the curse

In a previous post, I mentioned that zappos would probably fail miserably because I think it's genius. Let me explain.

I seem to have this curse: things that are dear to me have this habit of being discontinued. (My husband fears the implications of this phenomenon--either he isn't dear to me, or his untimely demise is due any day now.) For example:

Unfrosted Cherry Pop-Tarts. One day I couldn't find them anywhere. I contacted Kellogg's to discover they are completely discontinued. It's even hard to find unfrosted blueberry or strawberry in the stores around here.

Tab with saccharine. Loved this stuff. Remember those one-liter glass bottles? The new (okay, it's no longer "new") Tab isn't as good. Though I still like it better than most diet colas.

Coca-cola with sugar. Why did they change it to "high-fructose corn syrup", or whatever? It tastes different than it did when I was a kid. Whenever I can, I look for bottles or cans produced in foreign countries, or kosher Coke, which I haven't found locally in several years. Let me know if you can find it.

2nd Avenue Deli, New York. See my previous post on this.

Frito Pies from Woolworths, Santa Fe, NM. You would not believe how delicious these were. Fantastic hot chili, served in a Frito's bag with the side cut off, topped with cheese and white onion. They'd serve them out of a little takeout window at the side of Woolworth's on the Plaza. You'd get four or five napkins to hold under the bag so you didn't burn the %^&* out of your hand holding a hot bag of chili. It appears you can now get these at the Five and Dime in Santa Fe, even though Woolworth's is gone.

Padders slippers. These were brilliantly designed. We got some of these for our first son, and they were the BEST soft slippers for kids (and we tried some cheap imitations). The bottoms don't slip, and they stay on without being binding. They were pretty expensive (which may explain why they went out of business), but they were phenomenal.

Etherea cosmetics. I've been trying to find out what happened to this company (late 1970s). Their packaging was something like Clinique, so I'm wondering if they were a predecessor. I got a sample of shampoo once that was just incredible, and I've never been able to find them since.

The Santa Fe Opera House: Not the original (which burned), but the second one. It was simply a beautiful space; the center of the audience roof was only partially covered, and the sides and back of the stage area were also open to the cool mountain air. So what if it rained on paying patrons occasionally? You shouldn't be wearing fur, anyway.

Is the curse broken? Coffioca Mocha Parfait Nip candies from Pearson's. These were yummy coffee-flavored hard candies with a soft chocolate center. Not like a Tootsie center, but a truly chocolaty, smooth center. When your tongue gets to the center and the coffee and chocolate flavors start to mix in your mouth.....oh, my. My college roommate (another dear thing that was discontinued--but that's another story altogether) used to buy boxes of these for me for my birthday. They stopped making them several years ago. I contacted the company and received a lovely form letter with a coupon for other Pearson's products. Then...suddenly...one day... I found Pearson's Nips in "Mocha". Could it be? Was it possible that they brought them back? Yes, it was true. I may be the only person on earth who buys them, but I'm very happy to have the chance. I kinda liked the name "Coffioca Mocha Parfait", but if "Mocha" sells more, I'm good with that.