Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Hello, friends, non-friends, and people who hate on candy corn for absolutely no reason.
It’s October, otherwise known as spooky season, and it’s that time of year when Halloween candy moves to the front of the stage for its moment in the spotlight.
Hershey’s Minis, Hershey Kisses, Smarties, the little packs of Starbursts — they are all out there for their moment of glory, and I’m here for it.
Included in that mix is my beloved candy corn.
Candy corn is a probably the world’s most polarizing candy choice; people either hate it or love it; there is no in between.
I am a huge fan of candy corn and its country cousin, the mellow cream (or mellow creme or mellowcreme or mellowcream depending on which brand is selling it).
Both are decidedly delicious sugary treats that I only eat at this time of year, and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, I am done with it because I have to give my body a break from all the sugar.
Each year, I go on Amazon and buy the Brach’s combo that comes with a 2.5 pound bag of candy corn and a 2.5 pound bag of mellowcremes. I never actually finish them all, and that’s OK. During that short window of time between the beginning of October and the approach of Thanksgiving, I get my fill of both of these delightful confections, and then I move on with my life.
You know what I don’t do? I don’t hate on the people who don’t partake of candy corn. We all have our preferences, and that’s OK.
We should not be out here yucking anyone’s yum, except if that yum is sugar in your grits because then I’m yucking that shit all damn day. Stay tuned for more on that next week.
Genetta Adams, who is my editor here, said to me recently, “I say it all the time, and I’ll say it every day all day: Candy Corn is sugared wax. I will stand by that until I’m in the grave.”
I wanted to say something smart back, but I didn’t. Instead, I wrote this and included her quote so y’all can yell at her on Twitter or something. Fair warning, if this link to her Twitter account is still in the post when it publishes, you know that means she wants all the smoke, right? Just know she’s from Stockton, Calif., and I hear them people like to fight.
There are other candy corn haters out there. They reveal themselves every year at this time, tagging me in posts across social media platforms to poke fun at me and otherwise taunt me about my love for what some of them have called “the devil’s ear wax.”
I don’t listen to those people.
I am a candy corn lover, and I always will be. It tastes good; it satisfies my sweet tooth, and it’s something that I look forward to enjoying every fall. Absolutely no one is going to take that away from me.
Candy corn today. Candy corn tomorrow. Candy corn …
Monique Judge is a storyteller, content creator and writer living in Los Angeles. She is a word nerd who is a fan of the Oxford comma, spends way too much time on Twitter, and has more graphic t-shirts than you. Follow her on Twitter @thejournalista or check her out at moniquejudge.com.
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