knows your tastes and limitations—we keep kosher, so we count on friends who send us stuff to know the ins and outs of kashrut.
So I kinda sorta love this idea, especially if you have friends around the world.
3 comments
Aww, this was before my time, and I’m sorry I missed it! Snack pen pals sounds so fun. 🙂
I don’t remember that, but I remember someone running a sock exchange.
Still, it’s a special kind of joy that a random box from an Internet friend can bring. We did some really great things in those days, and I loved being on both the sending and receiving side of them.
I do remember the exchange, although I didn’t take part in it.
When my sister & I were growing up, there was American candy & Canadian candy, and never the twain did meet. We’d stock up on M&Ms and Three Musketeers and Milky Way and Butterfinger and Snickers bars when we were visiting our grandparents in Minnesota, and they would bring the same when they came to visit us. We can get some of those things here now, but not all of them. The last time we were in my mom’s hometown (last year about this time), my sister & I stocked up as usual, giggling all the way. You’d think we were still 10 years old & not in our mid/late 50s…!