Full of memories! Hidehiko Ishizuka of “Honjamaka” loves “sweets that heal me

I love it, even as an adult.

Hello everyone. The severe cold weather is continuing, isn’t it? My name is Hidehiko Ishizuka, and I love wiener more than winter.

Now, I would like to introduce some sweets that I have loved since I was a boy.

First of all, it is “Kabuki-age” by Amanoya. I have known him for a long time. We have been friends since I can remember. My mother used to pile him up in a wooden bowl and put him in the center of the dining table whenever she knew someone was coming to the house.

I was born in 1960. My “Kabuki Brother” is two years my senior. The dough, cut in the shape of a family crest, is deep-fried and tossed in a sweet soy sauce sauce. I used to eat it between meals to keep my stomach quiet.

Next was Morinaga Seika’s “Angel Pie. Morinaga, whose symbol is the angel mark, was so enthusiastic about this pie that they named their product after it. Morinaga was born in 1958, making it one of my seniors. When I was a child, it was sold in two pieces in a box, as I recall.

If I remember correctly, it was the first “luxury candy” in my life. The Angel-chan, made of marshmallow sandwiched between biscuit dough and coated with chocolate, can make a grumpy child smile. They are truly real angels. They were a bit pricey, so I remember it was a special occasion to pick one up. My brother and I shared one with each other, like …….

The next entry is “Fu-chan Fudashi” by Shikishima Sangyo.

I first encountered “Fu-chan Fudashi” at a neighborhood candy store. A long piece of fudashi was placed vertically in a large jar, and when I asked for it, the lady said, “Here, take it! the lady would hand it to me and say, “Here you go! But I said, “No, no, no. The big one on the right! The big one on the right! I would complain, “No, no!

I wanted something a little bigger, because the fudashi at the candy store were unevenly sized. For some reason, they were also red in color. Brown sugar is black, so what kind of sugar did they use? I was only looking for sweetness, because fufu candy was light and did not fill my stomach.

He and I drifted apart for a while, but as adults we bumped into each other again in the sweets section of the supermarket and hugged each other. The color is different from the old days, but they are cut into easy-to-eat sizes. Although they do not have the warmth of an old lady, they are wrapped in plastic and even list the names of the ingredients. Brown sugar, honey, rice candy, etc. There is not a single member in the ingredients column that I do not like. No wonder I like it.

I couldn’t help but say, “Yum!

My next friend is “Caramel Corn” by Tohato.

My encounter with him was shocking. When I was in high school, I went to school with a friend named Sudo-kun. We had been friends since junior high school and went to cram school together.

One morning, Sudo-kun asked me if I wanted some. and offered me a caramel corn. I knew of the existence of caramel corn and its catchy commercial song, but I had never eaten it.

I said, “Sorry,” and picked one up and popped it into my mouth. As I bit into the crunchy bite, I saw the highest point of my life, even though I was still in high school. I didn’t know the word “mai-ui” yet, so I said “yum”.

I said, “Sorry,” again, and went for the second, then the third, and on and on into my mouth. The taste was so good that Sudo-kun and I sang loudly, “Caramel corn… ooh ooh ooh… wahahahahaha,” and I remember being scolded by a lady on the way to school who I did not know.

I have only good memories of sweets.

From the February 20/27, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY