Jellybean Justice

Easter Sunday has come and gone. The brightly-colored candies that were painstakingly stocked and restocked in the candy aisle just a few days ago are now heaped in a pile marked "50% Off." Perhaps you've eaten enough Marshmallow Peeps and Cadbury Cream Eggs to satisfy your reincarnated hunger. More likely, you're pouring over the discount candy like the rest of us, hoping to find a cheap peanut butter egg.

A word of caution: Do not fall into the gourmet jellybean trap during the Easter season. Read this advice now, but heed it when buying candy before the holiday next year. It might just save you a few bucks.

I speak, of course, of Jelly Belly Jellybeans. Renowned for their unfathomable variety of flavors and steep price, they have become the first thought in many minds at the word "Jellybean." They deserve their acclaim, and are often worth their steep price.

But during the Easter season, why not pick up a couple of bags of nondescript, off-brand jellybeans? It is the only time of year you can readily find them, and they are much cheaper than their upmarket cousins. More importantly, it is the only time of year you can derive as much enjoyment from the pure-sugar taste of the bright green, blue, red, orange and white beans as you can from the plethora of flavors in every box of Jelly Bellies. Only during Easter can you bite into a red jellybean that tastes just like a green one and still truly enjoy the candy. It doesn't matter what the flavor is, these are jellybeans!

Go to the spot-on A&W Root Beers and buttered popcorns of Jelly-Bellies any other time of year. But take advantage of your Easter Jellybean loophole while it lasts. For a few weeks, you're allowed to be a kid who doesn't care about any flavor in candy except sweet. Make the most of them.