# Happiness is.....sour skittles **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 8, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975 "2006-06-08T23:20:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/1 "2006-06-08T23:20:53Z")
My happiness is complete. They have started stocking sour skittles in the vending machine in my office. I’ll do my best to limit myself to one package per day…but it’s gonna be hard. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/2 "2006-06-09T00:04:51Z")
I hear they’re great with beer. ---
**Author:** ![XaMcQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/f9ae1b/32.png) [@XaMcQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XaMcQ)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/3 "2006-06-09T01:14:48Z")
I can’t eat them since I learned they contained bug extract as a coloring. Cochineal, or 120, is the natural red colour which accumulates in the bodies of pregnant scale insects.The insects breed and feed on a particular type of cacti and both are indigenous to Central America.Commercial supplies are obtained from Peru, The Canaries, Algiers and Honduras.An aqueous extract is obtained from the dried female insects.This is reacted with alumina to produce the aluminium lake of carminic acid which is known as carmine.E120 Cochineal, Carminic acid, Carmines, Natural Red 4 Other products to avoid, due to bug content are: Good & Plenty candy Dannon Fruit-on-the-Bottom Boysenberry Yogurt Yoplait Thick & Creamy Low-Fat Strawberry Yogurt Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice Tropicana Orange Strawberry Banana Juice SoBe Courage Cherry Citrus Drink Minute Maid – 100% Pink Grapefruit Juice Old Orchard Pixie Stix Breyers, Good Humor, Klondyke & Pop Sicle Products Dole Foods-Fruit N’ Gel Bowls Farley’s & Sathers Amazin’ Fruit Gummi Bears Heide Gummi Bears Enjoy your skittles, though! ---
**Author:** ![jackelope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a6a055/32.png) [@jackelope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackelope)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/4 "2006-06-09T02:26:53Z")
**XaMcQ** , you don’t get invited to parties much, do you? As soon as I read the thread title, I literally began to salivate. ---
**Author:** ![yBeayf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/e274bd/32.png) [@yBeayf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yBeayf)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/5 "2006-06-09T05:00:09Z")
Yergh. I used to like skittles as a kid, but my tastes seem to have changed and I find them far too sweet. Now, if only my workplace’s vending machine would stock Lucas Acidito (a mixture of sugar, salt, citric acid, and cayenne pepper) or Tamarindo (with extra lead to make it taste better), _that_ would be a sour candy I could get behind. ---
**Author:** ![Tomcat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Tomcat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tomcat)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/6 "2006-06-09T13:13:01Z")
Jealous. Seriously. -Tcat ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/7 "2006-06-09T13:19:04Z")
> [@XaMcQ](#): > > I can’t eat them since I learned they contained bug extract as a coloring. > > Cochineal, or 120, is the natural red colour which accumulates in the bodies of pregnant scale insects.The insects breed and feed on a particular type of cacti and both are indigenous to Central America.Commercial supplies are obtained from Peru, The Canaries, Algiers and Honduras.An aqueous extract is obtained from the dried female insects.This is reacted with alumina to produce the aluminium lake of carminic acid which is known as carmine.E120 > Cochineal, Carminic acid, Carmines, Natural Red 4 > Other products to avoid, due to bug content are: > > Good & Plenty candy > Dannon Fruit-on-the-Bottom Boysenberry Yogurt > Yoplait Thick & Creamy Low-Fat Strawberry Yogurt > Tropicana Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice > Tropicana Orange Strawberry Banana Juice > SoBe Courage Cherry Citrus Drink > Minute Maid – 100% Pink Grapefruit Juice > Old Orchard > Pixie Stix > Breyers, Good Humor, Klondyke & Pop Sicle Products > Dole Foods-Fruit N’ Gel Bowls > Farley’s & Sathers Amazin’ Fruit Gummi Bears > Heide Gummi Bears > > Enjoy your skittles, though! You forgot Junior Mints. They have lac beetle secretions on the outside to form the shiny outer coating, the same stuff that shellac is made of. Oh, and Sour Skittles are delish! ---
**Author:** ![Tabby\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tabby\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabby_Cat)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2006, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/happiness-is-sour-skittles/359975/8 "2006-06-09T13:20:29Z")
I love sour skittles!! The only thing bad about them is eating too many gives me a “chemical burn” on my tongue. =/