I would call myself a trade show veteran having both exhibited at and attended numerous food shows, from Fancy Food Show to National Restaurant Association Show. I also know how to pace myself samplewise.

But I am still never prepared for the cacophony of the All Candy Expo.

I went with Kim, a team member. We made a perfect candy-evaluating duo. She likes all things fruity and sour, and I am strictly a chocolate gal. She is Gen Y and I’m a Boomer. We had it covered.

Entering the Willy Wonka-esque exhibit hall, we were immediately surrounded by jellies, gummies and licorices of all flavors and colors. They were hard, chewy, stretchy, powdered and enrobed. They could give you a buzz or make you sneeze. There were edible warts, teeth, cow pies, vomit and just about anything a youngster would go gaga over. Guests were shoveling samples into the supplied bags.

Kim was in hard candy and gummy heaven. I was in awe. I recognized a few products from my youth, but, for the most part, Kim had to school me in Gross Candies 101.

As it turned out, I was in the minority. Men and women in suits (exhibitors, buyers and such) were all conversant in sugar-loaded lingo.In the gourmet section, where most of the smaller chocolate companies camped, I watched a few chocolate exhibitions and tasted marshmallows, fudge, caramels, truffles and on and on. Sweet confection after sweet confection. Chocolates were infused with spices, seeds, wines or energizing properties. They were marketed by their origin, their cocoa butter content or their food pairing propensities.

It was all so complex and intense. I was starting to long for a good old-fashioned Hershey’s kiss. Luckily, that, too, was only an aisle away.