I’d revise that, and say that it’s designed for people whose perception of an ideal beer is highly carbonated, not very hoppy or malty, and refreshing, with about 5% ABV. They like beer just fine, but they don’t see something like Pilsner Urquell in Pilsen, or a British Cask Ale as the ideal beer.
There’s no problem with this really; it’s the same exact thing we see on any mass-market product. Television, music, wine, beer, chocolate, hamburgers, etc… the mass market versions are always inoffensive, rather bland, lowest common denominator products. There’s always a segment of people who decry these versions as “terrible” or whatever, which is almost always never really true. A McDonald’s burger may not be a burger from say… Five Guys or Smashburger, but they’re rarely “bad”. It’s total snobbery when people say that, not really an objective observation. There are plenty of people out there whose idea of a “chocolate bar” is a Hershey bar, and who wouldn’t enjoy a 80% cacao Valhrona bar. Doesn’t make them unsophisticated necessarily, it just means that they like that particular type of chocolate.
What really stands out at me is that Hershey hasn’t phased out the butyric acid flavor over time to make it’s products less distinctive. I guess they’re big enough that they can keep it for the US, and sell chocolate elsewhere that doesn’t have that taste.
I don’t mind Hershey bars. They’re not as good as they used to be when I was a kid, but they’re not horrible. I don’t go out of my way to eat them, but I won’t turn one down, either, if I have a chocolate jones and they’re the only thing available. I prefer them frozen solid.
Well, I don’t particularly think that’s true at all. Over the last decade or so, I’ve seen an embrace in connoisseurship circles (or whatever you want to call it) that encompasses loving the low-brow and the high-brow (both on their merits). For example, on a music board I frequented, the biggest music snobs were as likely to be waxing poetic about the latest M83 record (or whatever it is people listen to these days) as much as the new Britney Spears hit single. Hating something just because it’s popular seems to be more something I’ve seen in the 80s and 90s than in the 00s and beyond. It also seems to be generational. That type of hate I perceive more from Gen X and older, not as much in Gen Y. Or it’s possible that I (as a Gen Xer) have an anomalous perspective. I mean, the current “no true Scotman” position seems to be that if you’re really a connoisseur on taste–whatever that means–you don’t limit yourself to high brow or obscure stuff. And, I admit, I’m kind of like that. But, as I said above, there’s plenty good reasons for people not to like Hershey’s milk chocolate for that lingering sour taste it has.
ETA before board crash: or the waxy mouthfeel or whatever. (Remember, I actually enjoy Hershey’s despite these things.) The problem with the “you don’t like it because it’s popular” arguments is that they’re lazy. How does one respond to that? Plenty of people here have mentioned exactly what it is they don’t like about Hershey’s, and what they do like about other popular brands, so I don’t buy this line or argument. For example, I hate Burger King. But not because it’s popular, as I like McDonald’s (which is an even more popular brand.) I don’t like Miller or Bud–once again, not because of popularity, but because I simply don’t like the way the taste. When I’m drinking cheap beer–it’s Old Style, because that I actually do like for that macrolager flavor. Etc.
I like Hershey’s chocolate, tastes fine to me. I like Aldi’s big bars of chocolate from…Germany?..and even Palmer’s chocolate bunnies at Easter. I don’t eat much because it will bring on a migraine. Yes, I’ve heard there is much better out there, and if you send me some I will gladly give my opinion. The best is those round foil wrapped truffles, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel, mint, or peanut butter they sell in the bulk foods section of the grocery store about $3-$4 a pound. Easter, Halloween, and Christmas foil wrappings. (they put them away for the summer, but I noticed last week they are back in the bins.)
Butyric acid is also the most obvious flavor component in Parmesan cheese, but for some reason food snobs don’t seem to get too worked up over the latter. Like anything, the taste isn’t for everybody, but “Hershey’s = vomit” is way too simplistic.
Thing is, that flavor is expected for that type of cheese. It isn’t for something sweet like chocolate (or whatever the exact flavor compound is.) So there is a contextual difference there, too. It’s like saying that saying that because I don’t mind the taste of, I dunno, acetobacter in vinegar that I would like it in wine. Or how some people are put off by the taste of any non-fish item that’s been fried in oil in which fish has been fried in.
It is expected, though–for Americans that grew up on Hershey’s, that is. For Europeans or others where chocolate never had that flavor, it’s indeed unexpected. I don’t think you can really claim that butyric acid is inherently incompatible with sweet foods; it’s in lots of dairy stuff and I’ll bet if I researched it some I could find other examples (anything with a buttermilk component, for instance).
A huge fraction of the foods we eat are basically rotten in some way. Takes great if you’re used to it, and revolting if not. Nothing right or wrong about it.
Point taken. I remember the texture seeming different when I was young. I could be wrong. That is the thing about the bar that makes it seem “low-quality” to me: it is chalky and gritty.
I don’t think the rejection here has been “simple-minded.” People seem to have specific reasons.
My favorite candy bar used to be Hershey’s Bar None, which was discontinued long ago (the first version, not the second). I also used to like Symphony with toffee a lot (I still find it to be fine). So I never had a bad impression about the brand. My feelings about the Hershey bar are based on “modern” tastings, and it seems to have gotten grittier and less tasty over time.
