The Department Store Candy Counter

When I entered Grade 7, my mom let me take the bus downtown with a friend.  It was a rite of passage.  We visited the department stores, including Kresge's, Woolworth's, The Right House, and Eaton's.  A highlight for me was a stop at the candy counter.  Just the aroma would put me in a good mood.  Customers could purchase anything from rosebuds to malt balls to broken O'Henry's to hard candy.  I would always choose chocolate squares which the clerk would place in a white paper bag for me to savour on the bus ride home.

While Hamilton had its fair share of chocolate, Toronto had a rich history in the candy business. The Kerr Brothers, who made hard candies and toffee, originated in St. Thomas but moved to Toronto in 1904.  Rockets were produced at the Ce De Factory on Queen Street, the same street where Eaton's was located.  Laura Secord Chocolates, owned by Toronto's Frank O'Connor opened its doors on Yonge Street in 1913.  (My Dad recently told me that Americans liked Laura Secord Chocolates so much that they sold them in the U.S. as well.  However, with bad memories of Laura Secord warning the British that The Americans were coming during the War of 1812, they sold the chocolates under a different name.)  Finally, the British Company, Cadbury, operated on Gladstone Avenue.  It was there that the Crispy Crunch was born in 1930 as a result of an employee competition.

Toronto Eaton's Candy Counter circa 1904 courtesy http://www.postcity.com/Eat-Shop-Do/Do/October-2014/Looking-Back-Toronto-birthplace-of-the-Crispy-Crunch-Canadas-Land-of-Candy/.

Essay vs Short Story: What is the Difference?

What are the basic differences between an essay and a short story?  An essay is non-fiction whereas a short story is fiction.  An essay can be anywhere from 1000 to 10,000 words.  A short story "should be able to be read in one sitting".  See Edgar Allan Poe's "Philosophy of Composition" (1846) at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper/poe/composition.html.  An essayist shares his or her thoughts and beliefs.  A short story writer describes an experience or event.  An essay follows strict reason whereas a short story has the elements of plot, dialogue, setting, character and theme.

However, Sharon Lippincott points out that it doesn't hurt for an essay to have a bit of action and a short story to include a bit of self-reflection.  In fact, these are the stories that will connect with the reader.  Annie Dillard maintains that the essayist has more at his disposal than the short story writer. "The essay is and has been all over the map.  There's nothing you cannot do with it; no subject matter forbidden, no structure proscribed.

The "godfathers" of the essay are Thoreau, Twain and Poe while the expert short story writers are O'Henry, Stephen Crane and Jack London.  To learn more about essay writing, read Writing and Publishing Personal Essays by Sheila Bender.  Tom Bailey's On Writing Short Stories is a good source for writers as well.

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