I told my work that I needed to make an emergency trip to Cleveland. Naturally, they became pretty alarmed. I needed to see the largest candy store in America. Only one person agreed with me after this revelation that it was indeed an emergency.
I had planned a weekend trip around b.a. Sweetie Candy Company, which is said to be the largest on the continent. Who doesn’t love candy? It became a must-visit. As with all my trips, big and small, we were going to see what else there was to do in the Cleveland area.
I have been quite impressed with Cleveland. Three of our excursions have focused on this city, with more to come. There are a lot of places to visit and explore, and it is relatively close to home, so we can go for a weekend if we so desire.
We found b.a. Sweetie Candy Company easily enough. There was ample free parking, and we passed their dessert bar when we entered. They even had the option to make an ice cream float out of the 200 varieties of pop they carried. What a fantastic idea.
We perused the store, trying to find unique and hard-to-find candy treats. I am always up for something new, so when we finally found their pop selection, it was hard to limit what I was going to try.
WOW! LOOK! They have mustard pop. It must be good; otherwise, they will not be selling it. With all the excitement like a kid in a candy store, I grabbed this unique flavour of pop and asked Charlene if she wanted one for herself.
My only response was a stern look of disgust.
Fine, you don’t know what you are missing!
We walked past the dessert bar on our way out, and I wondered what a mustard ice cream float would be like.
I got into the car, snapped a picture of this sparkling delight, and twisted the top off. Like any connoisseur of fine drinks, I sniffed it and allowed it to breathe. I offered Charlene the glory of having the first sip, which she surprisingly refused.
Again, you don’t know what you are missing!
I pursed my lips. Tipped the bottle. Allowed the yellow fluid to flow over my tongue and experienced something that I rarely experienced when it comes to food:
REGRET.
It was disgusting.
I know disgusting, and this was it.
I have had dill pickle pop, unicorn vomit pop, popped pimple pop, bacon pop, peanut butter and jam pop, and so many other odd-flavoured pops, and not one of them came close to the gross, disgusting taste of mustard pop.
Charlene looked at me with her usual “told you so” face she makes when a decision of mine doesn’t pan out.
I would start to drive and not be one to waste money; I would try to drink from the bottle. But each sip was getting farther and farther apart until I decided there was no way I would finish this. I threw out the contents.
Sometimes, life offers a bottle of regret. Sometimes, you don’t need to drink it all; you can throw it out instead. My day was filled with regret, which stained my tongue for hours with its putrid aftertaste. I do regret getting the mustard pop. But what I regret even more was not buying the ketchup pop to wash away the flavour.
- b.a. Sweetie Candy Company can be found on my All The Places We Have Been Map.
- They have many more candy options. The only regret you might have is spending too much.
