Jon Darsky, pizzaiolo at Flour + Water, talks about his current obsession.
"I kind of binge on the stuff. Maybe I have a problem, I don’t know. I eat them really fast. I consume a lot at one time. And then I get a stomachache. Then I go back. There are always multiple forces at work: the one that’s forcing you to get the gummy, then the one where you get sick and have to stop. There are two kinds I like: the Japanese stuff made by Kasugai, which is soft and really fruity. They honestly try to mimic the flavor of the fruit—mango, lychee, pineapple, peach, strawberry, muscat grape—probably by using as much artificial flavoring as possible. I buy it at Chamalyn (3491 19th St., 415-948-1313). I can motor through a package of mango in two minutes. I also like Haribo, which is German. Those gummies are a little chewier, a little al dente, and I usually get the mixed fruit salad flavor, with grapefruit, lemon and strawberry. They make good gummi bears, too, and I also love the gummi frogs, the ones with marshmallow bellies and green gummi backs. I have no idea what flavor they’re supposed to be—lemon-lime, maybe—but it’s really just ‘green.’ Lehr’s German Specialties (1581 Church St., 415-282-6803) has a killer selection of gummies. You don’t really understand until you experience it.”