M&Ms in Midtown

There are a few things I like to keep to myself, but last fall, when Baking was published, I ended up confessing to stuff that had been family secrets. Chief among my ‘fess ups was the fact that I burned down by parents’ kitchen and that I got fired from my first baking job. Actually, it felt good to get these things out in the open. A little after that I was urged to make another confession. I was on Faith Middleton’s radio show, The Food Schmooze, when Faith asked me what my secret guilty little pleasure was. Because I love Faith and because I’m not such a good fibber, especially when put on the spot like that, I told the truth immediately: I’m crazy about M&Ms. I’ve always liked them, but now that there are the new dark ones (they’re the ones that come in a purple – my favorite color – bag), it’s bordering on hopeless.

Here’s what I like most about M&Ms: I like that, in the privacy of your own mouth, without another soul knowing, you can crack the sugar coating, eat that completely, then press the now-naked little nubblet of chocolate against the roof of your mouth and let it melt. Eaten that way, one little M&M delivers an awful lot of pleasure for a surprisingly long time. And to keep that good thing going even longer, I buy M&Ms in the biggest-size packs I can find then divvy them up into ziplock plastic bags, so I can have one on the side of the bed (now you know all you have to know about me) and one in my purse, after all, you never know when the subway will get stuck and you’ll need something comforting to tide you over.

Being so nuts about M&Ms for as long as I’ve been – I was brought up on the “melts in your mouth, not in your hands” jingle and tested the veracity of it almost daily – I was pretty excited when I turned a corner on Broadway and discovered that there’s a huge, two-story store devoted to nothing but the little candy. Of course I dashed in, but my visit was brief – there wasn’t an M&M in sight, at least not one that you could eat. AARRGH. When I walked in, I felt like a kid in a candy shop; when I walked out, I still felt like a kid, but a disappointed grumpy kid who’d been let down by the grown-ups. Good thing I still had my plastic-bag stash within reach.

SO NOW HE TELLS ME: Seems like I didn’t explore far enough or high enough. Joshua, our son, says I missed a wall of M&Ms in every possible color as well as the opportunity to pick and choose only the colors I like best. Another AARRGH, but I’ll know for next time.

Comments

[mipmup]

i just saw the bright new colors in my local drugstore the other day (see http://www.mymms.com/22colors/ ). i bet the dark chocolate are delish.

ps just bought "baking" and i am smitten! so glad you're blogging, too!

[Helen]

I feel the same way towards "Smarties" as you do towards M&Ms...ah childhood all over again!

[Rona]

M & M's are great! I haven't been to the boutique but I think you can also have personal messages written on them. My favourites are the red and blue ones. They are wonderful frozen too! Ooh, have you tried the white chocolat ones, Pearls, in honour of Pirates of the Carribean.

[Mmm]

Like you, Dorie, I've never been a milk drinker. I could never get the hang of it, unless it was accompanied by a piece of chocolate, M&Ms being very high on the list of milk goes-perfectly-withs. But not being as disciplined as you with your one-at-a-time make-it-last control, I would take a handful in my mouth and head for the refrigerator for that glass of milk. If I finished the M&Ms while there was still milk in the glass, I'd have to have some more M&Ms. Invariably, the glass would empty while I still had M&Ms in my mouth, and so I'd have to pour some more milk. It almost always took me ("takes me" is more truthful) at least three glasses of milk to get it to come out even. I've always thought a colorful open bowl of M&Ms was such a cheery, hospitable thing to have out, but, for now obvious reasons, we've never been able to make one last long enough for anyone else to enjoy.

[Dorie]

I'm not sure I've ever seen M&Ms and La Maison du Chocolat mentioned in the same sentence! I love the chocolates at La Maison du Chocolat and think that they're among some of the most elegant in the world, but everything's got its place. Much as I love them, I can't imagine chugging downtown on the 9 train, reading my New York Times and munching a fresh-mint ganache bon-bon from La Maison du Chocolat. But after a great dinner, with a strong espresso, as a mid-afternoon treat or late at night "just because", there's no choice -- you can keep the M&Ms; pass the good stuff, please.

[ParisBreakfasts]

Red M & Ms were my 1st lipstick!
How disciplined of you, counting out your M & Ms into travel packs..
I saw that new sign on Broadway but wasn't tempted, having just come out of La Maison du Chocolat nearby.
Next time I will go in!