I’ll admit it. I like Bazooka bubble gum. Sure, it’s a little pink brick, but it reminds me of being a kid and it’s pretty good for blowing bubbles. The other, softer brands – you need to chew longer and get the sugar out before they’re ready to go.

I usually grab a bag of Bazooka every few months in the candy section of Big Lots or a 99-cent shop. I just spotted this “throwback” packaging at Publix, but I see it’s been on the market for about a year. Throwback is more expensive per piece, but it saved me a trip. I really like the Bazooka cherry flavor, but that’s hard to find and may now be “Cherry Berry.”

Bazooka dropped the famous Bazooka Joe comics in 2013, but brought them back in 2019. Some fortunes are new, but the comics are the “best of” the ‘70s and ‘80s. Let’s just say they don’t write them like that any more.

So what is the flavor of Bazooka bubble gum? Or really, any bubble gum? It varies, but the basic recipe is strawberry and banana with each brand maybe mixing in some cherry, fruit punch, lemon, orange or other fruit flavors.

Star Wars Weekends was a big thing at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park from 1997 until 2015 (with a few skipped years early on). Cast and Crew from the movies would come to the park, sign autographs and participate in talk shows. Dozens of Star Wars characters would roam the park, and park guests would often dress up too. For a few years, I produced and hosted weekly wrap-up videos for the Disney Parks Blog. In 2011, I talked with Matt Lanter who voiced Anakin Skywalker for the “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” animated film.

I also met martial artist and actor Ray Park, who appeared in “The Phantom Menace” as Sith Lord Darth Maul. Ray came to Star Wars Weekends several times and would bring dozens of kids on-stage at a time for an introduction into wushu, aka Chinese kung fu. Ray also showed one goofy guy how to cut down on carbs with a spin kick. You can jump to 2:32 if you must.

Maybe more Star Wars Weekends stories to come. In a drawer somewhere, I still have a harmonica that was played by Kenny Baker (R2-D2).

No one is traveling at the moment, but a particular nibble or sip can spark a memory and drop you right back in Memphis or Paris. Melona, a South Korean ice cream bar, does it for me. I first had a Melona bar lounging with my family by a swimming pool in Waikiki. One bite and the aloha is back.

Started in South Korea in 1992, Melona is essentially blended fruit and milk. You’ve got a few additives, but nothing scary. Think of it as a Creamcicle that’s not orange. The original flavor was a Korean melon called chamoe. Honeydew is now the most popular, but there’s also strawberry, banana, mango, and coconut. Because it’s actual fruit puree, Melona bars tastes fresh, not like Laffy Taffy. Bonus, a single bar is only 110 calories.

Melona was imported first to Hawaii, became a big hit there, and then spread to the mainland.  Since 2017, Lucerne Foods makes Melona for the American market. You can probably track down Melona at your local Costco or Safeway, but the safe bet is your town’s Asian supermarket.

Doritos is learning from the Oreo overlords. Give us a new flavor and we’ll buy it at least once to see if it’s any good. I’m looking at you, Carrot Cake Oreos. The latest fad flavor, Tangy Pickle Doritos, is mostly available at Dollar General and Circle K, although I got mine from a local unbranded convenience store.

Most disappointing – no dill in Doritos Tangy Pickle. There’s a Lay’s Dill Pickle potato chip, but Tangy Pickle Doritos just has vinegar, garlic, and salt. Lay’s and Doritos are both PepsiCo brands, so you know dill can be done.

Tangy Pickle Doritos are sour and salty, but taste nothing like a pickle. If you like vinegar potato chips, these are a cousin – or maybe Flamin’ Hot Limón Doritos if they weren’t hot. More frustrating, Tangy Pickle Doritos have, temporarily, forced Doritos taco-flavored tortilla chips  off shelves. You can use the Doritos product finder to track flavors in your zip code and Taco is nowhere. C’mon – “Taco” goes back even further than “Nacho Cheese.”

As a palate cleanser, here’s a Taco Doritos commercial from 1977 with Avery Schreiber and Vito Scotti. Vito doesn’t talk here,  but he was in everything from “Hogan’s Heroes” to “The Godfather,” and was Italian Cat in “Disney’s The Aristocats.”

I’m inside. You’re probably inside too. Cooking something will help pass the time, but you’ve already got a bunch of leftovers, bits of that teriyaki chicken or green beans. If you’ve also got some potatoes, or cooked potatoes to mash, we’re halfway to something new.

Really, this is more a method than a recipe. That photo up there is bubble and squeak, the British way to use up leftover potatoes and leftover cooked cabbage. Mine also has some onion and a fried egg on top because the way you make any brown meal look Instagrammable is put an egg on it.

Choose leftovers that you’d put on the plate together. Mushrooms and steak, chicken nuggets and mac and cheese, Brussels sprouts and ham… Dice your leftovers and add the mashed potatoes until you get something that kinda holds together. You don’t want it soupy, but you don’t want it too crumby either. Put butter in a pan – I prefer non-stick – and once it’s melted, add your leftovers and mash. Stir it a few times over medium until it’s all warmed up.

Then, flatten it down a bit, lower the temp, and try for a brown crust on the bottom. Jiggle the pan so it doesn’t get stuck. If your pan is small, like mine, you’re get a round that you can flip out onto a plate. If the pan’s larger, just keep it all in one area and flip in pieces. If you’re worried about burning, flipping it in chunks will also help you keep an eye on that. Then, eat it!

Next time, maybe we’ll go over how a frittata is basically an open-faced omelet and a great way to use up leftover lasagna or even Caesar salad.