The relationship between Trick-or-Treater X and Resident Y is undeniably strange. No other social situation genuinely approaches the dynamic created when a small costumed stranger knocks on a door and receives candy from a larger, likely un-costumed adult.

From the perspective of the candy giver, it may be one of the strangest social obligations in existence. In the eyes of a child, it is one of the most exciting nights of the year. Both of these participants represent two completely different emotional investments in a single bizarre evening.

However, there is a bridge between these gaps that is oft overlooked. It presents itself in the form of that climactic moment when a child, either alone or in company, dumps out their pillowcase, pumpkin shaped bucket, or plastic cauldron, to analyze their haul. The nostalgia of this moment is buried in that pile of sugary concoctions, and slowly builds as the candy is carefully sorted and organized by small sets of hands.

If you’re willing to romanticize the experience a little, it can be viewed as an individual’s first material conquest. The candies that spill out onto that floor are not items directly purchased by the child’s parents. Nor are they gifts unwrapped during a birthday or Christmas. They were obtained by a direct action performed by the child, and therefore the senses of ownership and pride are both heightened.

It is this notion of material pride that is very much an adult concept (I won’t go as far as labeling it mature), and it should be the thread that connects the two generations in their Halloween experience. Children comparing candy is no different than adults flaunting new pieces of technology, or inviting people over to see the new bar they put in their basement.

Therefore, as adults it should be our responsibility to put forth a reasonable amount of effort into our candy selections. Although we may be far removed from the youthful vigor that energized Halloweens past, we should still embrace the influence that comes with being on the other side of this timeless interaction.

With that thought in mind, here are a few short candy inspired lists (subjective of course) to help you contribute to the greater cause and make you the coolest house on the block. Keep in mind that Full-Size is the standard that I’m working with. Although King-Size Candy is aptly named, I understand it can be out of one’s budget.

Greatest Hits

1. Milky Way
2. Three Musketeer
3. Snickers
4. Twix
5. M&M’s Plain/Peanut
6. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
7. Kit Kat
8. Hershey Chocolate Bar
9. Nestle Crunch Bar
10. Junior Mints

Non-Chocolate Classics

1. Skittles
2. Starburst
3. Sour Patch Kids
4. Gummy Bears (I prefer Black Forest)
5. Swedish Fish
6. Nerds
7. Twizzlers
8. Sweet Tarts
9. Mike & Ikes

Some Alternative Choices

1. Gummy Food Packs (Burgers, Hotdogs, Pizza)
2. Pretzel M&M’s (Sweet and salty is always a good decision)
3. Fun Dip (interactive but a parent’s nightmare)
4. Ring Pop (or anything resembling candy jewelry)

Candy to Avoid

1. Loose Items/Anything Not Packaged (for the obvious reasons)
2. Candy Corn
3. Mound/Almond Joy (coconut seems too hit or miss with kids)
4. Tootsie Rolls
5. Gum (step up your game people)
6. Milk Duds/Sugar Daddys (aka the teeth destroyers)
7. Whoppers/Malted Milk Balls
8. Black Licorice
9. Ju Ju Bees
10. Good N’ Plenty/Fruity (the evil twin of Mike & Ike’s)

This is just a guideline, based on what I feel younger children prefer on a general basis. I left off some big names and probably overlooked a few more, so please don’t be too critical. Now go and enjoy your Halloween!

Child labor may have been used to make your favorite chocolate candy (Media Credit/Shanubi via Flickr)

Many people are aware that conventionally grown produce is covered in pesticides. Documentaries such as Frontline’s “Modern Meat” and websites such as PETA’s www.meat.org have showed us the horrors of the meat industry. It may be common knowledge that the food industry has a shady side, but it’s still somehow shocking to consider that the adorable chocolate rabbit you were about to bite the head off of may not be so innocent after all.

Giselle Achecar, the life force behind the “eco-edutainment” site Eco-Rico, is passionate about bringing the darker side of the chocolate industry to light. In her Web TV series, Achecar comes across as the younger, sassier, (definitely more caffeinated) version of Paula Deen that you’d like to grab a drink with. What sets both Achecar and Eco-Rico apart from other environmental activist websites is the fact that they are fun. Achecar admits that the topics she discusses can be pretty heavy, but insists that the best way to get one’s message across is through enthusiasm and energy.

First, the bad news: In that West Africa is still predominantly rural, agriculture accounts for 25 percent of its regional GDP, with more than half of jobs based in that sector. Cocoa is the region’s main agricultural export. It is typical for children to work on family farms, and so long as the work is not deemed dangerous and/or preventing a child from attending school, it is not considered child labor. However, the International Labour Organization estimates that 74 million child laborers ages 4 to 15 are engaged in hazardous activities, with 69 percent of those children working in agriculture.

A 2009 publication from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development states, “Recent studies in Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire show that nearly half of all children living on cocoa farms have been engaged in at least one hazardous activity. These include carrying heavy loads, spraying fertilizers and pesticides or cutting trees. In addition, some children have been trafficked from other regions of the country or neighbouring countries. This practice is one that international conventions recognise as criminal.”

So what does corporate chocolate have to say? While representatives from Cadbury (owned by Kraft) and Nestle could not be reached for comment, their websites do address the issue. Cadbury’s site says, “Kraft Foods is involved in substantial efforts designed to ensure that children are not harmed in cocoa farming and worst forms of child labor are eradicated.” Nestle’s site says something similar, claiming, “We fully support the United Nations Global Compact’s guiding principles on human rights and labour and aim to provide an example of good human rights and labour practices throughout our business activities.”

With rhetoric effectively dropped, the issue at hand is still unresolved; protocols, organizations and corporations may claim to have the best of intentions, but child labor is still being used to produce chocolate.

“It is a sick, sick irony that the same chocolate that you and me and everyone else that hands out chocolate to little happy trick-or-treaters on Halloween is the same chocolate that is being farmed by kids just like them,” said Achecar.

Thankfully, Achecar reminds us that supporting such practices is completely avoidable. While she refrains from lauding one brand over another, she does emphasize the importance of making sure any all chocolate purchased is fair trade certified. Ultimately, this ensures three things: the product is produced in an environmentally sustainable fashion, the workers are paid fair wages, and no forced or abusive child labor was involved. Purchasing fair trade items is an incredibly small act with an incredibly large impact.

In addition to being better for the world, fair trade chocolate is also better for you. “Chocolate is one of the most complex foods,” Achecar said. “It has over 300 identifiable chemical compounds that are proven mood-lifters.” In order to benefit from these compounds, chocolate has to be 70 percent cocoa, otherwise the added milk and sugar diminishes the effect.

For more information about the health benefits of fair trade certified chocolate and for delicious recipes using it, go to eco-rico.com. Further information on child labor and cocoa can be found at www.ilo.org, and information regrading Fair Trade is available at www.transfairusa.org.

Have you ever found yourself wishing that you could solve some of life’s most aggravating issues with a lollipop or two? With Three Lollies’ Smoking Sucks and Hangover Sucks lollipops, pesky, inconvenient hangovers and unhealthy nicotine addictions can be cured with a number of all-natural flavors.

Creators Noni Martin, a registered nurse, and Jim Pathman, a licensed clinical psychologist, have crafted Smoking Sucks and Hangover Sucks to ease your ailments and addictions with the convenience of portability.

“We’re helping people feel better with a natural product,” Pathman said.

Any smoker can break the hand-to-mouth smoking habit with the choice between wintergreen, pineapple and cinnamon suckers.  One of the main ingredients, an amino acid called L-tryptophan, helps curb nicotine addiction, and the natural sugar in the candy mimics the calming effect of the sugar in cigarettes to help erase any need for the cancer sticks without the added chemicals or nicotine.

Those trying to banish their nicotine addictions may be skeptical of the success behind these lollipops, but a number of factors play into ending the need for the smokes. Cigarette addiction has strong ties with habitual actions, and Smoking Sucks mirrors this by having the smoker pull the lollipop out of the box, just as they would with cigarettes, and pop it in their mouth, easing the oral fixation associated with smoking–just don’t take a lighter to the end of your lollipop stick!

Pathman says that the products are, “natural, clean, and a fantastic alternative to quit smoking.”

On a bright sunny Sunday morning when you’re suffering from the aftermath of the wild night before, ease your pounding headache with a ginger, raspberry or lime Hangover Sucks pop.  The science behind these Three Lollies miracle pops involves a combination of Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin C, thought to ease hangover symptoms.

It has been scientifically proven that alcohol depletes our bodies of the vitamins that we need to function properly, leaving us dehydrated and hungover. The Vitamin B Complex in Hangover Sucks helps regulate water in the body, dilate blood vessels and metabolize last night’s alcohol, while the Vitamin C helps boost the immune system.

“We really needed to have a product to help people with hangovers,” Pathman said. “Responses have been really positive.”

A pack of cigarettes can easily be replaced with a seven-pack of Smoking Sucks that will set you back only $4.95, and  Hangover Sucks pops cost just $4.50 per pack of six.

Three Lollies also produces Preggie Pops, Queasy Pops, and Queasy Pop Kids, which combine essential oil flavors and aromatherapy to ease uneasy stomachs.  Three Lollies pops are even kosher!

These medicinal sweets can be purchased online at www.threelollies.com, www.licksmoking.com and www.hangoversucks.com.

Lets face it: We never fully outgrow the excitement of peering into an over-sized pillowcase full of candy. Whether you’re 7 or 37, there is something consistently enjoyable about indulging in a sugar rush that can only be acquired by ringing doorbells in a crazy outfit — something that’s acceptable for only one night  a year. Blast Magazine has composed a list of our top 10 favorite treats of the season.

10. KIT KAT

Timeless and always filling, every bite of a Kit Kat is crunchy and delicious. “It’s all about the noise that it makes when you bite in,” said Sarah Hamma, 18, a freshman at Boston College.

9. SKITTLES

These little pieces of the rainbow are chewy, fruity, and a nice change from chocolate. “The sour ones are really my favorite because you can suck all of the coating off of them, and then they’re chewy and sweet,” said Hamma.

8. NERDS

It’s impossible to mistake the sound of the colorful sugar bits rattling around in their box. They may not be chocolate, but there’s no lack of sweetness here. “I really like the fruity candies,” said Bubly. “Gotta love artificial sweetener, right?”

7. BUTTERFINGER

It’s a candy bar that’s guaranteed to stick to your teeth. Although you’ll probably get cavities in the process of eating one, they’re hard to resist. “I’d always save these for last,” said Brittany Russell, a junior at Northeastern University. “[I looked] forward to eating one two months after Halloween was over.”

6. M&MS

Whether they’re crunchy, peanut or just plain chocolate, their colorful appeal and snackable size puts them on the list. “Those were my favorite,” said Jackie Ferrante, an art major at Northeastern. “M&Ms just scream ‘Halloween’ to me.”

5. TOOTSIE ROLLS

Forever classic, Tootsie Rolls have been around for upwards of 120 years, and a Halloween wouldn’t be complete without them.

4. TWIX

Twix bars offer the never failing combination of chocolate and caramel, but with a twist—or shall we say, crunch? “The bite is so satisfying,” said Ferrante.

3. REESE’S

Peanut butter goes well with just about anything, but especially with chocolate. “Reese’s was always my favorite thing to get in my bag,” said Russell. “I’d always trade other candy with my friends so I could get Reese’s.”

2. SNICKERS

It’s the perfect mixture of texture and taste: Slightly salted peanuts balance the sweet taste of chocolate, nougat, and caramel. Together, they make for an always satisfying bite.

1. CANDY CORN

Maybe it’s cliché, but it wouldn’t be Halloween without them. “There’s no other part of the year I actually like candy corn,” said Bubly.  “But when Halloween comes around, I can always eat it.”

A Worcester institution will shutter after its venerable owner and founder couldn’t get anyone to take over the family business.

William Prifti of Prifti’s Homemade Candies, now 86, started his candy shop in 1965. He told the Worcester Telegam & Gazetta recently that the work has become too much for him, and no one has stepped up to take over the candy business he started in 1965.

Prifti is legally blind and relies on his sense of touch to do much of the work these days.

The paper reported that Prifti is originally from Albania and learned the candy trade while living in Turkey.

“I make everything. You want it I make it. … I make white chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, nougat,” Prifti told New England Cable News.

The store drew customers from all over the Northeast and was a landmark for chocolate lovers for generations.

But, as is with many family businesses, when Prifti closes his shop and looks toward old age, he has to accept that his signature trade, his recipes, and the unforgettable taste of his white chocolate lollipops may one day die with him.

Take it all in — the scents, the tastes, the sugar. It’s about memories of little league games and summer camp.

We in Generation Y had it good. We saw the emergence of the sourest candies ever made, while the good old candies you could choke on were still there.

From our sugary amazingnesses to favorite fast food, here’s a list of 10 things that taste like our childhood.

1. Airheads

The originals are still available. (Media credit/Travis Hornung/Flickr)

After taffy, there were Airheads. These babies are flattened sugar with artificial flavoring. Mmmm.

Manufactured by Perfetti Van Melle of Erlanger, Kentucky for the past two decades, the mini ones are a tease, but the big, full size, foil-packaged Airheads really do bring back memories. You could get more than one for a dollar at the concession stand at the little league field. Watermelon is particularly good, but we also remember the sour varieties and the odd “white” Airhead.

Kids today know of Airheads because they’ve done a Spongebob variety and in 2007 and 2008, a new “BerryHot” flavor gets warm in your mouth, and “Chillin” flavors are supposed to have a “cold” feeling. They aren’t the same. The originals are still available, and that’s all that matters.

2. Play-Doh

You know you went for it at least once. (Media credit/WikiMedia)

You don’t have to admit that you might have nibbled on the product of your Fun Factory. It’s OK. You ate the Doh. We know it.

We didn’t have clay growing up. We had Play-Doh. Originally created in the 1940s as a wallpaper cleaner, the makers soon realized kids were playing with it. Play-Doh was born. The product may have had its golden age slightly before our generation, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find a single kid our age (and by kid, we mean mid 20s) that didn’t play with Play-Doh growing up.

And don’t worry; it’s non-toxic.

3. Atomic Fireballs

15 million Fireballs are consumed weekly (Media credit/pgh_shutter/Flickr)

Round, red, hot. Nello Ferrara’s 1954 contribution to the candy world was extremely popular in the 80s and 90s when we were sucking them down, and we might still be found trying to talk to our boss with an Atomic Fireball that leaves our mouth red.

The company claims that 15 million atomic fireballs are consumed by Americans every week.

This is one of those things that, when we’re 50, we can tell our kids that “back in our day, Atomic Fireballs were a nickel. A NICKEL!”

Atomic Fireballs are part of the Jawbreaker family. There are also four flavors of Atomic Sourball.

4. Plastic

Everything we touched was made of plastic. (Media credit/Kat Gloor/Flickr)

Sippy cups. Action figures. Furniture. Buttons. Pens. Soda bottles. Baby dolls.

Almost every freakin thing we touched — and subsequently put in our months — as kids was made of plastic.

We were born in the plastic revolution. Do you know what they used to use before plastic? GLASS!

We didn’t use glass. The only things made of glass back in our day were Gatorade bottles.

One Blast editor said she can’t smell plastic without thinking of her Glo Worm, which she’d always have in her mouth as a child.

Plastic has since been vilified. You don’t even see plastic bags at the supermarket anymore.

5. Fundip and Pixy Stix

Pure, tooth-rotting sugar (Media credit/WikiMedia)

This is candy. Pure, tooth-rotting sugar that will make you bounce off the walls 20 minutes before you pass out from the crash.

Fun Dip has been on the market since 1942, when it was called Lik-M-Aid. We remember the stick is called Lik-A-Stix. It was white and flavorless, and that’s how we liked it. Willy Wonka Candy Company ruined Fun Dip by making the stick flavored in the modern era.

Fun Dip is the same sugar as Pixy Stix. Three flavors come in a package, separated, of course. The stick becomes a yucky mess.

Good times.

6. Candy Cigarettes

I never got the urge to smoke. (Media credit/WikiMedia)

In 1991 the government tried to ban candy cigarettes.

They failed, but the fun chalky pretend cigarettes with a red tip are all but gone now. The bubblegum ones were not very good because the paper tasted, well, like paper. The chalky candy ones were fun to suck on and pretend we were having a good ol’ smoke.

I never had the urge to actually smoke because of candy cigarettes.

According to Wikipedia, candy cigarettes are banned Finland, Norway, Ireland, Turkey and Saudi Arabia .

Still, it was fun to buy a pack whenever the ice cream truck came up the hill when I was a kid.

7. McDonald’s French Fries

Hey Jimmy, what did you win in the Monopoly game? OBESITY! (Media credit/Scorpions and Centaurs/Flickr)

McDonald’s used to cook with trans fats. I think it even used animal fat before our time.

French fries are God-awful for you. Dietitians will tell you that they’re one of the worst things you could possibly consume.

Fuck that.

OK, so I have gone a whole year without eating a single French fry, but McDonald’s French fries are the best French fries in the world, perhaps second only to the Glenwood Drive-In in Hamden, Connecticut.

They’ve tasted the same since we were kids. They’re delicious, and we’re all fat today because of them.

But…memories…

8. Big League Chew

It comes in a pouch! Cool! You mean they make tobacco in a pouch too? Gross! (Media credit/thinkjose/Flickr)

Here’s another attempt by big tobacco to get kids hooked, right?

Horseshit.

The only bad thing about Big League Chew was that the taste didn’t last very long, and you always had to go “dipping” for more.

The original was good, but I always bit down on a big wad of watermelon when I was on the pitcher’s mound in my little league glory days. My teeth ache at the memory of chewing down on a golf ball-sized wad of gum.

9. Sunny Delight

I don’t know what’s in Sunny D. I don’t wanna know what’s in Sunny D. All I know is that it was better than soda, OJ and that purple stuff, and it’s got healthy junk in it.

10. Old-School Doritos

75 cents! Back in my day!

Jesus Christ, is it any wonder we’re all out of shape?

But do you remember old-school Doritos? Before “Nacho Cheesier” and “Collisions” came to be? Back when it was just a cheesy corn chip?

Really, all you needed were Doritos, Fritos, some pretzels and maybe some Smartfood Popcorn, and you’ve got yourself a party!

There were some failed experiments. Remember Doritos 3D?

Plus, Doritos always has great Superbowl commercials.

What did I miss? Share your favorite reminiscent tastes in the comments section!

Blast columnist Lindsay Milgroom and writers Sam Peters and Brooklynne Peters contributed to this report

In the face of a nationwide recall of peanut butter products, Tasty Baking Company and Mars Snackfood each followed suit with Hershey in asserting their foods are safe and not affected by the Salmonella outbreak.

“All Tastykake products, including the iconic Peanut Butter Kandy Kake, are safe for consumption and not included in the national recall program,” Tasty Baking said Sunday night in a statement. “Tasty Baking Company does not have a supplier relationship with Peanut Corporation of America.”

“Mars Snackfood US remains confident in the safety and quality of our products that contain peanut butter, all of which are safe to enjoy,” Mars echoed Sunday night. “Mars does not receive or process any peanuts or peanut butter from Peanut Corporation of America or King Nut, the companies that, according to FDA’s most recent update on its investigation, appear to be the source of contaminated product. In addition, we have not been asked by the FDA to recall any products in relation to the current investigation into salmonella.”

Mars makes its own peanut butter for most of its products.

The following Mars Snackfood US products contain peanut butter and are safe, according to the company:

• M&M’S Peanut Butter Chocolate Candies
• Snickers Bars
• Snickers Brand Ice Cream
• Twix Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
• Kudos Peanut Butter Granola Bars
• Ethel M Chocolates and ethel’s chocolate lounge