Saw a photo of a man with a lollipop in his mouth. It made me smile.
How can that candy on a stick bring joy to anyone who pops it in their mouth?
Is it the color? Red. Orange. Yellow. Green. Purple. Sometimes, it's a combination of colors that make it fascinating.
Is it the flavor? Strawberry or cherry for red. Lemon for yellow and orange for... well, orange. Grape for purple. And oh, there's chocolate, too!
When children are old enough to eat candy, the first one they get a taste of is... lollipop! Why?
Probably because the risk of a child swallowing the whole candy is less than when they're given small candies.
See, with a lollipop, an adult can hold the candy and just let the kid lick it little by little.
On the other hand, a candy is popped into the mouth and can easily slide down the throat. Kids have little control of their mouth, both the tongue and throat, to prevent it from going straight down and blocking their air passage.
It's not to encourage parents or guardians to ply little children with lollipop just because it's safer, but if you want to give them some kind of treat, this is way better.
Meanwhile, if you're not a kid and just want to kick back and relax, sitting down with your feet up and a lollipop in your mouth is one way to do it.
Doesn't the thought bring a smile to your face?
Or... if you're in some snit and want to punch someone, try unwrapping a red lollipop and stuffing this in your mouth then suck. That burst of flavor can be quite distracting.
Ever tried thinking your way out of a problem while twirling a lollipop stick in your mouth? It's very helpful.
Even unwrapping one lollipop is kind of a ritual itself. Its sealed tight with the edges twisted on the stick. Usually, before opening one, you twirl it around, inspect it a little then sniff to check the flavor.
No one tears open the wrapper of a lollipop. Instead, you feel the edge then twist counter-clockwise until you slowly reveal the round colored candy sitting on top of a white stick.
You're either unmindful of this task and just pop it in your mouth once opened, or you focus on it as the candy is unwrapped then eyeball it first before sticking it in your mouth.
Those who haven't eaten a lollipop in a very long time often savor this experience of tasting it again.
They can move the candy around in their mouth without holding the stick, or keep twirling that stick while enjoying the burst of flavor.
I love walking into an office where there's a fishbowl sitting on a desk filled with colorful lollipops. Depending on who's office it is, I can be brazen and pluck one out after seeing the bowl, or be polite and ask to have one.
But I never just take a lollipop without eating it straightaway. Just because. It brings joy, remember?
I'm not sure if kids today still know what lollipops are, or if they enjoy them in the same way kids of my generation did, and do.
But the memory of that round candy on a stick not only takes me back to my childhood but brings me comfort even today when I can get my hands on one.
Funny thing is, it's not as exciting when you see it in a store shelf wrapped in plastic than when it's sitting on a candy bowl on top of a table. It's more inviting that way, don't you think?
Oh, there's another kind of lollipop, the big near-flat round one, usually with a swirl of colors. Since I cannot stuff that in my mouth, it's not as enjoyable.
So, when's the last time you had a lollipop?
Photos: Unsplash
In my country your lollipops are called chupetas. It means something you lick a lot. I like lollipops, especially the red ones. When I see the ones with content in the center, they are the ones I like the most. But I haven't seen them for more than a year.