ENTRY #3. MINT

The blue and clear packaging crunches. Keeping the cool crisp delight sealed. My hands gently feel the crevice of the wrapper, breaking it in an effort to unseal the mouth-watering circle. The circle is white with a hollowed-out middle. Little words indent the white edible ring, which has texture when rubbed by my fingers.

The thought of toothpaste comes to mind as the hard white circle finds its way into my mouth. The flavor is strong, almost spicy. The flavor reminds me of chocolate because it pairs well with it. The cool refreshing taste reminds me of the feeling of drinking ice-cold water on a hot summer afternoon. The scent reminds me of the week of Christmas. Everything smells and tastes icy and fresh this time of year.

The small disk-shaped delight shrinks and melts the longer it sits in my mouth, cooling everything it comes in contact with. The words indented on the ring massage my tongue as it makes its rounds inside my mouth. The icy taste tickles the tongue. A similar feeling to drinking a carbonated beverage. It melts slowly, so after a while, some prefer to bite into the hard circle. Its chalky consistency can be hard to break and loud to crunch. When the small edible ring dissolves the tingly cool sensation remains for a few minutes. The edible ring often soothes dry mouths by helping the mouth salivate. With the essence of flavor lingering even after the delight has subsided, drinking or eating anything cool can give a brain freeze. At the very least it will leave a strong, spicy, cool sensation.