This wiki page is the organizing home of our uniquely Fedora tradition: the International Candy Swap. If you know it, you know it. If you do not, we invite you to participate in a historic tradition that has taken place at Flock since 2015.
If you intend to participate in this tradition, please edit this wiki page and add your information to the table below.
What is the International Candy Swap?
It is just like it sounds. At in-person Flock events, Fedora contributors gather to share small pieces of where we come from in our various journeys around the world to get to Flock. At one evening of the conference, we gather people together, spread out several tables, and everyone "contributes" their confectionery item to the table. Typically, we have representation across several countries and multiple continents!
OPTIONAL: Participants are encouraged to dress in ethnic outfit or dress as part of the candy swap to represent their homes and what they bring with them to Flock.
RSVP
If you will attend the International Candy Swap, please hold your spot by adding yourself to the list below.
| Name | FAS username | Home country | Allergies that you have | Type of Candy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nick Bebout | nb | USA (IN) | none | Smarties and Fun Dip |
| Justin W. Flory | jflory7 | USA (GA) | none | Three treats from three continents |
| Robert Wright | rwright | USA (OR) | Chocolate | Random US oddities |
| David Kirwan | dkirwan | Ireland | none | Selection of Irish/Japanese candy |
| Nikita Tripathi | nekonya3 | India | none | Coconut barfi |
| Akashdeep Dhar | t0xic0der | India | none | Mango-flavored candy, Tamarind-flavored candy and $(SURPRISE)-flavored candy |
| Anushka Jain | likeanushkaa | India | none | Surprise surprise! |
| Amy Marrich | spotz | USA (TX) | none | Buc-ees Beaver Nuggets and something else |
| Carl George | carlwgeorge | USA (TX) | none | Puro San Antonio sweets (Mexican candy from South Texas) |
| Emma Kidney | ekidney | Ireland | none | Tayto and purple snack bars |
| Shaun McCance | shaunm | USA (OH) | peanuts, chocolate | Buckeyes |
| Jonathan Wright | jonathanspw | USA (AL) | none | Gushers and Jolly Ranchers. Hopefully peanut brittle (a southern US treat) |
| Sandro (Penguinpee) | gui1ty | The Netherlands | none | Something local (I'm consulting a teenage expert đ đŹ đ) đ |
| Mike Nolan | nolski | UK | none | |
| Göran Uddeborg | goeran | Sweden | none | Three sweets popular in Sweden |
| Sumantro Mukherjee | sumantrom | India | none | Indian Candy |
| Michal Konecny | zlopez | Czech | none | Czech candy |
| Paul Power | ppower | Ireland | none | Irish candy bars |
| Kevin Fenzi | kevin | USA | none | nekos, wintogreens and mentos |
| Isabella Whelan | Glassofwater369 | Ireland | none | Favorite cheap sweets as a kid |
| Alex Callejas | darkaxl017 | MĂ©xico | none | Spicy and sour sweet, non-traditional but common Mexican treats. Tamarind, peanut, etc. |
How does a candy swap work?
Once all the sweets, candies, and snacks are laid out and arranged, we ask every participant to share a sentence or a story about what item they brought and why that item makes them think of home or why it is important to them. Once everyone has shared the story of what they brought, it is time to taste and enjoy!
Typically, we offer people who brought an item the chance to have first tastes. Because we always have more than enough, anyone who did not bring a treat is welcome to try whatever is left after the first round of tasting.
Candy Swap FAQ
You have questions, we have answers.
Q: Does every item have to be a sweet or candy?
No. You can bring a candy, sweet, or snack. Ideally, your item should be something easily shared. Individually-wrapped items are good, although bite-sized items also work if they are small and easy to eat.
Things that are less messy usually make our venue staff less anxious, although do not let this limit your imagination for what you may bring to share with the Fedora community.
Q: Does it have to be individually-wrapped? Store-bought or homemade?
What you bring and how it is packaged is up to you. There are often both store-bought and homemade items. Individually-wrapped items are good because they are easy to share and typically have clearly-labeled ingredients.
However, if a close family member offers to make something homemade for you to bring along, don't shy away from that! :D (I still remember Naanee's homemade laddoos from 2019.)
Q: Do I need to know the ingredients of what I bring?
Yes.
Allergies are real. And in a diverse community like ours, there are participants who have allergies. Please make sure you can clearly describe major ingredients in your treat, especially common allergens like any kind of nut, dairy/milk products, etc. Even chocolate!
If you do not know major ingredients of your treat, we may ask you to place your treat separately from others so that those with allergies can be confident in what they are consuming.