PREFACE
Tivoli Eating Aesthetics, Part 1: Munchin’ in the Dark

Oh what sweet temptations lie there in the window, luring you in, exploding like fireworks in your braincells and making you feel… giddy.

Candy speaks to all ages and cultures–  in one form or another we all have a set of sweet teeth to be fed and catered to. Some more than others and I admire the people who can stay away having trained their bodies out of the more than common refined sugar addiction that most of us suffer from. I need a Betty Ford sugar clinic check-in soon.

But apart from loving the sweet kicks, I am drawn to the aesthetics behind it. Candy branding, candy stores and candy wrapping always reflect on some level what we hope to experience when having the first bite of a chocolate bar or a fruit-flavoured caramel. The colourful taste fireworks – a sweeping, oral roller coaster ride back to our childhood.

And Tivoli, the Danish fun park in the middle of Copenhagen, is the place to snack for young souls.

Many of the buildings are old (some more than a 100 years) and their curious decor matches the different candy stores perfectly. This is one of my fave candy booths in Tivoli. It’s so cute!!!

Built in the 1950′s, it offers a full 360 degree window display of goodies. The lamps are retro beautiful in pastel colours.

Some tourists are going for it.

This blue boutique cook and roll their own drops and lollipops (“bolcher” and “slikkepinde” (lick sticks, ha) in Danish). It’s a classic Danish tradition.

I was never a big fan though, it takes forever to finish a drop and in the meantime the sugar eats out your teeth. I like to chew and feel the texture.

Inside the shop there’s a huge selection to choose from.

A peek into another little candy shop beneath a roller coaster. Cute wagon! Would be awesome to roll around in Paris and sell macarons in…

The interior is classic candy shop with the walls covered with boxes full of sweets. 16 DKK for 100 grams. A family walking in here with three kids and a sugar crazed granny will get an expensive experience.

Ye Olde Ice Cream House – looks very 1880′s USA.

The chairs look quite like an old French cafe in Southern France beach town.

Very summer ice cream parlour.

This crazy shop is also located beneath a roller coaster. I love the whole element of abundance involved. Enough is never enough.

More lollipops with different flavours – one of them says Traffic light!

This is a cool candy arcade featuring a mirror ceiling.

Yoko of the Japanify column was hanging out here in 2009, inspecting the goods:

The mint and pink candy floss is the epitome of fun parks! Also very gay.

The fine layers of sugar webs are fascinating to kids. How can this  sticky cloud be regular sugar?

Is it magic?

And why does it taste like utter crap?

Here you go, sir. Enjoy your crap.

This girl gave me the weird looks, I think she believed I was her stalker. Sorry girl, I would only stalk the most handsome fella in the solar system (Kyle Chandler) and you don’t look like him one bit.

And by the way, I’m busy admiring these sticky balls– apples dipped in caramel and dusted with coco.

Which of course won’t fool the kids– it’s still a (somehow healthy) apple. Bah!

It’s the end of the season after a pretty good summer. I return to my little pavillion for a final evening picture. Next time it’ll be covered in snow.

Christmas in Tivoli is coming up which I might visit too, just to nibble and sample all the seasonal offerings.