This is an important question that absolutely no one asked me.
If I were stranded on a desert island and, for reasons we don't need to examine too closely, I was allowed to bring exactly five candies with me, what would I choose?
First, some ground rules. In this hypothetical situation, I already have water, food, shelter and sunscreen. We're not thinking about survival here. We're thinking about morale. And apparently, without meaning to, I have chosen a surprisingly tropical candy lineup. Honestly? My taste buds understood the assignment.
1. Piña Colada Slices
One of my forever favourites.
These have those creamy coconut notes mixed with everything tropical, and they are just the perfect little bite. I don't even need the desert island excuse to put these on my list. If you've ever asked me what candy you should try, there's a very good chance I've tried to make you eat one of these.
Also, we're on an island. Piña colada anything feels correct.
2. Sour Pineapple Rings
A MEGA fan favourite, and for good reason.
These pack a serious sour punch right out of the gate. They're not pretending to be sour. They get you immediately, and then eventually settle into that sweet pineapple flavour. It's a journey. A delicious, slightly in-your-face journey.
And once again, apparently I'm really leaning into the island theme here.
3. Pink Grapefruit Bears
If candy could somehow be refreshing, these would be it. They taste like a fizzy little grapefruit drink. Slightly bubbly, a little tart, sweet, and SO delicious.
In my desert island fantasy, I would eat these at approximately 4 pm every day and pretend it was cocktail hour. We have to maintain some standards.
4. Purple Fizzy Rings
Are these tropical? No. Could they potentially be fashioned into a tiny life raft? Also no. But visually, they are rings, so I'm counting them as emergency flotation devices, naturally.
More importantly, they're completely delicious. They have this amazing dual texture and such a good sweet-sour balance that I simply refuse to be stranded without them. Survival is about making difficult choices. This isn't one of them.
5. Blue Gummy Sharks
Obviously there need to be sharks around my desert island, but only the sweet kind. These are a mash-up of cherry, lemon-lime and blue raspberry, and they taste like those red, white and blue rocket pops you ate as a kid on ridiculously hot summer days.
They do absolutely everything right, and, in my opinion, they are the superior gummy shark. I said what I said, no notes!
Apparently I Have a Type
I genuinely didn't set out to make this list tropical. Piña colada, Pineapple, Grapefruit, with a little touch of Sharks. I guess, if you leave me alone with the candy shelves long enough, I will instinctively prepare for an imaginary beach vacation.
And honestly, these aren't here because they fit the theme. They're here because I really, really love them. If you haven't tried one of these yet, consider this your completely unsolicited recommendation.
Now comes the difficult part.
You're headed to the desert island. You get five candies. That's it. What are you bringing?
