Memories Recreated

When I was a small child my mother would stuff my grass lined Easter basket with large jelly beans. They were largely unnoticed and a backdrop among the chocolate Easter Bunnies, Peeps and colorful decorated eggs.


I remember eating a couple of them during desperate sugar craving moments, but mostly I remember them sitting in the basket until mom cleaned up after the holiday and they disappeared with the fake grass and stale Peeps. I suppose she bought them because everyone knows that’s what Easter Bunnies bring to small children; or at least that’s what the advertisers said.


But then one day everything changed. Jelly Beans were no longer an Easter treat for children. It was revolutionary. It was amazing. It was unexpected. Jelly Beans were no longer large with a few colors that all tasted the same. Tiny little beans with huge bursts of flavor the second you bit into one suddenly appeared.


Do you remember the first time you ate a Jelly Belly? I do. Wasn’t it fun? Oh yes, the first time. I was well into adulthood when Jelly Belly’s were discovered. A handful of the little treats would turn even the most ardent curmudgeon into an innocent child, if only for that one moment. With the Flavor Guide in hand, I would eat just one . . . and each time confirmed the flavor with a smile. These beans were not gobbled, they were savored.


Each little bean burst with big taste promising a distinct flavor; Lemon Drop, Licorice, Green Apple, Coconut, Watermelon, Very Cherry, Bubblegum. Then came experimentation. Do you remember mixing the flavors to come up with the taste of Lemon Meringue Pie? I do too.


Ronald Reagan brought them to the attention of the American people making the company an overnight success. But enough about Ronald Reagan; this is suppose to be a good memory.


During my three weeks in California I went to Trader Joe’s to pick up toothpaste, almonds, dried fruit and various wonderful treasures that only Trader Joe’s can offer. While in line I saw a small box of Jelly Belly’s. I picked one up and threw it in the basket thinking this would be a good little sugar snack for me in Saint Lucia. It turned out to be a lot more than that.


The children across the street, Coco and Yvette, came up today knowing I likely brought them something from the states. Of course I did. When Yvette comes to my house she reads everything that is printed: receipts, medicine bottles, absolutely anything with a written word. She was thrilled when I handed her a new book. “Hannah Montana! I love her. I will finish this book in two weeks!” Coco loves stickers and I had plenty for him. I also brought glow sticks for them to share.


I looked at the Jelly Belly’s sitting on my dining room table and said, "Have you ever tasted Jelly Belly's" Both of them shook their head indicating they hadn’t. I picked up the box and opened it.


I poured them into a dish and then showed them the Flavor Guide on the back of the box. Yvette would read the name of a Jelly Belly and then we looked for the color.


When we all had the same color we put them in our mouths. The reaction of the children was the same memory I had of my first experience. With each new flavor came an "ummmm" and big smiles across our faces. It was the most fun I've had with kids yet - doing something so simple and remembering how I did the same thing so many years ago when they first appeared on the market.