Talk:Salt water taffy

Origins?

Though I doubt that the origin of the name story is true, and honestly I really don't care, there is nothing in it that suggests it would be in the business directory, I'm deleting this passage "The veracity of this story is called into question by the fact that the first occurrence of the phrase "salt water taffy" in Atlantic City business directories was in 1889."- Moshe Constantine Hassan Al-Silverburg 21:08, 5 November 2005 (UTC)

nobody knows if its true they just did a thing on the history channel and they thought it was true so I dont know.

Supreme Court or Patent Ruling?

I think it'd be worth looking into whether there was actually a Supreme Court case. This from the American Dialect Society (and some of my own brief followup) makes it seem like the "Supreme Court" mention was actually a misidentification. It might have just been a Patent Office ruling. If I have spare time I'll look into this, but I might not get around to it. Ando228 18:37, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

Since these things often disappear, and most people don't buy access to the NYT archives, here's a web citation of the article as quoted in the LISTSERV posting

AUTHORNAME. Denies Sole Right To 'Salt Water Taffy' (April 12, 1925 (Sunday), Sec. 1, p. 13, col. 2). New York Times. 2008-08-19. URL:http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0209a&L=ads-l&D=0&P=9619. Accessed: 2008-08-19. (Archived by WebCite® at http://www.webcitation.org/5aCGQw178) --SV Resolution(Talk) 19:50, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

I've been unable to locate any Supreme Court opinion from that period which mentions "taffy", so I think that the cited article most likely misinterpreted the case. I'll change the article. Sneftel (talk) 08:23, 2 April 2014 (UTC)

salt water vs regular taffy

What is the difference between salt water taffy and regular taffy? Neither this article or the "Taffy" article explain the division. Trcunning 16:28, 13 March 2007 (UTC)

I beleive that salt water taffy is made with actual salt water.

According to the Discovery Channel and Friends, you're incorrect. I'd say the difference is geography. Champagne only comes from the Champagne region of France. If the grapes come from anywhere else you have to call it sparkling wine. I'd venture a guess "salt water taffy" is what they call it along the Atlantic, and "taffy" if its made anywhere else. Also please sign your entries! Bderwest 16:21, 15 August 2007 (UTC)

10 0z boxes of "Salt Water Taffy" souvenir are sold in Destin, Florida so the Gulf Coast also is part of that region (which, of the top of my head, I think the Gulf of Mexico is part of the Atlantic ocean). I wonder if it is also sold in the Great Lakes beach resort/tourist areas or on the Pacific coast? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 4.224.3.245 (talk) 23:20, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Here on the West Coast every little beach front shop sells "salt water taffy." It is apparent that if you are selling taffy near salt water you have the prerogative of calling it salt water taffy. jayokl —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.54.136.130 (talk) 23:13, 26 June 2008 (UTC)

I don't think there is a difference either, I just know that they are both delicious.- Moshe Constantine Hassan Al-Silverburg | Talk 05:12, 14 January 2009 (UTC)

Nope, it has nothing to do with being by salt water, or even a beach. It can be found at candy shops on Mackinac Island (freshwater lake) [[1]], Wisconsin Dells (river, not much beach) [[2]], and Las Vegas (not much of any water) [[3]]. 63.87.189.17 (talk) 21:31, 13 July 2010 (UTC)

Salt water taffy is softer and stickier than regular taffy. Signature (talk) 22:28, 11 April 2011 (UTC)

Origin story?

I cannot speak to the true origin of salt-water taffy, but at the age of 68, I have never seen before the story of an assistant using the wrong ingredient. Over and over again, the story I have seen is that a storm washed over an Atlantic City taffy stand, and the owner, once the storm had passed, put up signs advertising “Salt Water Taffy” in a desperate attempt to recover some of the cost of his ruined stock, only to find it an unexpected hit. Though I do not know whether that story is true, throughout my life, it has been the common legend.John W. Kennedy (talk) 22:14, 13 April 2017 (UTC)

That was the story I knew as a boy in Atlantic City, my birthplace.--Dthomsen8 (talk) 17:25, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

https://www.bulkcandystore.com/info/history-of-salt-water-taffy/ supports that idea.

https://www.wockenfusscandies.com/blog/the-history-of-salt-water-taffy/

https://www.jamescandy.com/our-history/fralingers/