Just before noon today, I got a text from Chris Russo, co-owner of
Bento in Burlington. It was just four words: "We've got Every Burger!"
I ran right to College Street, knowing my life was about to change. For the first time ever, I am now able to buy my favorite candy in Vermont. From Indian rose barfi to bone-shaped, cardamom-flavored Maltese ghadam tal-mejtin, I've eaten my way through the world's sweets with unbecoming gusto. But in the end, nothing can compete with a childhood favorite.
When I was a kid, my family drove to a Japanese supermarket called Meiji-ya for groceries a couple of times a month. I had lots of musts on my list: eat a melon-flavored shaved ice from the counter; bring home Botan Rice candy, wrapped in edible rice paper, to wow my friends. Panko, at the time not something you could just buy at the grocery store, also seemed to go quickly in my house.
But my favorite candy was always the Every Burger. Or maybe it's more of a cookie. The bite-sized burgers are made of mini patties of chocolate topped in yellow white chocolate, which stands in for cheese. The buns are skinny, shortbread-style cookies topped in chopped sesame seeds. Every Burgers used to be sold with two mini compartments in each package, but in the last year or two, they've been packed as a single serving. This makes portion control extremely difficult for me.