A Thought Occured to me Yesterday, While Eating a Hershey's Kiss...

... that the structure and feel of the chocolate Kiss product was probably inspired by the act of suckling a mother's teat.

Here's what happened. I'm walking home from work yesterday, and I find a misplaced Hershey's Kiss in my jacket pocket. Hungry, I unwrap the morsel and pop it in my mouth whole. Something about the crisp spring air has me noticing the mouthfeel of this common candy for the first time. The smoothness of the surface, the shapeliness of the curved line, all ending in a tiny, tittilating tip. "Sweet Jehovah," I think, "The Kiss is a woman's nipple."

It makes a lot of sense. Whether a source of nourishment or eroticism , it's hard to diminish the subconscious appeal of a female's breast in your mouth. Those of us who were breast-fed, baby girls and boys both, have the familiar lip-locking act forever stamped in our primitive directories as something appealing: necessary for survival, even. Once we developed the teeth and gastric juices to chew on solid foods, however, this didn't stop us from seeking out other, non-lactating varieties for a nibble now and then. (Please note the unstated chronological gap of 18 +/- years.)

Someone in central PA thought to take advantage of this yearning in a clever way: By molding a cocoa areola and wrapping it in foil. What the tiny ribbon-opener signifies, this blogger does not know. But he won't hesitate to pop a Kiss in his mouth while pondering, nor will he think about the shapely chocolates the same way again.