# Reese's Peanut Butter Cups question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 27, 2014, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699 "2014-10-27T23:51:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/21 "2014-10-28T02:25:54Z")
No, but it’s delicious, so I don’t really care what everyone calls it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/22 "2014-10-28T02:31:00Z")
If it’s in the shelves at the checkout stand and not mints or gum, it’s a candy bar. I know it’s not a BAR, but when my mom said pick a candy bar on the rare occasion we finished shopping without fighting, Reese’s was included. By that definition, M&Ms and Starburst are also candy bars. They just are. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/23 "2014-10-28T02:33:02Z")
It’s a functional definition, not a geometric one. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/24 "2014-10-28T02:37:27Z")
Wow. I love Reese’s, but if somebody asked me what my favorite candy bar was, it wouldn’t even come up. Like, I’m not trying to be overly literal here. It simply would not pop into my mind in a question about “candy bars.” I would probably answer something like “Whatchamacallit” or “Snickers” or even possibly “Butterfingers” or “a Heath Bar” for that, even though I prefer Reese’s to all of these. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/25 "2014-10-28T02:43:20Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Right, but if you claim Hersey Kisses and M&Ms are candy bars, than pretty much any form of candy can be called a candy bar. Which is ridiculous. Eh, I wouldn’t call M&Ms or Kisses a candy bar, but I’m fine with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups being included in a list of candy bars. Language is funny like that. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/26 "2014-10-28T02:45:06Z")
As an aside, I like the “dark chocolate” version, because the kind that uses regular Hershey’s chocolate is yuck, because regular Hershey’s chocolate is the worst. (I am obligated to say how bad Hershey’s chocolate is whenever it seems even tangentially relevant.) ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/27 "2014-10-28T02:56:57Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Eh, I wouldn’t call M&Ms or Kisses a candy bar, but I’m fine with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups being included in a list of candy bars. Language is funny like that. I agree. You can’t be too literal. For example, a Chunky is not bar-shaped, but it is unquestionably a candy bar. OTOH, the standard Reese’s package of two cups, _is_ bar-shaped. Only the individual candies inside are not. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/28 "2014-10-28T02:59:12Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Eh, I wouldn’t call M&Ms or Kisses a candy bar, but I’m fine with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups being included in a list of candy bars. Language is funny like that. Language is funny like that, sure. But I’ve literally never heard of anyone, outside this thread, referring to Reese’s Peanut Butter cups as a candy bar. Maybe it’s a regional thing. ---
**Author:** ![tenacious\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/439d5e/32.png) [@tenacious\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tenacious_j)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/29 "2014-10-28T03:02:53Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I agree. You can’t be too literal. For example, a Chunky is not bar-shaped, but it is unquestionably a candy bar. OTOH, the standard Reese’s package of two cups, _is_ bar-shaped. Only the individual candies inside are not. Nailed it. It’s a rectangle, same as all the others. Is peppermint patty not a candy bar, either, since it’s a patty, not a bar? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/30 "2014-10-28T03:03:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Language is funny like that, sure. But I’ve literally never heard of anyone, outside this thread, referring to Reese’s Peanut Butter cups as a candy bar. Maybe it’s a regional thing. I think if someone asked what kind of candy bar they wanted from the store and they answered “Reese Cups” no one would blink an eye. Or if I asked someone to get me a candy bar from the store and I followed up with “a Snickers or Reese Cups” it would not be weird sounding either. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/31 "2014-10-28T03:03:40Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Language is funny like that, sure. But I’ve literally never heard of anyone, outside this thread, referring to Reese’s Peanut Butter cups as a candy bar. Maybe it’s a regional thing. It’s a matter of context. By itself, I wouldn’t point to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and say “That’s a candy bar!” If I ask a shopkeeper, “where are the candy bars?,” I’d expect them to be included. As others have said, if someone says, “You can get a candy bar,” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is an appropriate choice. If an industry monitor is making a list of the most popular candy bars, I would not think twice about seeing Reese’s on that list. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/32 "2014-10-28T03:07:01Z")
It’s a round candy bar. At least I’d call the bigger ones, that come packaged 2 to a pack, a candy bar. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/33 "2014-10-28T03:09:50Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s a matter of context. By itself, I wouldn’t point to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and say “That’s a candy bar!” > > If I ask a shopkeeper, “where are the candy bars?,” I’d expect them to be included. > > As others have said, if someone says, “You can get a candy bar,” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is an appropriate choice. > > If an industry monitor is making a list of the most popular candy bars, I would not think twice about seeing Reese’s on that list. I can’t or won’t argue with that. They get lopped into the candy bar section, yes. But as far as the OP goes, I personally don’t consider them “candy bars” anymore than I consider, I dunno, Ferraro Rochers (or similar) candy bars, even though they’re in the same section. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/34 "2014-10-28T03:12:20Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s a matter of context. By itself, I wouldn’t point to a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and say “That’s a candy bar!” > > If I ask a shopkeeper, “where are the candy bars?,” I’d expect them to be included. > > As others have said, if someone says, “You can get a candy bar,” Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is an appropriate choice. > > If an industry monitor is making a list of the most popular candy bars, I would not think twice about seeing Reese’s on that list. I don’t disagree with any of this, but the OP asked a very specific question, which in my opinion requires a very specific answer,. Just like: Do you consider a tomato a vegetable? No However, if I asked the grocer: Where are your vegetable? I’d expect to find tomatoes there as well. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/35 "2014-10-28T03:19:41Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I don’t disagree with any of this, but the OP asked a very specific question, which in my opinion requires a very specific answer,. > > Just like: Do you consider a tomato a vegetable? No > > However, if I asked the grocer: Where are your vegetable? I’d expect to find tomatoes there as well. You can ask a precise question, but that doesn’t mean there is a precise answer, especially when it comes to language. Your tomato question is a very good example. The answer is both yes and no. A tomato is a vegetable for some meanings of “vegetable.” 1. A tomato is a culinary vegetable, because in cooking it is used more like how vegetables are used than how fruits are used. 2. For botanical definitions of “vegetable” that exclude fruits, a tomato is a fruit, not s vegetable. 3. For broader definitions of “vegetable,” all fruits are vegetables, so a tomato is both a fruit and a vegetable. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/36 "2014-10-28T03:20:55Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Just like: Do you consider a tomato a vegetable? No Yeah, and that one I go “yes.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/37 "2014-10-28T04:41:01Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I agree. You can’t be too literal. For example, a Chunky is not bar-shaped, but it is unquestionably a candy bar. OTOH, the standard Reese’s package of two cups, _is_ bar-shaped. Only the individual candies inside are not. So if I throw a bunch of skittles into an envelope, that’s a candy bar? ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/38 "2014-10-28T05:18:13Z")
It’s delicious, yes. It’s candy, yes. But a “bar”? Absolutely not. Not that it matters, but the question as it stands must be answered with a resounding NO. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/39 "2014-10-28T06:04:04Z")
I think it’s considered a bar more than M&Ms and stuff because, unlike those, it’s packaged like a bar. They come in a flat, bar-shaped package. Not a box or a bag, but the same shape and packaging as many candy bars, with that [del]posterboard[/del]cardboard(?) insert holding the shape. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2014, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699/40 "2014-10-28T06:25:23Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > If I have a hankering for a candy bar, more often than not I’ll satisfy it with a couple Resse’s Peanut Butter Cups Sometimes I have a hankering that I satisfy with something else too, doesn’t mean my hand is Benedict Cumberbatch. > [@BigT](#): > > I think it’s considered a bar more than M&Ms and stuff because, unlike those, it’s packaged like a bar. They come in a flat, bar-shaped package. Not a box or a bag, but the same shape and packaging as many candy bars, with that [del]posterboard[/del]cardboard(?) insert holding the shape. Yeah, and the moment it becomes normal to eat the cardboard inserts in addition to the cup-shaped chocolates, you can call them candy bars, dammit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reeses-peanut-butter-cups-question/702699.md?page=3)