What kind of Halloween candy are you buying?

Last year, the first October after I'd moved into a new place, I'd completely forgotten about buying Halloween sweets. So when the first group of kids came by in their costumes for trick or treat, I realized I hadn't bought any candy, flailed around for a second or two, then lamely offered them some leftover meatloaf sandwiches.

Naturally, the kids shook their heads and muttered something like, "Get on the ball, man."

This year, I vowed not to be taken by surprise and stocked up on candies at the supermarket. Unfortunately, my selections drew some odd stares from a friend.

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You see, I'd gone straight for the candies I'd always liked as a kid, and still had the occasional craving for: Goldenberg's Peanut Chews (probably the only supermarket-aisle chocolate candy I like, but something most of my friends have never even heard of), Swedish Fish (I've always been into how it's got that salty coat), and Sour Patch Kids (they weren't around when I was a kid, but I came to appreciate the outer layer's mouth-puckering power when I was a nanny). I love chocolate, but consider most milk-chocolate candies to barely fit into the category. I also liked those little crunchy sesame-honey bars when I was kid, but never see them around anymore.

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Anyway, my friend basically said that my selection would appeal to the odd kids, and that most ordinary children would be nonplussed and might ask for "the real candy." Figuring I ought to buy the candy kids want, since it's really their holiday (also, to be honest, I've already finished off all the Peanut Chews myself, and am down to my last Swedish Fish), I just bought a bag of Blow Pops.

So here's my question: What candies should I be buying for Halloween? What are you all buying? Should I be buying this stuff at all? Should I be handing out those little sample toothpastes I still have from the dentist's office instead?

Michael Y. Park is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. He studied medieval history as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, and journalism as a graduate student at New York University. His stories have appeared in publications including The New York Times, the New York Post, and the Toronto Globe and Mail.

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