1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: back to the show, Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:33,680 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. There's the one and only. 4 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,920 Speaker 1: Max Williams are super producer on the other side of 5 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:41,560 Speaker 1: the zoom. I'm Ben a big, big fan of Halloween 6 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:43,559 Speaker 1: because it means a lot of things to a lot 7 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: of people. But uh, you know what it means to 8 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:48,559 Speaker 1: a lot of kids, right, no can Yeah? Oh, I 9 00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:52,360 Speaker 1: was gonna say, uh, um, prank's like like like like 10 00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: like vandalism, tracts of yes, exactly, tricks. Now it's true, Candy. 11 00:00:57,720 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: I was thinking, what do you do you dress up for? Hell? 12 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:01,760 Speaker 1: Are we? Ben? Is anything that you do? Yeah? I do. 13 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: It's one of my It's one of my favorite holidays, 14 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: absolutely other than everybody's birthday. Everybody listening now, your birthday 15 00:01:08,600 --> 00:01:11,320 Speaker 1: is one of my favorite holidays. You are such a sweetheart. Um, 16 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,560 Speaker 1: you know, I really really enjoy Halloween too. It's one 17 00:01:14,600 --> 00:01:16,720 Speaker 1: of my favorite holidays. I think, probably my most favorite. 18 00:01:16,800 --> 00:01:18,840 Speaker 1: But I'm not a dresser upper, and some people like 19 00:01:18,920 --> 00:01:20,880 Speaker 1: to shame me about that. I don't think that's right, Ben, 20 00:01:21,000 --> 00:01:23,280 Speaker 1: I don't think that's right. Yes, let a man. Let 21 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 1: a man enjoy his holiday in his own way. Yeah, 22 00:01:25,560 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 1: send him to me. Uh, what are you gonna do? 23 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: You're you gonna rough him up for me? I'll dress 24 00:01:29,880 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: him down at the very las Um. Yeah, the costumes 25 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: are a huge deal. The laziest costume I do is 26 00:01:38,560 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: um what's his name from? I think Ryan Gosling from 27 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: dr Because he's just like the jacket and that's a 28 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:50,800 Speaker 1: nice jacket. Bad. I mean, that's a jacket. It's a 29 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:53,320 Speaker 1: nice jacket. But you know, maybe that's something that is 30 00:01:53,320 --> 00:01:56,600 Speaker 1: helpful to like finding finding you go to easy costume. 31 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: We have an ex Max yet though, Max, are you 32 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:04,080 Speaker 1: uh would you call a dresser rupper Halloween? I gotta mit, no, 33 00:02:04,240 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: I'm not. I mean, Halloween just wasn't that pig of 34 00:02:06,320 --> 00:02:08,480 Speaker 1: a holiday in my family. So it's just never held 35 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: that important of a place for me. Like I go 36 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: hang out with people, but I'm usually the guy with 37 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,840 Speaker 1: a really like pretty like you know, thrown together, Like 38 00:02:15,880 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 1: I put a jacket on and I am I don't know, Yeah, 39 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: all right, say some scary movie that no one's heard of, 40 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,519 Speaker 1: and I'm like, I'm this guy even if that character 41 00:02:24,520 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: didn't exist, Like you know, but but, but, but again, 42 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: I feel like we should be able to enjoy our 43 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:31,919 Speaker 1: holiday in our own way, and no one should give 44 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:34,560 Speaker 1: us crap for not choosing to participate in the way 45 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: that they choose to participate. I really enjoy going with 46 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: my kid and her friends because they're super into Halloween. 47 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 1: I mean, Halloween is like every day for them. They're 48 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,320 Speaker 1: into cosplay, so they always go full on with that 49 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: and I just kind of accompany them on the tricks 50 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,040 Speaker 1: and or treating, and you know, they love to go 51 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:53,720 Speaker 1: to the neighborhood and they mark them all these kids 52 00:02:53,760 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: that they got like a like a Charlie Day style board, 53 00:02:56,639 --> 00:02:58,440 Speaker 1: you know, with the pins and all of the houses 54 00:02:58,480 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: that have the poshest candy, that's the one that has 55 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: the full candy bars. But I'll tell you one thing 56 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: I have never encountered on a trick or treat excursion 57 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:10,480 Speaker 1: is cactus candy. And there's a reason for that. This 58 00:03:11,080 --> 00:03:15,679 Speaker 1: episode is going to be about candy, which is why 59 00:03:15,720 --> 00:03:17,840 Speaker 1: we you know, we've got candy and Halloween on our minds. 60 00:03:17,919 --> 00:03:21,040 Speaker 1: Is no doubt some of our fellow ridiculous historians do. 61 00:03:22,040 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: But once upon a time, there was a very very 62 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:29,760 Speaker 1: very popular candy that was made out of something called 63 00:03:29,880 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: the barrel cactus. Our story really begins in eighteen nine one. 64 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: There's this guy, well, he's a kid, he's twelve years old. 65 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:44,839 Speaker 1: His name is Dominic Dinofrio, and he has traveled all 66 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: the way to Arizona from southern Italy. He's on a train. 67 00:03:49,440 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: He's looking out and he sees the southwestern desert extending 68 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,800 Speaker 1: for miles and miles and miles, and it's an uninterrupted 69 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:05,720 Speaker 1: forest of cacti, of different types of cacti, and everywhere 70 00:04:06,000 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: he sees this thing, this big, giant, round sort of 71 00:04:09,560 --> 00:04:13,080 Speaker 1: cactus called the barrel cactus. It was known to the 72 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:17,800 Speaker 1: native people as the vis Naga. Yeah, and and Dominic 73 00:04:17,880 --> 00:04:20,159 Speaker 1: had a dream ben um, not like you know, just 74 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:22,479 Speaker 1: to sleeping on the train. Dream like a big picture 75 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:25,560 Speaker 1: like life changing dream, kind of a weird dream that 76 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,760 Speaker 1: you can really only have if you were part of 77 00:04:27,839 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: a confectionary dynasty of sorts. He got to Phoenix, he 78 00:04:32,200 --> 00:04:36,359 Speaker 1: went to work for his older brother's candy factory or confectionery, 79 00:04:36,560 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 1: and he again had this dream. And he has this 80 00:04:39,600 --> 00:04:41,680 Speaker 1: quote in that that we found in this amazing Auntlass 81 00:04:41,680 --> 00:04:44,359 Speaker 1: obscure article where he says it came to my mind 82 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: that millions of dollars could be made out of cactus. Uh. 83 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 1: And so he concocted this plan where he would um 84 00:04:53,600 --> 00:04:58,159 Speaker 1: turn this cactuses, this cacti into whole cold, hard cash 85 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:02,400 Speaker 1: cactus cash, but by way of and the cacti into candy. 86 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:06,280 Speaker 1: Very specific He's looking out, he's seeing these very prohibitively 87 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:11,680 Speaker 1: spiky plants, and he immediately thinks candy. I don't quite understand, 88 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:14,800 Speaker 1: but the kid had moxie, the kid had vision. But 89 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:17,920 Speaker 1: there was precedent for this in n by the way 90 00:05:17,920 --> 00:05:20,240 Speaker 1: he bought the store from his brother and began to 91 00:05:20,360 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: make his dreams come true. But this precedent came in 92 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:25,760 Speaker 1: the form of the history of the Native American people 93 00:05:25,839 --> 00:05:28,839 Speaker 1: that lived in this part of the country. Uh. The 94 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:33,880 Speaker 1: Pima tribes and and several others used the vis Naga's 95 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,480 Speaker 1: pulp as food. They would d spine um these these plants. 96 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:41,080 Speaker 1: They would actually used the spines sometimes for fish hooks, 97 00:05:41,720 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: which is kind of cool. But then they would boil 98 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,520 Speaker 1: the plants to soften the pulp and then they would 99 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: eat it and get you know, sustenance. But then Frea 100 00:05:51,080 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: kind of took this model and ran with it, but 101 00:05:54,480 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: in a slightly different and more confectionary direction. For sure. Yeah, 102 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: the seeing magic ingredient here is sugar and a lot 103 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:09,359 Speaker 1: of elbow grease. So he hired a team of folks 104 00:06:09,440 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 1: to start hacking down these barrel cacti. And they would 105 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:17,799 Speaker 1: find these plants anywhere from two to five ft tall, 106 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:20,359 Speaker 1: and again, to give you a sense of how big 107 00:06:20,400 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: these are, they could weigh anywhere between eighty two a 108 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:26,920 Speaker 1: hundred pounds. And then they would knock all the spikes 109 00:06:26,960 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: off them, de spike them. They would haul them back 110 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:32,400 Speaker 1: to the factory. Then they would peel and core and 111 00:06:32,560 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 1: slice up this vis naga into these small cubes, and 112 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:38,440 Speaker 1: they would boil them and boil them and boil them 113 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:41,479 Speaker 1: until they were tender, and then they would cook them 114 00:06:41,520 --> 00:06:45,360 Speaker 1: repeatedly in sugar syrup. And each time they cooked them 115 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:49,160 Speaker 1: it would be the temperature would be higher. And then, 116 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,679 Speaker 1: I love this, and it seems like so many candy 117 00:06:52,680 --> 00:06:56,799 Speaker 1: makers have something like this. Donofrio had a secret process, 118 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 1: and through this top secret process, his team would then 119 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:05,920 Speaker 1: take those cubes and crystallize them, cooked them, crystallize them again, 120 00:07:06,040 --> 00:07:08,279 Speaker 1: and then let them sit out to cool and hearten 121 00:07:08,600 --> 00:07:11,000 Speaker 1: and what they got if you saw it was kind 122 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,920 Speaker 1: of you've probably encountered something like this before, folks. It's 123 00:07:14,960 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: a it's a little bit like a gum drop. It's 124 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,480 Speaker 1: got this kind of sugary, crunchy crust, and then it's 125 00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:27,120 Speaker 1: got a little like a jelly like gelatinous core. And 126 00:07:28,240 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: people were amazed by this. And also there's some really 127 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:38,520 Speaker 1: good marketing because one of Donofrio's earliest ads clearly talks 128 00:07:38,520 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: about how unexpected it is for cacti to produce candy, 129 00:07:42,120 --> 00:07:44,200 Speaker 1: or at least in the popular culture of the time. 130 00:07:45,040 --> 00:07:48,160 Speaker 1: The ad has a headline that says that man's name 131 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: will go down in history who first converted the ugly 132 00:07:51,800 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: desert plant into such a delight for delicacy. And people 133 00:07:56,760 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: loved it. People loved it. They did and highly recommend 134 00:08:00,560 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 1: Anatlas Obscura article in their gastro Obscura offshoot by tal mcfeenia. 135 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:08,160 Speaker 1: They were pulling some good information from and on the 136 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,600 Speaker 1: very top of that article you can see an image 137 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: from one of Dinofrio's early marketing campaigns that shows what 138 00:08:14,600 --> 00:08:18,600 Speaker 1: looks to be an aztech gentleman. Uh mean, he's wearing 139 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: like a cloak and has the kind of traditional like 140 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: az tech like headband and like an arm band, and 141 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: he's handing a giant box of Dinofrio's cactus candies to 142 00:08:26,680 --> 00:08:29,720 Speaker 1: a lady, presumably to win her heart. And yeah, it's true, 143 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:33,360 Speaker 1: there was this whole like lore wrapped up in the marketing, 144 00:08:33,400 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 1: but it was all total bs. But it definitely, you know, 145 00:08:36,760 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: made for a good story. He actually leaned more on 146 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:43,520 Speaker 1: these toll Tech legends, this idea that there was the 147 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:49,000 Speaker 1: sun god who had imprisoned a maiden's soul inside the 148 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 1: cactus that we're talking about, the Viznaga cactus, and it 149 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:55,040 Speaker 1: was to protect her purity, and as legend would have it, 150 00:08:55,160 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: according to Didofrio. Anyway, uh, the toll Tech wedding ritual 151 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:04,080 Speaker 1: where prospective grooms had to make cactus candy by tearing 152 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:07,200 Speaker 1: the thorns out with their teeth and then crystallizing the 153 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: pulp in wild honey was was born of this whole 154 00:09:10,679 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 1: sun god situation. And he printed images like to what 155 00:09:13,559 --> 00:09:17,680 Speaker 1: I'm talking about all over sures and marketing materials. He 156 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 1: also claimed that the Dinofrio family was not Italian, but 157 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,360 Speaker 1: in fact that they were descended from a line of 158 00:09:25,480 --> 00:09:30,400 Speaker 1: Mexican candy makers, beginning with what din Afrio the royal 159 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:35,240 Speaker 1: candy maker to the ancient Toltec king um Man and 160 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: you know, and again Alice Obscure points out, and I 161 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:43,400 Speaker 1: completely agree that these claims could have been explained away 162 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:46,960 Speaker 1: as being the sort of satire, kind of funny tongue 163 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,679 Speaker 1: in cheek, but folks mainly took them at face value, right, yeah, 164 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,760 Speaker 1: they did. I want to step back for a modern 165 00:09:53,840 --> 00:09:57,560 Speaker 1: example of this kind of mythology, because he's not the 166 00:09:57,600 --> 00:10:01,600 Speaker 1: only candy maker who did this. How Gondas is a 167 00:10:01,640 --> 00:10:06,400 Speaker 1: made up word. Haggenas was invented that you everybody knows. 168 00:10:06,400 --> 00:10:09,080 Speaker 1: The ice cream haggenda is very popular here in the US. 169 00:10:09,320 --> 00:10:12,959 Speaker 1: It was invented by a guy named Ruben Mattis because 170 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:17,680 Speaker 1: he wanted a name that sounded Danish, and so he 171 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,040 Speaker 1: just made up the word kind of the same way 172 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:25,199 Speaker 1: uh din Afrio made up this legend, and the gimmick 173 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: paid off, because if you've seen Madman, or if you've 174 00:10:29,000 --> 00:10:32,920 Speaker 1: read propaganda by Edward Burns, then you know that at 175 00:10:32,960 --> 00:10:37,640 Speaker 1: its height, advertising is really selling an idea, a concept, 176 00:10:37,679 --> 00:10:41,440 Speaker 1: a story, and so this story became part of what 177 00:10:41,520 --> 00:10:45,280 Speaker 1: people were buying. I would pose it with Donofrio as candy, 178 00:10:45,360 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: and his business started booming. It wasn't just people ordering 179 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,040 Speaker 1: it through the mail, stores were ordering it candy stores 180 00:10:54,080 --> 00:10:59,719 Speaker 1: across the US. In just the company ended up producing 181 00:11:00,040 --> 00:11:06,679 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand pounds of this stuff, and soon enough other 182 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:09,679 Speaker 1: people would try to get in on the game because 183 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: they thought this cactus candy thing was a pretty good gig. 184 00:11:19,360 --> 00:11:25,319 Speaker 1: That's where George Karameros comes in. George was also an immigrant. 185 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: He was originally from Greece, and he and his brother 186 00:11:30,800 --> 00:11:35,040 Speaker 1: in law started their own cactus candy operation over in 187 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: El Paso, which is about four hundred miles away from Donofrio. 188 00:11:40,720 --> 00:11:45,240 Speaker 1: They had made candy in Mexico City previously until about 189 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:49,359 Speaker 1: eighteen and then they fled north during the Mexican Revolution 190 00:11:49,640 --> 00:11:53,040 Speaker 1: and when they got to the US, when they made 191 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:57,000 Speaker 1: it to Texas, they started bottling beer and soda, and 192 00:11:57,040 --> 00:11:59,520 Speaker 1: then prohibition came in and these guys are like, can't 193 00:11:59,520 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: we just catch a break? So George is walking through 194 00:12:03,720 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: this market, the South Door market, and he's thinking, what 195 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,600 Speaker 1: am I gonna do? What? Why is? Why is it 196 00:12:10,679 --> 00:12:13,360 Speaker 1: always something? And we've all been there emotionally, you know, 197 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,040 Speaker 1: sometimes you just need to win. And that's when George 198 00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:21,360 Speaker 1: sees ah cactus candy stand and he goes to the 199 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:24,320 Speaker 1: guys selling the cactus candy, gives them five bucks, and 200 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: he says, all right, teach me how you make this. 201 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:31,839 Speaker 1: Also five bucks pretty significant some of money at the time. 202 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: And this story is reprinted. You can you can read 203 00:12:36,920 --> 00:12:39,800 Speaker 1: this in uh we found it in this excellent piece 204 00:12:39,840 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: by Steve Frango's writing for the National Herald, George Karameros, 205 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,600 Speaker 1: The Forgotten King of Cactus Candy. You can see this 206 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,000 Speaker 1: like this was printed widely and this excerpt nol if 207 00:12:54,000 --> 00:12:58,079 Speaker 1: you'll do the honors comes from MA and the Amarillo 208 00:12:58,240 --> 00:13:00,920 Speaker 1: Daily News. I love the Forgotten King of Cactus Candy, 209 00:13:00,960 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 1: big fan of literation. Yeah, dress like him for Halloween. 210 00:13:04,679 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 1: It'll be way better than my hh huld's costume, which 211 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,480 Speaker 1: was real. I could probably pull that off. I probably 212 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:11,679 Speaker 1: would just need like a sweater of some kind, maybe 213 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 1: a hat, you know, some lollipop st total people. People 214 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: will completely recognize that. Well, here he goes. Thirty years ago, 215 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:24,719 Speaker 1: George D. Caramaros a seven dollar a week. So the 216 00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:27,520 Speaker 1: fountain clerk was walking through South El Paso when he 217 00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:30,839 Speaker 1: saw an outdoor stand selling homemade candy bars as big 218 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: as his fist for a penny. He was curious to 219 00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: know what kind of candy sold for that price, even 220 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:39,040 Speaker 1: thirty years ago. That was cheap. He sampled a piece 221 00:13:39,080 --> 00:13:41,880 Speaker 1: and it was good. He offered the standowner five dollars 222 00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:43,640 Speaker 1: to show him how it was made. That led to 223 00:13:43,679 --> 00:13:46,480 Speaker 1: the building of a business that now sells cactus candy 224 00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: in every state of the Union and abroad. UM. And 225 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: he was pretty good at a at a marketing kind 226 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:58,160 Speaker 1: of stunt. So he got three hundred pounds of the cactus, 227 00:13:58,440 --> 00:14:01,240 Speaker 1: the viz Naga cactus, and he displayed them in downtown 228 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,439 Speaker 1: El Paso. And he actually kind of had din Afrio 229 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:09,880 Speaker 1: beat in some ways because he diversified, you know. He 230 00:14:10,200 --> 00:14:13,120 Speaker 1: Dinofrio was just making this little gum droppy thing, whereas 231 00:14:13,160 --> 00:14:17,200 Speaker 1: Carameros decided to take it to the next level. Um. 232 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: He made preserves and ice cream. UM, and he would 233 00:14:20,880 --> 00:14:24,560 Speaker 1: make different flavors um, you know, infused the candy with 234 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:28,280 Speaker 1: different fruit flavors, and he even coated them with chocolate. 235 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: And he claimed that he also had a secret um 236 00:14:32,680 --> 00:14:38,200 Speaker 1: recipe that would keep them from molding. Right, Yeah, preservation move, 237 00:14:38,840 --> 00:14:41,760 Speaker 1: I do wanna I do want to note that, yes, 238 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: you're not mishearing ridiculous historians. I did have an H. H. 239 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:50,240 Speaker 1: Holmes costume if you're familiar with HS Holmes and nailed it. Max. 240 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: It's true. I know you don't believe me, but it 241 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:55,560 Speaker 1: was the spitting image. Anyway. Uh, maybe I'll maybe I'll 242 00:14:55,560 --> 00:14:59,240 Speaker 1: find that picture and post it. But that this aside, 243 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:05,080 Speaker 1: like you see how people people were super into cactus candy. 244 00:15:05,160 --> 00:15:09,000 Speaker 1: The El Paso Times even talks about what you were 245 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:13,560 Speaker 1: talking about and all that preservation method that was really 246 00:15:13,680 --> 00:15:20,720 Speaker 1: his secret sauce, they say in November write in retrospect, 247 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 1: they say, somewhere along the line, a secret process was used, 248 00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:28,520 Speaker 1: a process Karameros invented to preserve the candy. The old days, 249 00:15:28,560 --> 00:15:32,000 Speaker 1: all such cactus candy quickly molded, but not after Karameros 250 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: is innovation, and here we must pause. Caameros must certainly 251 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: did not come up with his method of preventing cactus 252 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:43,000 Speaker 1: candy from molding overnight. For six years, he experimented with 253 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:48,360 Speaker 1: his candy cooking before developing a preservative process that remained 254 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 1: his secret during many, many years of successful merchandizing. So 255 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:56,120 Speaker 1: six years. Whatever his secret was, it wasn't just like 256 00:15:56,280 --> 00:15:59,320 Speaker 1: marketing fluff like the toll tech story. He got in 257 00:15:59,400 --> 00:16:02,640 Speaker 1: the actus candy trenches and he figured out how to 258 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:06,480 Speaker 1: how to make it well last much longer, not forever, 259 00:16:06,600 --> 00:16:11,360 Speaker 1: but longer exactly. So of course, you know, Karameros, he 260 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:14,200 Speaker 1: didn't really know about Dinnfrio, I don't think particularly. Maybe 261 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 1: he did, but he found his inspiration just walking around 262 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 1: at more of a local, kind of artisanal version of 263 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 1: cactus candy. But um, there were others. They were trying 264 00:16:23,080 --> 00:16:27,480 Speaker 1: to copy these guys and jump on the cactus candy cavalcade, 265 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:33,640 Speaker 1: the candy bandwagon whatever. Um, so there we go boom. 266 00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: So throughout the twenties there were smaller, much more fly 267 00:16:37,160 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 1: by night kind of operations that sprung up around the Southwest, 268 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:47,040 Speaker 1: even into Texas and California, because again this was all about, 269 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:50,360 Speaker 1: you know, using an indigenous plant that was available there 270 00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:53,560 Speaker 1: and nowhere else in the country. And while you know, 271 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: optimistic outlooks on it considered the cactus supply to be 272 00:16:58,920 --> 00:17:03,440 Speaker 1: almost in exhaust stable, you know, nothing last forever. This 273 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:07,320 Speaker 1: trend was raging. These products were flying off shells. People 274 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:11,480 Speaker 1: love the stuff. Then in four we have this journalist 275 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:14,200 Speaker 1: from El pasto named Norman Walker, who sort of throws 276 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: a wet blanket on this cactus party. He says, quote, 277 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: eating Mexican cactus candy is like kissing your sister, which 278 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:25,160 Speaker 1: is a weird American saying that refers to like coming 279 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:29,480 Speaker 1: in second place A lot of times it fails to satisfy. Um. 280 00:17:29,560 --> 00:17:31,080 Speaker 1: He also had a problem with a lot of the 281 00:17:31,119 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 1: marketing and a lot of this kind of co opting 282 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:37,080 Speaker 1: of uh indigenous culture. Um. And then he says, quote, 283 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,760 Speaker 1: some success has been attained, but it does not repeat 284 00:17:39,760 --> 00:17:42,719 Speaker 1: it stuff in the sales. So essentially he's saying that, Um, 285 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:45,960 Speaker 1: this was a fat and it was not going to last. 286 00:17:46,280 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: I think I think you're being a little too kind 287 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: to Norman Walker. Maybe I missed it, but I didn't 288 00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,840 Speaker 1: see him talking about the very real concerns of appropriation. 289 00:17:57,359 --> 00:18:00,240 Speaker 1: To me, he just seemed like a cranky candy hate here. 290 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:03,639 Speaker 1: But maybe he was. Maybe he just woke up on 291 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:06,480 Speaker 1: the wrong side of the of the cactus bed, or 292 00:18:06,520 --> 00:18:08,720 Speaker 1: maybe he got maybe he got done dirty by a 293 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:11,880 Speaker 1: cactus in his past, you know, and he was confronting 294 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:14,879 Speaker 1: that trauma like one of those cartoon moments where you 295 00:18:15,119 --> 00:18:17,600 Speaker 1: fall into the cactus patch and you know, and then like, oh, 296 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:19,919 Speaker 1: you grab your button, pull out the spikes and he 297 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:22,800 Speaker 1: shook his fist at the skies. That never again, Max, 298 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:25,879 Speaker 1: what's up? I gotta ask? Then you said the wrong 299 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,040 Speaker 1: side of the cactus that? I mean, I'm just thinking 300 00:18:28,040 --> 00:18:30,760 Speaker 1: about laying on cactus? What what? What is the right 301 00:18:30,800 --> 00:18:34,879 Speaker 1: side of that bed? That's the thing. Yeah, it's like 302 00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,359 Speaker 1: it's like a one hand clapping kind of it's a 303 00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,880 Speaker 1: very lazy version of his own cone. But it's it's 304 00:18:39,880 --> 00:18:41,800 Speaker 1: it's a good image though, bed, because a cactus bed 305 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: would would presumably be, you know, a bed of cactus, 306 00:18:45,040 --> 00:18:48,280 Speaker 1: like a plot of cactus plants. So I think he's 307 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: said cactus cactus bed. Yeah, it doesn't look super pleasant 308 00:18:54,280 --> 00:18:57,040 Speaker 1: if you just do his quick image search. But here's 309 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,240 Speaker 1: the thing, Norman Walker and their anti cactus candy people 310 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: were not the majority. We can tell, because the cactus 311 00:19:08,119 --> 00:19:13,600 Speaker 1: supply in this area began to run dry. The trend continued, 312 00:19:13,840 --> 00:19:18,120 Speaker 1: and by the late nineteen twenties, again this is coming 313 00:19:18,119 --> 00:19:21,760 Speaker 1: from that Atlas Obscura article. By the late nineteen twenties, 314 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: the desert supply of this once abundant plant looked to 315 00:19:26,119 --> 00:19:30,639 Speaker 1: be on the way out. Papers started reporting about this 316 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: news of the day. They were running headlines like, oh 317 00:19:33,600 --> 00:19:37,600 Speaker 1: a sweet tool, the eating up cactus. Uh, they didn't 318 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:40,360 Speaker 1: have a question mark. I just I like picture that reporter. 319 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:45,359 Speaker 1: And people in l a we're also complaining about it, 320 00:19:45,480 --> 00:19:50,639 Speaker 1: you know, and other folks were conservationist. We're starting to 321 00:19:50,640 --> 00:19:54,159 Speaker 1: have a problem. People were concerned about the environment. We're saying, 322 00:19:54,240 --> 00:19:57,240 Speaker 1: you know, barrel cactus is being taken out by their 323 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:03,920 Speaker 1: truckloads for what to make candy. And eventually in both 324 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: San Bernardino and Riverside County put in a law banning 325 00:20:09,560 --> 00:20:13,240 Speaker 1: the removal of desert plant life. But no, I don't 326 00:20:13,280 --> 00:20:15,440 Speaker 1: think it really worked. They think at that point people 327 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 1: just started stealing the cacti. Yeah, that's true. And they 328 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:27,600 Speaker 1: were stealing it for reasons other than candy making. I mean, 329 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: if you've ever been to l A, um, you've certainly 330 00:20:30,840 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: seen lots of really cool cactus beds in people's yards 331 00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,919 Speaker 1: with all varieties. Um. So folks were taking them for 332 00:20:38,040 --> 00:20:41,880 Speaker 1: gardens for even like lining their goldfish bowls. Uh. And 333 00:20:42,000 --> 00:20:45,800 Speaker 1: it seemed as though a mass extinction of the particular 334 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,679 Speaker 1: cactus of the barrel cactus might have been on the horizon. 335 00:20:49,320 --> 00:20:51,800 Speaker 1: There were groups kind of the fellow of the umbrella 336 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,719 Speaker 1: of Friends of the Desert that started to become very 337 00:20:55,760 --> 00:21:00,080 Speaker 1: popular across southern California, and they would lobby lawmakers to 338 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:03,280 Speaker 1: offer protection, um, you know, and to to you know, 339 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:07,400 Speaker 1: give these plants protected status under you know, the same 340 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,000 Speaker 1: way you would like an endangered species of animal. And 341 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:13,080 Speaker 1: they also did a lot to sort of overhaul the 342 00:21:13,160 --> 00:21:15,840 Speaker 1: image of the desert. For a lot of folks, it 343 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: would seemed like a very bleak, sad place, you know, 344 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: they associated with like the dust bowl, uh and like 345 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:25,160 Speaker 1: grapes of wrath and stuff like that. But instead they 346 00:21:25,160 --> 00:21:28,879 Speaker 1: tried to get people to shift uh their perception of 347 00:21:28,920 --> 00:21:31,199 Speaker 1: the desert to something more along the lines of a 348 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:35,720 Speaker 1: bio diverse kind of you know, wonderland, which it can 349 00:21:35,800 --> 00:21:39,120 Speaker 1: be both, right, but it really is pretty incredible place 350 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: out there with all of the way those uh, these 351 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 1: species of plants can survive with such a little water 352 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:46,600 Speaker 1: and thrive and they just like take on these like 353 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:50,360 Speaker 1: dr Susian type shapes and and and array is really 354 00:21:50,359 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 1: really cool stuff. But Arizona starts doing the same thing, 355 00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:58,120 Speaker 1: and they begin to protect the status of desert plants, uh, 356 00:21:58,119 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 1: and that includes the already and danger this point giant 357 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: barrel cactus. But that didn't bother our friend din a Frio. 358 00:22:06,040 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: This was his bread and butter and he was not 359 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:12,640 Speaker 1: going to go easily into that. Good night, sir, So 360 00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: for the next twenty years he would be working specifically 361 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:24,320 Speaker 1: with a individual in the Native American community to get 362 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: cacti from this guy's reservation, because on the reservation you 363 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:35,360 Speaker 1: could still harvest barrel cactus if you had a permit. 364 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:41,560 Speaker 1: And over in El Paso, Karameros would send his workers 365 00:22:42,160 --> 00:22:46,399 Speaker 1: way into the mountains of New Mexico the Oregon Mountains 366 00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:50,040 Speaker 1: for vis Naga. And he did this until he sold 367 00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:53,920 Speaker 1: his candy business entirely in the early nineteen fifties. It's 368 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,840 Speaker 1: so interesting, Ben. This remediately makes me think of the 369 00:22:56,920 --> 00:23:01,560 Speaker 1: movie adaptation Um, which was an adaptation of The Orchid 370 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 1: Thief of the book by Susan Orlean the journalists from 371 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:06,840 Speaker 1: The New Yorker, and in it, one of the main 372 00:23:06,920 --> 00:23:10,520 Speaker 1: characters Laroche, who was like an orchid harvester the book 373 00:23:10,560 --> 00:23:14,040 Speaker 1: was called The Orchid Thief Um. He gets around orchid 374 00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:20,000 Speaker 1: protection laws by hiring Native Americans to pick them off 375 00:23:20,040 --> 00:23:22,520 Speaker 1: of their land, off of off of land that's like 376 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 1: protected of you know, reservation swamp lands, and that's the 377 00:23:26,040 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: only way that he can get around it too. So 378 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 1: it's very very clever little loophole there. I would I'm 379 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:36,840 Speaker 1: not a fan. I consider it plant poaching. So anyway, 380 00:23:37,119 --> 00:23:40,880 Speaker 1: it wasn't, as I said, wasn't until fourteen that this 381 00:23:40,960 --> 00:23:46,159 Speaker 1: region of New Mexico finally got federal protection. So it 382 00:23:46,200 --> 00:23:51,439 Speaker 1: wasn't until that the barrel cactus in this area was 383 00:23:51,680 --> 00:23:56,679 Speaker 1: protected by environmental laws. It came very close to going 384 00:23:56,760 --> 00:24:01,760 Speaker 1: extinct the vis naga, and it's extinction wouldn't have been 385 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 1: entirely for candy, as we said, but candy was a 386 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:11,320 Speaker 1: major factor. Luckily, this cactus is on the spiky rebound 387 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 1: and you can find it today across the southwestern deserts 388 00:24:15,400 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: and in Mexico. It definitely had a tough battle for survival. 389 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:25,840 Speaker 1: It's still listed the species that's used for candy as vulnerable, 390 00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:32,120 Speaker 1: and trends indicate the population is still decreasing, and you'll 391 00:24:32,160 --> 00:24:36,560 Speaker 1: see authorities in both Mexico and the US arguing that 392 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,520 Speaker 1: further legal action needs to be taken to protect it. 393 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: And I gotta say, have you, either of you guys, 394 00:24:43,320 --> 00:24:46,639 Speaker 1: ever been out to the desert to the southwest. You 395 00:24:46,680 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: have been through California and I've taken a train from 396 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:52,200 Speaker 1: Los Angeles to San Francisco, so you see a good 397 00:24:52,200 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: bit of of of desert e stuff through there. But 398 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,159 Speaker 1: I haven't really been to Arizona or New Mexico. You 399 00:24:57,240 --> 00:24:59,480 Speaker 1: see the Grand Canyon if you get a chance, I mean, 400 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,280 Speaker 1: go out to New Mexico. Uh. The first time I 401 00:25:02,320 --> 00:25:04,879 Speaker 1: saw it, even as a kid, I thought, wow, this 402 00:25:04,960 --> 00:25:08,119 Speaker 1: is where God got into abstract arts. It's beautiful, it's 403 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 1: in a very minimalist way, and its and it's you know, 404 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:14,760 Speaker 1: I think a lot of people who aren't familiar with 405 00:25:14,800 --> 00:25:19,520 Speaker 1: the desert me confuse it because it can look minimalistic. 406 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:21,640 Speaker 1: That may confuse it with an empty place. But it's 407 00:25:21,720 --> 00:25:25,399 Speaker 1: very much not. It's a rich, rich ecosystem, and like 408 00:25:25,480 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 1: any other ecosystem, it needs to be protected. But if 409 00:25:28,760 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: you go out Arizona way and you want to think 410 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: about the size of the desert and all these beautiful 411 00:25:37,080 --> 00:25:40,439 Speaker 1: notions of the universe and or place within it, stop 412 00:25:40,480 --> 00:25:43,639 Speaker 1: by a roadside you know, roadside stands, Stop by a 413 00:25:43,720 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 1: gas station or something. Because in Arizona you can still 414 00:25:47,640 --> 00:25:51,879 Speaker 1: pick up cactus candy. Of course, yes, you can also 415 00:25:51,920 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 1: find it on Amazon, but where's the adventure in that. Also, 416 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,040 Speaker 1: it's not barrel cactus anymore. I think, I think most 417 00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:02,280 Speaker 1: of it now is is uh, prickly pear fruit. Most 418 00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: of the stuff you'll find, yeah, which is way more 419 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:08,360 Speaker 1: sustainable and a pretty good stand in for the barrel cactus. Yeah, 420 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:11,159 Speaker 1: you'll see it in grocery stores and restaurants, you know, 421 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,359 Speaker 1: like the little candy dish when you leave. And actually, 422 00:26:13,400 --> 00:26:18,200 Speaker 1: the Hohokam people of South Arizona would eat the entire 423 00:26:18,359 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 1: body of the prickly pear cactus, including the pads, which 424 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 1: they had to de spine, and they would roast the 425 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:30,760 Speaker 1: pits um, while members of the Tohono Odoha nation from 426 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:33,960 Speaker 1: Arizona and Mexico would eat the fruits and the pads. 427 00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,640 Speaker 1: And actually, much like the weird loophole we were talking 428 00:26:37,640 --> 00:26:41,199 Speaker 1: about earlier, have indigenous rights to harvest them in Tucsons 429 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:45,159 Speaker 1: Saguaro National Park. So if you want to learn more 430 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:50,520 Speaker 1: about this, highly recommend checking out another gastro Obscura article, 431 00:26:50,840 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: this one by Bevin Dunn called how an Arizonan and 432 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:58,520 Speaker 1: company turns cacti into candy. You can get a look 433 00:26:58,640 --> 00:27:03,760 Speaker 1: at the process of taking this from you know, from 434 00:27:03,800 --> 00:27:09,719 Speaker 1: the ground all the way to the delicious delicacy it becomes. 435 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,959 Speaker 1: And you know, looking at this, I'm pretty sure that 436 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: I've had this cactus candy before and it was good. 437 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:20,239 Speaker 1: I don't have the biggest sweet tooth, but but I 438 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:22,760 Speaker 1: love novelty foods. You guys knew that, So I am 439 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:26,400 Speaker 1: super down to try even more cactus candy. And like that. 440 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:28,720 Speaker 1: You know, what, what are the odds that somebody is 441 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:32,639 Speaker 1: listening to this now eating cactus candy? I don't know, 442 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:37,240 Speaker 1: probably pretty pretty reasonable in certain parts of the country. Prepare, uh, 443 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:39,640 Speaker 1: they make you can make You can get like juice 444 00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 1: versions of it too, or at least as the flavoring. 445 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:43,800 Speaker 1: And it is. It is tasty. And just to be clear, 446 00:27:43,880 --> 00:27:47,399 Speaker 1: the pads, I believe are the cactus e cactus parts 447 00:27:47,440 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: of the prickly pear cactus. And then the fruits are 448 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,440 Speaker 1: like the little kind of nubbins that they come off 449 00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,920 Speaker 1: the top. They're like really cool looking little red fruits. 450 00:27:56,480 --> 00:27:58,959 Speaker 1: And that's the part that is harvested to make the candy. 451 00:27:59,000 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 1: But you can also the cactus themselves. Yeah. Oh, and 452 00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,240 Speaker 1: speaking of eating there's one thing that I thought it 453 00:28:06,280 --> 00:28:08,560 Speaker 1: would be fun to hit. And this is also something 454 00:28:08,680 --> 00:28:11,959 Speaker 1: This is something gave Founds to credit. Credit to him. 455 00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:18,320 Speaker 1: The Smithsonian and NPR did looked into something that will 456 00:28:18,440 --> 00:28:22,240 Speaker 1: be of interest to many of our fellow ridiculous historians. 457 00:28:22,280 --> 00:28:27,320 Speaker 1: As Halloween gets closer and closer. It turns out that 458 00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:33,440 Speaker 1: there is a a physics to eating candy. And this 459 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: came this. Uh, these articles reference a story or a 460 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:42,360 Speaker 1: paper in physics education. So the thing with candy is 461 00:28:42,360 --> 00:28:45,200 Speaker 1: it doesn't last forever, right you eat it spite sized, 462 00:28:45,240 --> 00:28:47,680 Speaker 1: it's gone, or you know, like it's cotton, candy just 463 00:28:47,680 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: sort of dissolves in your mouth, etcetera, etcetera. This team 464 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:56,840 Speaker 1: of physicists in Austria wrote an actual paper, scientific paper 465 00:28:57,360 --> 00:29:00,240 Speaker 1: applying physics to eating candy to figure out how how 466 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:05,040 Speaker 1: you can make the experience last for the longest time. 467 00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: And they said, if you do everything right, you can 468 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:11,960 Speaker 1: enjoy just one single piece of candy for up to 469 00:29:12,080 --> 00:29:16,120 Speaker 1: nearly half an hour. And the secret, I don't think 470 00:29:16,160 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: it's super surprising, Max. The secret is just don't bite 471 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:27,000 Speaker 1: or chew. That's they just just hold it in your mouth. 472 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 1: They just they wrote a whole paper on this. Uh. 473 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,640 Speaker 1: In their paper get this, they said they're going to 474 00:29:34,680 --> 00:29:39,360 Speaker 1: investigate the quote serious questions on the optimal strategy of 475 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:42,560 Speaker 1: enjoying a candy. And I picture that in kind of 476 00:29:42,560 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: a Christopher Walt's voice, you know, the guy, the amazing actor. 477 00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:51,280 Speaker 1: He's also a goody goody to move strategy will enjoying 478 00:29:51,320 --> 00:29:56,360 Speaker 1: your candy. Yeah, that's the secret. And I think that's 479 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 1: that's also our show. You think it is our show, 480 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 1: but not our our show show, just our episode show 481 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:07,680 Speaker 1: right episode episode episode show? Um, well, cool man, this 482 00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: is a fun one. It makes me I don't know. 483 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:13,200 Speaker 1: We've definitely got some pretty cool specialty grocery stores here 484 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:16,200 Speaker 1: in Atlanta. On Buford Highway Way, there's a place called 485 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:19,000 Speaker 1: the Buford Highway Farmers Market that has lots of cool 486 00:30:19,120 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: imported candies and you know, confections and like, you know, 487 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:27,080 Speaker 1: all kinds of cooking ingredients and sauces from all over 488 00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: the world. I would not be surprised if in the 489 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:34,120 Speaker 1: Latin American section perhaps they had some of these cactus candies. 490 00:30:34,120 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 1: I think I want to check it out next time 491 00:30:35,400 --> 00:30:36,960 Speaker 1: I go there and give him a try. But ship 492 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:41,640 Speaker 1: oh yeah, yeah, also go to UH North decade Ur. 493 00:30:41,800 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: There's some great Indians sweet shops that I highly recommend 494 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 1: checking out UH and let us know what your favorite 495 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:54,479 Speaker 1: regional candies are, because so many places have this candy 496 00:30:54,560 --> 00:30:57,400 Speaker 1: that's like well known or confection that's well known in 497 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,640 Speaker 1: that part of the world or even in that city community, 498 00:31:00,680 --> 00:31:04,280 Speaker 1: but isn't very well known outside of that region. So 499 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:06,640 Speaker 1: we'd love to hear about that with I personally, I'd 500 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,600 Speaker 1: love to hear about your favorite Halloween costumes, some of 501 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,760 Speaker 1: your creepy costumes. Feel free to post pictures or costumes 502 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: that you put your pets in, as long as your 503 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:19,680 Speaker 1: pets are cool with it. You can post those over 504 00:31:19,920 --> 00:31:23,760 Speaker 1: on the Facebook, where we've got a page called Ridiculous Historians. 505 00:31:23,920 --> 00:31:27,640 Speaker 1: You can also find us online, not just as a show, 506 00:31:27,720 --> 00:31:30,800 Speaker 1: but as individuals. That's right. You can find me on 507 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,440 Speaker 1: Instagram pretty much exclusively, where I am at how Now 508 00:31:33,640 --> 00:31:36,800 Speaker 1: Noel Brown. You can find me on Twitter where I 509 00:31:36,840 --> 00:31:40,200 Speaker 1: am at Ben Bolan hs W. You can get a 510 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:43,840 Speaker 1: behind the scenes look at some of my many sketchy 511 00:31:43,840 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: and non sketchy various projects and endeavors by heading over 512 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:50,440 Speaker 1: to Instagram where I am at Ben Boland Bow l 513 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:55,280 Speaker 1: I N. Thanks as always to Mr Max Williams. Thanks 514 00:31:55,440 --> 00:32:00,120 Speaker 1: very much to our own Prickly Cactus Man, miss Off 515 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:04,280 Speaker 1: Jonathan Strickland, a k. The Quister, and thanks, as we said, 516 00:32:04,320 --> 00:32:08,640 Speaker 1: to Gabe Luizier, our awesome research associate. Huge thanks to 517 00:32:08,680 --> 00:32:11,720 Speaker 1: Christopher hasiotis here in spirit, Alex Williams who composed our theme, 518 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:14,440 Speaker 1: and anyone else that we've we've forgot my mom. I'd 519 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,760 Speaker 1: like to take my mom. She's cool. UM wouldn't be 520 00:32:16,800 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: here without her. Thank you Ben for being um my 521 00:32:19,800 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: companion on this uh delightful Cactus E Confectionery journey. I've 522 00:32:24,600 --> 00:32:26,640 Speaker 1: got to think, you know what, I think I might 523 00:32:26,680 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: go into ridiculous historians and post this thing my mom did. 524 00:32:29,720 --> 00:32:32,120 Speaker 1: I'm so proud of her. She made a snoopy pumpkin 525 00:32:32,520 --> 00:32:35,600 Speaker 1: for these kids she volunteers with, and she nailed it. 526 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:38,520 Speaker 1: It looks so good. Check it out. We'll see you 527 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:48,880 Speaker 1: next time, folks. For more podcasts for my Heart Radio, 528 00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:51,600 Speaker 1: visit the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 529 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.