It's a funny example since it looks like cotton candy might have been around in their time [0]. Machines spun cotton candy came about much later but I'm not overly suspicious of the claims in [0] as meringue[1] certainly existed in their lifetimes and the process isn't dissimilar. I'm certain these men could understand "like meringue, but with sugar!" And "a machine that spins fast!" These would not be great leaps for people at this time. It seems to make them out to be idiots rather than not being prophetic (presumably the intended meaning)
[0] https://web.archive.org/web/20150701005917/http://www.cotton...
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meringue