Candy Floss at Hampstead Heath fair, photo by PH Morton
Did you know?
Spun sugar used to be made through a labour-intensive process and therefore, the end product was very expensive and only a few can have it.
It was in 1897 that a supposed guardian angel of teeth, a dentist, by the name of William Morrison, together with John C Warthon, a confectioner, invented a spun sugar machine to make candy floss readily available to the masses. Their invention known then as a fairy floss was introduced at the 1907 World Fair, making it an instant best-seller.
In 1921, another dentist invented a similar machine, which he patented as a cotton candy machine. The name stuck whilst fairy floss gradually morphed to cotton candy.
It is rather ironic that dentists would invent a machine, which produces almost 100 per cent sugar as treat for the young and the young at heart. 🙂
Cotton Candy Memories
When we were young, we always go to church on Sundays. Sometimes we vary the church where we go to attend mass but there were always the same merchandise and treats that await churchgoers after the mass.
Right outside the church were cotton candy vendors, I love the cotton candy, it was so soft; it melts in the mouth in pure sandy sweetness. I love its pinkish white turning into darker hue of pink as your teeth bite into a cloud of floss. I thought then that it made going to church and sitting on an over long mass worthwhile. 🙂
Aside from cotton candy, there were also popcorn. There was a choice of salty or sweetened and again in pink coloured popcorn. My sister Marilou would get a sweet one and my brother William would get the salty kind.
Outside the church were also sellers of birds in cages. I remember begging my parents to get me a bird but they never did. They said it was cruel to keep the maya bird inside the house.
My youngest brother got to have a helium balloon. And as the tradition in a Filipino family, it was a share and share alike so we had to share with him our cotton candy and popcorns whilst he won’t allow anyone to touch his balloon but himself alone! He can do whatever he liked as he was bunso (youngest) There was no justice! LOL