When Institutions Die

I don’t have much of a sweet tooth now, but as a kid, it was a different story. Our nurse mother didn’t allow us to have sweets very often, so that may have been part of what made candy such a treat. Now after years of food manufacturers adding sugar to everything, and now that we’re aware of the hazardous role sugar plays in our health, candy is not the sure fired treat it once was. And according to the business pages, selling candy isn’t working out too well either as candy companies go bankrupt.

When I read the other day that the 171-year old candy maker known for its chalky Necco Wafers and for Clark Bars was auctioned off, it triggered a sad nostalgia. Those sugary wafers had been around since way before my father was a kid, and he claimed they were his favorite. Until this announcement, I believed that Neccos would always be around, especially since the iconic candies shaped like Valentine hearts with messages printed on them were made from the same recipe.

As for Clark Bars, they were my very favorite. As a teenager, I once bought a box of a dozen Clark Bars with my babysitter money, and hide it under my bed. My hope was that my five siblings wouldn’t find it, and I could have them all to myself. But once the chocolate peanut butter treats were so readily available, I soon had my fill. It may have been the first time I realized you can have too much of a good thing.

So what is the loss for me and for our communities if these products disappear from the store shelves? For me, they are the loss of a link to my past, to my Dad and his generation, and I had hoped, to my grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and their generations. We grieve the loss of objects that remind us of who we used to be, and that contain memories too pleasant to forget.