I was always told that Hershey bars were among the most desirable commodities in Europe during and immediately after WWII, comparable in value to nylon stockings and real coffee on every nation's black market. All you east-of-the-pond chocolate snobs may turn your noses up at this iconic American product nowadays, but your parents and grandparents had a different perspective entirely.

Hershey invented milk chocolate ~ or, to be more precise, was the first to develop a workable method for mass-producing it ~ and perhaps being first was not tantamount to being best. Other concerns (arguably) made improvements as they devised their own methods.

Taste is basically personal, anyway. Hershey's milk chocolate has a distinct flavor that some people actually prefer. That's what they're used to, what they associate with their childhood, or whatever.

As for me, I'm not wild about anyone's milk chocolate, anyway ~ much prefer the darker stuff.