Jim Benton Cartoons by Jim Benton for May 24, 2020
Transcript:
One time, when I was little, my dad and I went to a store near our house. He spotted a display for a candy called "horehound." Dad: My dad used to give this to me. Son: Candy! And he bought me a bag. YUCK Son: Did you like these? Dad: No. Son: Then why did you eat them? Dad: He liked giving them to me. Sometimes it took me years to figure out things my dad was teaching me. The simple lesson here is one of my very favorites: sometimes, the gift isn't for the recipient, the gift is for the giver. And knowing that can even make horehound taste good. But c'mon Dad, couldn't you have done this with a Snickers? Dad: Nope.
KA7DRE Premium Member over 4 years ago
I remember those quite well. My mom used to buy them all the time.
pschearer Premium Member over 4 years ago
I enjoyed them a lot. A dark, rich, powerful herbal flavor. But if a friend would ask to try one, I’d warn him strongly against it. He’d insist, pop one in his mouth, then immediately spit it out. There’s a lesson in that.
amethyst52 Premium Member over 4 years ago
Horehound is an acquired taste.
Lady loves a joke over 4 years ago
Thanks for sharing this, Jim. There’s some fond memories there for a few of us!
Ontman over 4 years ago
My Dad liked horehound too. Me? Not much.
gopher gofer over 4 years ago
if dear ol’ dad had done that to me i’d’ve wondered why he was punishing me. again…
Pedmar Premium Member over 4 years ago
When I was little, I told my dad in great detail at length about a movie I’d seen while he listened patiently. Years later I asked him why he put up with me doing things like that, and he said because he could tell I enjoyed talking about it.
Another time we all went to a play that was very silly. Being only 8 years old, I laughed and laughed. Afterward I asked him if he liked the play, and he said, “I liked watching you enjoying it.”
Ida No over 4 years ago
Never heard of Horehounds. Are they like half a HoHo?
HappyDog/ᵀʳʸ ᴮᵒᶻᵒ ⁴ ᵗʰᵉ ᶠᵘⁿ ᵒᶠ ᶦᵗ Premium Member over 4 years ago
I thought it was a derogatory remark about some guy and his morals.
elizabethvshaffer over 4 years ago
My dad wouldn’t be able to impart that lesson with Snickers; the Snickers were for him.
Rabies65 over 4 years ago
It puts those nasty Werther’s Original candies into perspective.
Treedodger over 4 years ago
Horehound is good, snickers is so so.
DCBakerEsq over 4 years ago
This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.
Gerard:D over 4 years ago
Did the “W” fell to the floor?
Spiffy over 4 years ago
I loved horehound as a kid! It was sold in a little retro-penny candy stand in the Stroh’s ice cream parlor I used to frequent. It was like rebelling against the Snickers hegemony!