Ah, the perfect Halloween candy. So elusive. Is it the candy corn, incorporating the colors fitting the day and offering the straight-sugar fix that keeps the trick or treaters moving? Or perhaps the traditional Tootise-Roll, created in 1896 by Austrian-born Leo Hirshfield, a chewy treat symbolizing immigrant-ingenuity. Maybe it is the simple M & M’s, which colorfully offer a chocolatey way for young students to learn addition and subtraction. Nay, it is none of these treats that I choose. For candy corn can only be consumed for a short period before taste buds are numbed to its sweetness, and with corn subsidies as they are, the price is an all-out rip-off. The Tootsie Roll, though tasty, edible for days, and available in log-form, can’t be my choice because it comes from a foreigner. M & M’s might get my vote, but I have always hated the fact that they dye your hands so easily, and the lack of black or white M & M’s is a serious flaw. My vote, then, goes to the man-candy that is called Snickers. This protein-packed combination of nougat, peanuts, caramel, and chocolate keeps my engine running. It is available in dark chocolate, which offers heart-healthy benefits; Marathon, which offers an extra pick-me-up of B12 and caffeine; and my favorite form, frozen. Its taste is dynamic; it never gets old; and it is American. As my final proof, it is the best selling candy bar ever. Who could argue with that?

– Steve Adams is a graduate student in journalism and mass communication from Annapolis, Maryland.