Don’t let go by Harlan Coben - can American mumsnetters explain something?

[LadyAddle]

Why would mixing M&Ms and Skittles for a teachers’ staff room meeting be a prank? It sounds quite a nice combination to me, I like them both!

M&ms are chocolate with a hard shell. Skittles are fruity, chewy, and just a tad sour. It would be a disgusting combination.

Haven’t read the book, but I assume it’s because they look similar so unless you looked closely you would be expecting chocolate and get fruit flavour or vice versa. Presumably whoever played the prank just thought it would be funny that people may get a mouthful of something they weren’t expecting.

To the discerning and experienced eye they don't look identical anyway, so the joke would fall flat.

Thanks - I thought it was a bit feeble, as they aren't identical, but felt I might be missing something or that Skittles were different in USA. Devoting far too much thought to a minor point!

I haven't read the book so not sure of context. I'm blind and can tell the difference between the two by feel, but might not notice immediately if I just eat them quickly without thinking. I'd probably be a little surprised (this has happened with other foods, where I think it's a grape but it's actually a tomato) but not that upset, and could think of much worse pranks. Are the characters very upset by the prank?

Yes you could easily pick the skittles out if you wanted skittles and pick the m and ms out if you wanted them!

@NewDayNewLife
Book didn't describe the reaction. I wish I hadn't returned it now, I feel I want to re-read that bit - as far as I recall, it was perpetrated by a mild computer geek so perhaps that's as pranky as it gets for techy types. Anyway, thank you all for getting drawn into my obsessive worries about mixed confectionery in UK and across the pond.