A Hard Candy Christmas: Advent 2023, DAY 9

Today's candy isn't a candy that I think tastes good. In fact, most of these varieties are wretched. But, as a culinary teacher, I love these confections as they're a great prank to pull on my students. I'm talking about the candy canes of various unusual flavors by Seattle kitsch distributor, Archie McPhee!

Past flavors of candy canes I have tricked students with include anchovy, butter, hot dog, ketchup, bacon and brisket. And you might be wondering why would I want to give my students such unusual candy canes? Well it all has to do with candy in of itself. See, the biggest tool to motivate students is candy. Kids will study, do homework, conduct school district required surveys and take practice quizzes for candy. They don't seem to care about extra credit anymore. If it's anything sweet and edible, they'll do something for it. Even going so far as to clean the culinary lab without complaint. Except for asking 'when do I get my candy?'

During my first year teaching, I complained to my wife at how students were going into my candy supply without asking. Then COVID hit and we didn't come back into the classroom until 2022. That year, my wife was flipping through an Archie McPhee catalog when she noticed that they sold candy canes in weird flavors. Knowing that I wanted to strike back at the kids who were taking advantage of my reputation as a Candy Man, she ordered me a couple of varieties of candy canes. I think she ordered ketchup, mac and cheese and maybe pickle. Well, the next day (after they arrived), I went and bought some regular candy canes and mixed them in with the other candy canes and I left them on my desk to conduct the sort of flavor experiment that only Bertie Botz could appreciate. 

Over the next few days, while I was teaching in the lab, I'd hear kids from my office going 'YUCK! That's disgusting!' to which I would reply 'Candy Cane?' A couple of tense seconds later, the kid would sheepishly admit 'yeah...' and I'd get a tiny bit of satisfaction in knowing I just taught them a lesson about stealing. Jump ahead to now and students ask permission first before going into my 'World Famous Candy Box'. Then they ask if what I have on hand is actually what's on the package or if what I have to offer is also a trick.

2023's offerings are hot dog (a classic!), Caesar salad, gravy and possum! According to Archie McPhee, possum tastes like pork. I'll take their world for it as I don't have the nerve to try it myself. 

For some reason, I'm having trouble giving this year's set of candy canes away. The general consensus when I offer one of my students one of these treats has been 'HELL NO!' That's been the response every. single. time. Okay. Maybe offering trick candy can go too far... 

Nahhhhhhhhhhhh.

The Secrets of Houdini by J.C. Cannell

Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926. Before his death, he made his wife Bess promise to reach him from the beyond with an annual seance. Bess would attempt every Halloween night to reach her husband until her death in 1943 at age 67. With each failed attempt, the widow would expose the fraudulent medium as her husband would do vehemently in his later years. With all that history revolving around nearly 2 decades of Halloween night explorations into the unknown, it's no wonder I chose to read this non-fiction work for my October reads.

The book I had came with a copyright of 1989. Only, there's no way that this book came from that decade. J.C. Cannell, who wrote this look at how Houdini did many of his famous tricks died in 1953. According to Magicpedia, the one-time vice-president of London's The Magician's Club wrote The Secrets of Houdini in 1931. Now you might think it scandalous that such a well known member of the magician community would write a book exposing how the world's former greatest illusionist and escape artist performed his tricks. But crafting such a book was one of Houdini's last wishes before he died. 

J.C. Cannell's writing is definitely of the time period. But that's okay as I've read a few non-fiction works from the 1930s before. So I was used to the excessive use of titles atop each page that kinda details what you'll be reading. The prose is sensationalist, reflecting the yellow journalism melodrama of the early 20th century. 

When Cannell writes about Houdini's life and times, it's a really great read. I also enjoyed the chapter on how mediums 'conjuror spirits' as well as a lot of Houdini's quick escape and quick change tricks.  Man, does this book make me want to learn more about picking locks. A lot of these solutions are so simplistic. I felt embarrassed that in all my years of watching magic shows, that I never picked up on how they really were done. 

If ever a book needed some diagrams and pictures, it's this one. There are a few diagrams at the beginning. But they all go away by the time we get to the chapters on rope tricks and card tricks. These were also the hardest chapters to read. No matter how much I'd re-read an explanation, I just can't visualize how these tricks were done. It's probably why I always failed at my attempts at magic with those kits one would get at the toy store. I never could make them work. Plus, with the illusion shattered, I lost interest. 

This book is full of about a dozen pages full of black and white photos. These pictures show elements of Houdini's life and career that aren't mentioned at all. I didn't know Houdini was a movie star. And I would've liked to learn more about the trick when Houdini jumps from a moving plane onto the wing of another- without a parachute! That's definitely the kind of trick you can only mess up once!

Next October, I want to continue learning about Houdini. Only this time, I want a more conventional biography. I'm sure there's something decent out there. For now, I'm passing this book off to my wife. She always asks me 'How do they do that?' when a magic act stumps her on America's Got Talent. Maybe I can explain the escapes and the supernatural acts and she can get me a better understanding of those card tricks. But once she's done reading it, I'll probably sell it or donate it to a thrift story in hopes of inspiring another amateur conjurer.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.