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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jona Azizaj | jonatoni | Albania | none | albanian 🇦🇱 traditional cookies 🍪 |
| Justin W. Flory | jflory7 | USA (GA) | none | Pecan pralines |
| Michal Konečný | zlopez | Czech Republic | none | Traditional Czech sweets |
| František Lachman | lachmanfrantisek | Czech Republic | none | Let's see how many collisions we'll have with Michal...;) |
| Kevin Fenzi | kevin | USA (OR) | none | whatever fun things I can find |
| Amita Sharma | amsharma | India (Pune) | none | Let's see :) |
| Team Fyra | owensz jaidenriordan lleyton | USA (MN) | none | Minnesota Candies, Bit-O-Honey and Salted Nut Roll |
| Mike McGrath | mmcgrath | USA (Chicago) | none | Some local chicago favorite |
| Laura Barcziová | lbarczio | Slovakia | none | Some traditional Slovak sweets |
| Adam Samalik | asamalik | Netherlands | none | stroopwafels |
| Carl George | carlwgeorge | USA (TX) | none | beef jerky and dried sausage (beef+pork) |
| Steven Pritchard | steve | USA (IL) | none | Cookies from a St. Louis area bakery |
| Perry Rivera | Lajuggler | USA (CA) | none | Let's see :) |
| Daniel Mellado | dmellado | Galiza (Spain) | none | Traditional Galician cookies |
| Smera Goel | smeragoel | India (New Delhi) | Vegetarian | Tamarind sweet-n-sour candies! |
| Luis Bazan | lbazan | Panama, Republic of Panama | none | Panemian Folcklore Candys! |
| Alex Acosta | aacosta | Mexico 🇲🇽 | Coconut | Nun farts (No, really, that's what they call them 🙄 ) |
| Sythong Run | sythong-r | Cambodia | none | thong muan |
| Mark Pearson | mpearson | Canada | none | Maple syrup nougat |
| Anita Zhang | anitazha | USA (CA) | none | Fruit gummies and Honey Butter Cashews |
| Marie Nordin | riecatnor | USA (NY) | tree nuts | Jolly Ranchers and assorted Hershey candies |
| Anxhelo Lushka | anxh3l0 | Albania | none | Albanian 🇦🇱 chocolates 🍪 |
| Nick Bebout | nb | USA (Indiana) | none | hard candies |
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
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.