The Hoddle of Coffee: Tottenham Hotspur news and links for Friday, October 26

Hey, everyone!

I’ve had “favorite candies” in my notes for a while, so I’ll just ramble about it now.

Ramble of the Day

From what I can remember, my first favorite candy bar was Hershey’s Cookies ‘n’ Cream. I probably could not make it further than a couple of bites today, considering I have a tough time eating a lot of milk chocolate now because I find it too sweet, but I loved that mixture of white chocolate and cookie pieces as a kid. Whenever my dad would bring us candy on his way out of work, my answer was always the same. I could eat an entire bar in one sitting, which is also probably something I couldn’t manage happily today, either.

Eventually, I either grew tired of the Cookies ‘n’ Cream, developed a more sophisticated palate, or Hershey discontinued them, and I had to move on. I alternated between mini M&M’s and Nestlé Crunch when Dad asked, and I began to realize my candy tastes. I liked chocolate a lot more than any other type of candy, and I also liked my chocolate plain. (I did not realize at the time that Crunch had crisped rice in the chocolate, and didn’t bother thinking about where the crunch came from.) Other than Crunch, that idea was true — I could eat a classic Hershey’s milk chocolate bar with no problem, but didn’t want one with those pesky almonds. (I didn’t want nuts in my baked goods either, a position I have since changed my mind on.)

Finally, my older sister taught me that chocolate can taste good with other things, and I moved on to the likes of Milky Way, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and even Three Musketeers. I was growing and maturing, as I also started watching adult television shows and movies that were too old for me as a young teenager. I enjoyed it all happily and freely, feeling so mature even though I was probably just as normal as they come. (I wasn’t as weird as I am now, and I don’t really know how I got here, but I did.)

As I approached the end of my teen years and the beginning of my adult years, though, my tastes began to change. I started thinking about sugar, and how you don’t always need as much as you think in things like candy. I also realized that I liked certain things more bitter and stronger: chocolate, coffee, lemonade — you name it. I began eating a lot of dark chocolate, skipping sugar (and eventually milk) with my coffee, and making lemonade with a full lime because it’s more sour than a lemon and then adding a splash of unsweetened cranberry juice, which is more sour than a lime.

All I buy now is dark chocolate, and the only candy I went out of my way to buy recently was some dark chocolate peanut butter cups. I probably need some more candy.

tl;dr: A history of my favorite candies.

Links of the Day

Robin van Persie will retire at the end of the season, and will have completed 18 seasons as a professional when the time comes.

Manchester United will contest the FA’s charge against José Mourinho after his altercation with Chelsea assistant Marco Ianni.

Naby Keïta’s younger brother Petit is reportedly training with Liverpool.

Pep Guardiola has picked out the six songs that define his life, from family to football.

Today’s longer read: Gabriele Marcotti on the power struggles and big decisions highlighting today’s meeting of the FIFA Council that might change the sporting calendar as we know it for ESPN