Some old tricks and treats...

It's my first Halloween as a homeowner and, being the goof that I am, I'm pretty excited. I have pumpkins on the porch (I fought the slight urge to get the bale of hay, too), a little sign that says "Trick-or-Treaters Welcome" stuck in the mulch and lots of candy rearing to go. In addition to buying the normal stuff (Butterfinger, Snickers, etc...) I also found myself doing something strange: I bought some mini granola bars. Now I'm not crazy enough to think that those things are actually healthful. They have corn syrup, chocolate chips, etc... but somehow, the oats make it all right, you know?

I remember trick-or-treating (although I don't ever remember it being this warm!) like it was yesterday. The sweaters and coats that hid the cool costumes. The old lady down around the block who gave out pennies. The guy next door who was an exec at Frito-Lay and, thus, gave out bags of chips. Oh, and the lady who gave out apples. My parents would take those out of my bag before we even got to the next house... In the trash they went, whether they had razor blades in them or not.

What's the craziest thing you ever got when you were a wee trick-or-treater? How about your favorite treat? I just hope I don't go down in history as the lady who gives out oats to the kids in my neighborhood...

Photo credit: photos.com

Happy early Chinese New Year!

This Sunday marks the beginning of Chinese New Year, and if you're planning to throw your own celebration, make sure to stop by the Cincinnati Asian Market on Reading Road in Evendale. I went there for the first time a couple of weeks ago when I was working on a Chinese New Year story, and I was amazed by the size of the place. It should really be called the Cincinnati Asian Supermarket -- it's got aisles and aisles of fresh and frozen fruit, vegetables, seafood and other meats, dried foods, sweets, hot prepared foods and health and beauty products (including Asian versions of familiar-looking products you can find in American supermarkets and drugstores). When I visited a couple of weeks ago, they had a table piled high with Chinese New Year supplies -- trays of candy, paper lanterns, bright red banners bearing Chinese couplets and more. Today I'm sharing some peanut buttery candies that came in a gold plastic pig (it will be the Year of the Pig) and a dish of coconut candy with my co-workers. I think I might need to make another trip there this weekend...