Thursday, November 5, 2015

Yotchan Amazu Soft Ashi (Seasoned Squid)

Boy, this is about to get "real"

The Attraction:
I've been a fan of squid for a while. Not so much as a pet, but more on a consumption level. So much so that I even tried some dried snack variations like this. As unmistakable as the squid was in that experience, I was ready to step it up a notch, so when I saw this little prize hanging on the rack, I knew what I had to do.

The Review:
I've been eating dried squid snacks like these since I was a kid. They are really popular in Asian cultures, so they were always accessible. One of the things I never really loved about them was how dry they were, so it seemed like a natural progression to gravitate towards squid snacks that weren't as dry. I just never thought it was possible. Well, leave it to the Japanese to make my wishes come true, but you know what they say; careful what you wish for.

I waste no time. I tear open the bag and peer in to see all the squid parts on a clear plastic tray. Oh, and there's a decent sour smell coming out of the bag as well. I don't think it went bad, I think it's part of the seasoning. We've gone this far, we can't stop now...

I take a nice squid tentacle out and take a healthy size bite out of it. It's chewy, in a good way. Very shortly after that bite, I quickly discovered that the source of the sour smell was a result of the vinegar based flavoring that the squid was seasoned with. "Hmm, do these come in another flavor?", I ponder.

Tasty bits of squid await inside.

The Sweet:
Nice chewy squid texture. As close to eating a fresh squid from a bag without getting physically ill.

The Bitter:
I didn't love the sour taste that accompanied it, though.

Oh, you know it's squid alright!
Conclusion:
Everything was great about this snack, except the flavor. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't particularly inviting either. Unfortunately for the snack makers at Yotchan, flavor is a big part of the snacking experience. I enjoyed the texture so much that as I write this, I can visualize myself chewing on a piece right now in spite of the sour flavor vibe.

The packaging seems to indicate that this snack should be consumed with beer, which I whole heartily agree with as it would probably help wash some of that flavor away, but for me, that's not what I'm looking for in a snack. The beer should be optional, not mandatory and after a few of these, it sure does feel mandatory.

Video of the Week
The only thing I enjoy more than people freaking out during a hot pepper challenge is watching the same hot pepper challenge video with music put to it. Oh, I don't think it's possible to not laugh during this poor woman's challenge.

"This probably was a pepper"

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