Sweet tooth for chocolate never dies

Reflecting on my memories of the rough old days, life sure was tough growing up in the Great Depression. Having a sweet tooth, I loved candy, but since I didn’t have 2 cents to rub together, I could not buy it. I vowed that some day I would buy all that I wished for. No holds barred.

Recently I craved some, so I decided to go to my favorite candy store, Philadelphia Candies, and start buying it without thought of the cost. Some of this and some of that. Today, I only eat milk chocolate Mounds, which I could buy for a nickel, if I had one. In later life, they came out with a milk chocolate Almond Joy also coconut-filled like a Mounds.

About a month ago, I asked my youngest daughter, Sandy Vicarel, to buy me both a Mounds and an Almond Joy candy bar which cost a dollar each. They didn’t taste like the good old days. Maybe because I kept thinking of today’s cost.

As I approach my 93rd birthday on June 26, I can thank God I am still alive to be able to enjoy candy.

Speaking of a sweet tooth, there are many of us missing more than a sweet tooth. You might call it the “toothless generation.” I had some pretty hard milk chocolate lately, but it tasted fine because the taste buds are still functioning.

Unfortunately, many of my relatives, friends and World War II U.S. Navy shipmates have never reached the nonagenarian milestone age.

Michael J. Lacivita is a Youngstown retiree and member of the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame.