this past week i had the pleasure of traveling to new orleans for the qualitative research consultants association (QRCA) annual conference.  and yes, i am geeking out over some of the cool nuggets i got that i cannot wait to start implementing on monday….but i digress…after enjoying an amazing bowl of chicken and andouille gumbo and a…wait for it… deep-fried break pudding po boy at ye olde college inn in the airport, i was making my rounds in the hudson news and discovered this amazing NEW gem of a package………..

new orleans airport, 10.2014

as i was standing at the gate i carefully opened the outer package with incredible anticipation.  i sort of felt like ralphie from “a christmas story” when he was working to decode his weekly little orphan annie secret message.

some notable points on the package include: stickers with product information (suggesting this is an international product trying to meet our regulations), that this is a new tictac offering all together with crystals (read = “xylitol”), and that it is “exclusive to travelers” (and with travelers misspelled with two l’s – oops!).

once i had carefully opened the outer package and removed the second thin plastic layer my enthusiasm had grown – as had my audience as i started my own little focus group regarding the package while waiting to board – and this is the magic that i found!

shush up is right!  it has a slide door for picking out the product and a flip top as well for pouring!  the package is a bit big for your pocket but is definitely new and interesting….so of course i went back into the hudson news and bought all of the flavors in fear that i might not find this package again.

not sure on the verdict on the product itself…sadly, more of a candy versus a proper mint but i guess that is the tictac way.  my new friends at the gate appeared to like it but candidly, i was so excited that i might have biased them (or just in general, freaked them out).

SO, what are your reactions to this package?  have you seen any other candy packages that stand out as notable?  share it in the comments below… and be sure to come back and check the comments as there are some really amazing packages that are being shared….

and just because i know you all wanted to know what a deep-fried bread pudding po boy looks like…

i am not sure my body will ever recover from the new orleans culinary delicacies i enjoyed on this trip.  in fact, i think it is still trying to catch up from the minnesota state fair adventure of 2010….