Candies?

I have to admit, I love to watch people practicing their craft. Especially crafts most of the world believes are dead. Living in Western North Carolina I am afford many opportunities to pause and observe woodcarvers, dye makers, weavers, cabin builders, and any number of other true abilities. There are also places where, if you take the time to really see what you are looking at, you can find this same type of craftsmanship in Walt Disney World and Disneyland. My favorite place to find people taking pride in there work is the Confectionary on Main Street U.S.A.

It is hard to pass the Confectionary without feeling a rumbly in your tumbly. This is in part due to the Smellitzer, a Disney patented machine from Bob McCarthy that releases scents into a given area. The burning city scent in the Rome scene of Spaceship Earth, honey in Winnie-the-Pooh, oranges in the desert of Horizons, and the smell of fresh baked goodies at the Main Street Bakery are all prime examples of the Smellitzer’s fine work. Coincidently, if you catch a scent of some sugary sweet near the Confectionary and walk inside, while there will also be sweet scents inside, I imagine that the scent you sniffed outside will be nowhere to be found.

The underappreciated joy of the Confectionary sits right in the front window (at Disneyland), and from panel windows inside the rear of the shop (at the Magic Kingdom). This is where real magic happens, where artists take basic ingredients and create some of the finest candy you have ever put in your mouth. Treats of yesterday like Pecan Rolls, Peanut Brittle, and Fudge can all be found beyond this glass. Once prepared, these treats make there way to the sales floor of the Confectionary to satisfy the sweet tooth of candy coinsurers.

This is an example of the candy craftsmen’s (and women’s) handiwork, the candy apple my wife purchased while on our honeymoon in Disneyland. It was half the size of her head and took her two and a half days to eat, but, since it was our honeymoon it was also “calorie free.” Near the end she was peeling pieces of candy off because we were afraid the apple was going to turn rotten, and she didn’t want to waste the delicious candy and nut coating.