I Miss Lent in the UK

It's Lent folks. I was going to give up coffee for Lent... but I drove myself to Dunkin' Donuts yesterday and thus ended that little foray into being good.


Instead - I'm going to share with you something that I gain from Lent. For quite a while, I was lucky enough to enjoy February vacations to England every other year. My mom was a school teacher and quite the Anglophile (as am I). It kept us away from the crowds of Disney (Don't get me wrong - I looooove me some Disney!), travel to the UK is cheaper during the winter and it was still a break from the harsh winters of New England.

One of the biggest perks to being over in the UK during February is that you were either bumping up against lent, or lent had already started. While I'm not particularly religious - the English do tend to take church a bit more seriously than we do. Church over there is more fun. OK...maybe not; but the architecture and history make up for it.

The best part is that Lent meant my favorite candy. The Cadbury mini-eggs! Yes, they have Cadbury here, and they are still my favorite candy of all time. These days - Cadbury's USA division is run by Hershey's. That means that classic flavor of these little treats has changed. The color and shape of them are different, as is the crunchy coating. Which totally bums me out....

Laugh if you must - but I'll be looking online over the weekend to have some mini eggs shipped to me from Canada or England. Those branches haven't been sold off or had the recipe change! Feel free to make fun of me for posting on food and religion. :-) I even think I'm weird!

Do you have any favorite seasonal foods that are better/different in other parts of the country or world?

A Hershey's Resolution

Today was a long day, and I was surprised to see an envelope from Hershey's when I checked the mail on my way in the door.

In a way - I'm pleasantly surprised that they took the time to respond to my complaint. On the other hand - it seems that a hair through the middle of a Reese's cup (or egg in this case) should be worth more than $9.00 in Hershey bucks. Maybe I just have unfair expectations.... Either way, it'll keep my candy jar in the office full for a month!

No clue what I'm talking about? Click here and then here...

Hershey's Responds

Thank you all for your suggestion to contact Hershey's and share my hairy experience. I don't like to complain...but they really should know about this stuff.

Anywho....

I got a response from Hershey's Consumer Relations department this afternoon.

Thank you for contacting us about REESE'S peanut butter egg. I am sorry to learn of your experience and apologize for the concern this has caused you.Our manufacturing facilities have a comprehensive quality assurance program in place which is taken very seriously. All manufacturing employees and plant visitors are required to wear hair nets and beard nets at all times. This program, as well as a variety of other techniques, helps ensure that our consumers receive a quality product.The information you provided is very helpful. It has been reported to our Quality Assurance Department for review with the manufacturing area.We apologize for the problem you experienced with our product. You will receive reimbursement by postal mail in 2-4 weeks. We appreciate your loyalty as a consumer.

Anyone want to bet that I get a 50 cent coupon in the mail?!?! I guess I'll let you know in...um... 2-4 weeks. All I really wanted was for them to agree that what happened was gross but it would have been cool if they had sent me a gift basket to make up for it! :-)

Dear Hersheys...

Dear Hershey's-
I love your candy! Chocolate kisses; those cute little miniatures; the classic Hershey bar. My favorite candy of yours is by far Reese's Peanut Butter cups. I love them suckers! Make them cute little shapes for holidays... even better! It's like a moth to a flame.

I've had the privilege of visiting Hershey, PA too. You've got great kitschy street lamps topped with faux Hershey kisses. Love 'em. Soooo cute! The ride through your factory smells awesome (naturally!), and the gift shop at the end was a thing of marketing genius. I appreciate the stellar roller coasters in your theme park. So much fun; well worth a road trip for those with kids.

However, after all these kudos... I have to tell you that I'm a little less than happy right now. Know those Peanut Butter Cups I mentioned above? Yeah... I broke open a nice egg shaped one today on the way home from a long day of work. What do I find?!?! HAIR!!!!

That's right. Hair. Running through my candy. ALL the way through the candy.

I know we're in a recession. But... I think that you can still afford hair nets. Please tell me that you can afford hair nets for my sanity; but mostly because I don't want to forgo your candy for the rest of my natural life.

Cuz right now, I'm a little grossed out...