Doritos Spicy Garlic

Same name, different color and flavor!

The Attraction

Umm, Doritos, hello? It also doesn't hurt that it's a flavor you can't get here in the US. I quickly plunked down my converted Taiwanese dollars and brought this baby home for a sampling.

The Review:
One of the more exciting parts of traveling aboard is hitting all the markets and hording all the interesting snacks that you just don't see when you are back home. Every trip I take outside of the US, I make it a point to scope out every snack aisle I come across to locate treats that light up my face the same way snacks did when I was a chubby teenager. That's the true litmus test as to if I should review it. If I'm that exciting to buy it, it's going to get reviewed. One such snack that I was excited to come across while in Asia was these Doritos Spicy Garlic flavor chips.

You may know my cousin, Cool Ranch

Being a true snack enthusiast, Doritos easily makes my snack Top 10. Hell, it might even make my top 5.  I am also not alone in my love for Doritos. The crispy corn chip crunch with a generous dusting of nacho cheese flavoring has been providing years of empty calories for happy Americans for decades. In more recent times, they've expanded the product line to include flavors like Cool Ranch, Spicy Sweet Chili and Spicy Nacho, but for me, Nacho will always be king.

With that said, I occasionally dabble in the other flavors like Cool Ranch and Spicy Sweet Chili, to break it up sometimes, so when I saw this new offering of Spicy Garlic, I knew I couldn't pass it up.

..or my other cousin, Sweet Chili?

When I finally got back home from Asia, I cracked open the bag and noticed a slight garlicky scent.

"As promised", I thought to myself

I grab a lucky chip out of the sea of Doritos in the bag and crunch down on one.

I'm happy to see that the Doritos signature crunch extends to products overseas as well. Flavor-wise, the people over at Doritos were smart to not make the garlic flavor too intense. It's a bit more subtle than I was expecting. It wasn't like garlic powder on a chip. The flavor was more of a kiss of garlic-ness that wasn't very salty. I think if it was saltier, it would have made the garlic flavor more pronounced, but by downplaying the salt factor, you can get the essence of garlic without it overpowering your taste buds.

It was only after the garlic flavor began to fade away when the spicy part of the flavor namesake came into play. It's something I've noticed with many "spicy" snacks. They layer the heat on the latter part of the flavor profile and it works well because it doesn't distract you from the other flavors. It acts like a spicy cleansing of the palate. The trade off is that if you are accustomed to that more forward, aggressive spiciness, the heat this snack punches may feel more like a love tap.

The Sweet:
Consistent Doritos crunch no matter the flavor. Exicting flavor deviation

The Bitter:
However interesting the flavor is, it's not enough to really distinguish itself

Conclusion:
It's tough being a Doritos product. I suppose to a degree, it's similar to being the offspring or relative of someone very famous; you are measured against this really high bar because of the name you carry when all you want to be is yourself.

That's the curse of this product; because the Doritos brand is so beloved, it takes something really special to stand along side the enduring Doritos flavors. I'm glad that they continue to experiment in all parts of the world and perhaps the Spicy Garlic flavor will resonate to other snack lovers in other regions, but for me, it didn't make enough of an impression to occasionally give up the space in my shopping cart that I would normally reserve for the Doritos flavor that will always have my heart, Nacho Cheese.

Video of the Week

Which Philly Cheese steak is really the best?

I've seen so many food shows on TV blowing smoke up some Philly Cheesesteak's owners butt about how good their specific cheesesteak is, but I never really get a straight answer about which ones are really good. Finally, the good people over at Bon Appetit sent someone out to taste 16 cheesesteaks in Philadelphia in 12 hours. I don't know if I will ever eat that many cheesesteaks in one visit, but I won't need to now that I know which they liked the most. For those not familiar with what a Philly Cheesesteak is, you can learn more about this iconic sandwich here.

Frutips Black Currant

 I'm sorta a big deal

The Attraction

I've seen this candy around at various points in my "Asian" life. It was time I wrote a proper review of this perennial treat.

The Review:
Ask any Hong Kong native or frequent visitor to the island about this snack and most likely they will be familiar with it. Frutips in HK are like the equivalent of Lifesavers or Tic Tacs here in the States. Every grocery / convenience store carries these snack stables. I vaguely remember seeing these at various point of my childhood growing up. Even though I was raised in the US, I remember seeing the packaging of these snacks when I would visit HK or when someone would visit from HK and would bring a few roll of these for someone I knew.

Tunnel of yummy goodness?

I have forgotten about this snack years ago, until about 3 years ago, a former colleague of mine with friends in Hong Kong would have them ship her these gummy pastilles to her several times a year. She was kind enough to share some with me and it immediately brought me back to my younger days.

What's curious about it is that although gummies are not an unusual favorite of children and grown-ups alike, the famous flavor of these Frutips are black currant. Yes, black currant. You may be asking, what the heck flavor is that? Well, it looks like a grape and blueberry. It's better explained here.

Gummy and chewy

In any regard, the black currant flavor is far more familiar to folks in Asia and in Europe. So much so that another black currant flavored treat, Ribina, is also very popular in Hong Kong. Fortunately, you can get these concentrated drink mixes here in the US.

What makes these treats so tasty? They are gummy, but not overly sweet, with a subtle tartness to them. The gummy texture is also not too gummy. It doesn't get all in your teeth to the point where you have to use your tongue or worst, your finger, to get the candy our of your teeth. I'm drooling a little just thinking about them now.

The Sweet:
Gummy, chewy, slightly sour treats that are highly addicting

The Bitter:
Hard to find outside of Asia

Conclusion:
There's a reason why this gummy treat is so popular in HK. It's not too sweet and the chewy consistency makes it tough to resist a multiple pastille tasting. Unfortunately, these are usually not sold in the US, so they are a tough item to come by, but when you do, after trying it, you'll be hording a few rolls of these the next time you happen upon them.

Video of the Week

Boy, the things you can win these days in the claw machine

A slightly pervy, yet genius of a business person in Taiwan came up with the idea of putting bikini-clad women in the claw machine games to draw more players. This may surprise you, but it seemed to have worked in a big way. No, you can't select the model with the claw (unfortunately) and it's probably not a good idea to play one of these machines while you are on a date, unless you want to potentially just go home alone.

T-Pops Nori Toasted Seaweed Popcorn

  Seaweed you say? We will "sea" about that?
(See what I did there?)

The Attraction

I've seen this bag of popcorn on the shelves for awhile down where I usually shop for Asian groceries, but I was reluctant to plunk down my hard earned $3 for it. Maybe it seemed too gimmicky to me initially, but as I saw it week in and week out and it wore me down. "What on earth must this taste like? Can it possibly be good?"

The Review:
I actually have had this bag in my snack cupboard for awhile. Even after buying weeks ago, it just didn't draw enough interest from me to be excited to try it.

"T-Pops Popcorn and seaweed or Cheez-Its? I guess Cheez-Its it will be!"

Then finally the little lady asked me if she should chuck the bag of popcorn out.

Admitted, I was thinking hard about it. I eventually relented and decided to sample it for even if it was a hellish flavor disaster (like I very well knew it could be), I would have a good snack review out of it. So, yes, I was very excited to try this product. (no, I wasn't. That was sarcasm.)

Interesting combo, no?

I picked up a few popped kernels and dig in. The flavor of the nori quickly reminded me as to why I do enjoy it. It's not just a seafood like taste or only salty, but there are multiple dimensions to it. It also brings some of that roasted seaweed flavor, a slight sweetness and that good old Asian umami flavor.

Throw in any respectable popcorn makers crispy popcorn like T-Pops did and you have yourself a multi-layer snacking experiencing. Good flavor + right texture = potential snack overload.

No, it's not pesto. It's really seaweed!

I pick up a few more pieces to confirm the flavor I'm experiencing and before I know it, the bag is almost gone. Damn you, nori. You reeled me in again

The Sweet:
Surprisingly addictive. Not as odd of a combination as you might think

The Bitter:
Not the easiest snack to find in town. Have to enjoy nori (seaweed) a little to enjoy this.

Conclusion:
Yes, seaweed and popcorn go together like Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog. Not the most obvious or even initially appealing combination, but somehow T-Pops make it work. The nori adds a complexity to the popcorn far more than one might expect. The seaweed doesn't simply just make the popcorn savory, it also adds some toasted notes in addition to some sweet little bits of something along the way.

I would go another round with a bag of T-Pops Nori Toasted Seaweed Popcorn. Probably more so than watching another episode of Snoop and Martha.

Video of the Week

Sign O' the Times

It wasn't that long ago that China and North Korea were pals, but with the leader of N. Korea showing off his military wares as of late, it has put a strain on the relationship. So much so that a new bridge tying the two countries together was put on hold indefinitely. I could have used some of that 350 million. 

Lay's Potato Chips Thai Spicy Crab

I've been dying for a Thai Spicy Crab chip...not!

The Attraction

I love international flavor variations of conventional products that we have here in the States. It was only natural when I saw a Thai Spicy Crab version of Lay's potato chips that I felt compelled to give it a shot. Besides, who can turn down a Thai spicy crab flavor chip? ( I don't even know what it's supposed to taste like)

The Review:
I wasn't too keen on trying these chips because, well, I've never gravitated toward seafood flavored anything in a snack, but I thought, there can always be a first time for everything. I open the bag and there was almost no smell emanating from the package. No spicy, no seafood, no Thai (whatever that smells like).

Looks normal to me,
but people also once said that about Kanye

I pickup a chip and go to town. At first there's a sweetness to it. I wasn't expecting that, but once the sweetness peaks, it quickly kicks into it's salty 2nd act and then casually gives way to the spicy finale, all while the seafood flavor lays in the back snapping it's fingers keeping the pace for the rest of the players. The crunch is consistent with what you would expect from a Lay's chip, being international or domestic (although I do find the Asian international version to be less oily and slightly thicker).

As I go through several more chips, I start to try to remember what I reviewed recently that tastes like this. Ahh! I got it! It's like a less crunchy and seaweed-ish version of Tao Kae Noi Hi Tempura Seaweed Spicy Flavor. So if you are looking for something like that, but not seaweed based, you may have found a winner here!

Like Kanye, it's far from normal!

The Sweet:
Nice sweet heat delivered on a bed of seafood essence.

The Bitter:
Not everyone loves seafood flavor.

Conclusion:
It's clear that this was another marketing move to give a product a much more desirable flavor name than just "Spicy Seafood Flavor". Although I'm not a super seafood fan, "Thai Spicy Crab Flavor" sounds much more appetizing to me than the former.

For all the clever marketing ploys, it still boils down to the flavor. For me, I'm just not inclined towards seafood flavored snacks, but even with that, I did enjoy these chips. If you are a fan of such flavor, this could very easily find a spot in your snack pantry, perhaps next to your roasted seaweed and spicy dried squid.

Video of the Week 

They are coming...to eventually make us make them cars.

In case the video I shared with you a few months showing a robot on four "legs" running and bounding over obstacles without much issue didn't make you want to soil yourself, this week I present, Atlas, the biped robot that will stop at nothing to accomplish it's goal (watch the box lifting demo). Now substitute the box with you and put an Arnold face mask on the robot. Commence bladder release.

Sakuraya Strawberry Daifuku

Who doesn't love a good daifuku?

The Attraction

I've hopped in and out of many a Chinese, Japanese and Korean grocery stores in my day and have seen several variations of daifuku. There are some great local variations, but one commercial brand I have seen over and over again in this neck of the woods is this Sakuraya brand. There must be something to this right?

The Review:
I'm no stranger to daifuku. One of my favorite things about it is the wonderfully chewy mochi or glutinous rice exterior. I like that aspect so much, the filling almost isn't even a factor. Is there anway I wouldn't enjoy these? I've had some locally made versions before, but I have yet to try Sakuraya's version. Let's hope they don't ruin this me.

"Ahh, nice and squishy"

I take my nice package of 4 daifuku balls home and crack it open. In addition to the red hue, the slight smell of strawberries gives away what flavor awaits inside. As I pick one up, I give it a slight squeeze; the texture is firm, yet soft. That's a good sign. Daifuku any other way just isn't daifuku to me.  

I bring the mochi up to my mouth and take a nice size bite. The texture and mouth feel is as what I would have guessed from with my "squeeze" test; a firm, chewy exterior that gives way to a milky strawberry filling. The mochi flavor itself is rather mild. Slightly sweet, but when you hit the filling, the familiar artificial strawberry flavor that you commonly associate with Asian snacks appears. I've come to accept this with Asian snacks, but thankfully Sakuraya was wise enough to tone it a few notches to not overwhelm the more subtle mochi flavor all together.

Three more to look forward to

The Sweet:
All the great things about daifuku! Great texture and chewiness

The Bitter:
Artificial strawberry flavor, but they all have that to an extent

Conclusion:
Honestly, this review may have been a bit of a "gimme", but like that hypothesis about how a women can identify a man she would like to be romantic with within seconds and its the man's job to not say anything stupid to mess it up, Sakuraya let it's daifuku do just enough of the talking to ensure everyone ends up a winner tonight. 

Video of the Week 
Anyone that loves sushi probably has ambitions to one day to go to Japan and watch the tuna auctions and then have a chance to sample some of the winnings for that day. Though it may be a while before I can do that, here's a video of some English blokes doing just that.

 "Is it me or does it smell like fish in here?"

Caplicocot Strawberry and Milk Chocolate

It doesn't taste yogurty? Oh wait...

The Attraction

Anyone that knows a little something about Japanese food and drink knows the difference between Calpico (AKA Calpis), the delicious yogurt flavored drink and Caplico, the chocolate snack made by Glico....that is everyone except me when you aren't very careful and transpose the "P" and "L" in your head. So, although this snack has nothing to do with that tasty Japanese beverage that I adore, it still looked like an interesting enough snack to review.

The Review:
Frankly, I was already disappointed that this snack wasn't what I thought it was, but I couldn't let that get in the way of my journalistic objectivity. I would have my public, (all half a dozen of you) to answer to. I must soldier on.

I open the wrapper and what struck me was the really cool packaging that these snacks come in. They look like chocolate resting in a mini ice tray. Interesting. Glico certainly plunked down some change to make and package these babies, so they must taste good, right?

Fancy Packaging

Based on what I can tell, it looks like these treats are made in these trays and not just set into them because in order to get one of these nuggets out, you have to "pop" them out of the tray almost like a sealed cold medicine pill.

Once I was able to extract a piece of Caplicocot out, I went in for the kill. As the visual inspection would suggest, the top of the candy is composed of a dry, hardened flavored mousse, the signature characteristic of Caplico snacks (strawberry flavored, in this case), and the bottom is milk chocolate. It actually reminded me very much of another Glico product, Strawberry Pocky. The primary difference being of course that there is no biscuit stick component and that the strawberry was in mousse form versus a chocolate strawberry composition as it is on Pocky. Boy, I sure wish I had some Pocky right now.

It's like an ice tray of chocolate snacks!

The Sweet:
Interesting packaging.

The Bitter:
Not a fan of the hardened mousse.

How many more are in this package?

Conclusion:
Caplico products have been around for a while, so there must be some fans out there that enjoy the hardened mousse appeal that Caplico snacks offers. Personally, it strikes me more like a weaker version of Pocky. Although the mousse is not a component in Pocky, it doesn't distinguish itself enough from it's famous label mate to make it stand out...or at least in a good way.


Video Mail of the Week

A new feature I'll be adding from time to time is fan mail. Due to the overwhelming amount of fan mail I receive (at last count, two! Not two per hour nor two per week, but 2....as in dos, or 1+1), I decided to share some with you and answer them right here on the blog.

"Your blog helps me get through the day" Rick

Thanks Rick. I appreciate you taking the time to send me that. In addition to noting how verbose Rick is, I had my suspicions as to if he is really a fan, or some sort of bot. Actually, I was expecting that shortly after I received this, he would precede to tell me that he was a Prince in Africa and if I just sent him some money, he would gladly pay me millions in return. Well Rick, I'll have you know that you must think I was born yesterday. I would have Googled you and found out that unless you are the Prince of Funk, Rick James himself, that there is no Prince of Africa! 

PS. I also would have asked you to let me know if you got my wire transfer and when I should expect my $5 million dollars for helping.

Want to send me mail? Please complete the form on the right and I'll select a few and answer them right on the blog. Thanks!

2015 Snack Year Standouts

What do you mean this looks like clipart?

Before we start a new year in snacking, it's only appropriate that we take a look back into this past year's snacking standouts.

Let's get to it!

Savory Category

3. Cheez-It Hot and Spicy

"If I had one wish, I would wish for world peace"

I had several variations of Cheez-Its this year like their Pepper-Jack flavor and their Crunch'd line offerings, but it was their Hot and Spicy flavor that set high marks this year. With a great combination of savory and spicy goodness, it was hard to put the box down. Read more about it here.

2. Trader Joe's Baconesque White Cheddar Popcorn

"It's an honor just to be nominated"

A common theme for many savory snacks this year was the incorporation of "meat" flavors into their products (see Kettle Chips Maple Bacon and Lay's Gyro flavored potato chips). One such product that did a better job than others was this Trader Joe's popcorn release. Though it didn't quite hit the bacon flavor home run, it hit a humdinger in the flavor department. Read more here.

1. Calbee Hot and Spicy Potato Chips

"I'd like to thank the Academy"

Although Calbee has been getting lots of attention recently because of their Honey-Butter products (both solo and collaboratively with Haitai), it's this staple that I feel really put them on the map. I know these chips have been around for awhile now, but have a taste you'll be able to figure out why. Read my review here.

Sweet Category

3. Riska Sittori Ichigo

"Please spell my name correctly on my trophy"

I didn't know what to expect when I picked up these, but I received quite a surprise when I took my first bite. Even with it's charmingly artificial strawberry flavor that all snacks seem to have when they decide to go the ' berry route, (like this) it's fun, interesting texture along with their odd flavor delivery system made quite the impression. Read the details here.

2. Nuggle

"Only 1st Runner Up!?"

My introduction to this chocolate candy bar was like a beginning to a great pop song; it was just an ordinary day. I wasn't looking for anything particular. Our paths crossed and I haven't stopped thinking about her ever since. In addition to having a great name, Nuggle has enough nuts to make Howard Stern look meek. This snack may even borderline on being semi-healthy (at least I tell myself that) Don't believe it? Check it out.

1. Oreo Thins

"Gimme my damn award!"

Oreos are far from a being new thing, but this year they did something so amazing, I don't think even they realized how big of a difference it made. Simply by streamlining their signature cookie, it raised the bar on an already iconic product. Folks, first there was bread and then there was sliced bread. In my mind, that's almost how big of  change this was. Read my thoughts further here.

Video of the Week

When I hear the name Disney, several things come to mind; Mickey, animation and more recently, Star Wars. However, after seeing this video, those terms might be replaced with, Arnold, killer robots and Cyberdyne.

See you in 20 years,
when I come back from the future to kill you

Haitai Calbee Honey Butter Chip

I'll be home for Christmas!

The Attraction

Does any avid reader of this blog really need the reason as to why I'm reviewing this baby? For those of you that aren't, these are the original snack chips that started the Honey Butter craze in S. Korea. (Here's a summary). The time......has come.

The Review:
I've been searching high and low in the Korean markets around here in the New York area to see if I could locate a bag of these chips to complete my snack trifecta as I have previously have reviewed Haitai's version of the chip, Honey Tong Tong and Calbee's version of the Honey Butter Chips. I really needed to review the original and collaborative version between the two snack manufacturers to reach a final verdict. Although I've struck out here in the States, this is where my pal Hayley comes in to save the day.

She was heading over to S. Korea to visit her family and said she would hook me up if she came across it. In my mind, I had imagined my poor friend Hayley going to every store in S. Korea looking for these chips, striking back alley deals to get the next shipment, rerouting delivery trucks, etc. Unfortunately, it wasn't anything as dramatic as that. She said she walked into a convenience store and there they were. OK, not as cloak and dagger as I had hoped, but I really appreciate her getting me these. Thanks Hayley!

After snapping a few of the obligatory photos, I carefully tear open the bag to see what these K-Pop stars were going crazy about. As I open the bag, like the other two competitors, the smell of butter and sweetness comes pouring out. Ah...it's all coming back to me; that time when I reviewed those other honey butter chip offerings, but will these taste THAT different? Let's not waste another moment...

I pickup a chip and take a bite.

The sweetness of the honey starts the ride, but as the sweetness hits a crescendo, the slight saltiness of the butter slices through the sugar and brings the flavor back down to earth as the flavor ride draws to a close. It leaves your mouth and mind wanting to have another one to see if what just happened was real. Usually most snacks go the savory or sweet route exclusively, but these honey butter chips throw a curve ball with it's unique and roller-coaster like flavor combination. OK, maybe I'll have a couple more to be sure.

Go towards the light!

The Sweet:

Great sweet and savory mix, both very subtle.

The Bitter:
Can't seem to be able to get these in the States.

Could this possibly live up to the hype?

Conclusion:
Do these live up to the hype? I really don't think any snack can after getting so much publicity in Asia, but these are tasty. It's very unique in it's flavor profile and I can certainly see why people would be a fan; whereas many snacks play it straight, either savory or sweet, these Honey Butter chips are schizophrenic and keeps your taste buds off-balance.

As to how these original Honey Butter Chips compare to the solo efforts from Haitai and Calbee, it seems like the perfect compromise between the two snack makers. After having all three products, I would guess that the flavor of these original Honey Butter chips are from Haitai's recipe as it seems very similar in their refined flavor and not as strong as Calbee's version. The chip or the method of applying the flavor onto the chip maybe Calbee's contribution to this joint effort, as Haitai's snack vessel to distribute their solo Honey Butter flavor is a thicker, triangular shrimp-like chip, as opposed to Calbee's conventional and more streamlined potato chip.

This is all speculation, by the way, but it certainly sounds a lot more poetic this way, doesn't it?

Like Jagger / Richards and Lennon / McCartney, some collaborations are just magical and are so special because jointly they could accomplish what they just could not do so alone. So is the case with these Haitai / Calbee Honey Butter Chips. Haitai is the Ying to Calbee's Yang, and although individually they can create great products, sometimes, even in the snack world, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Video Website of the Week
As the year draws to a close, this week I will be sharing Noisey's 50 Best Albums of the year. Other than listening to #3, I can't say I've heard of any of the other albums. Perhaps it'll only be a matter of time before I tell kids to "keep that racket down" and that music now is "crap" compared to when I was a kid. Oh, how cruel Father time can be...

You know you are old when you've
heard of only four of the artist on the list

Kit Kat Sweet Potato

As if Kit Kats couldn't get any better

The Attraction:

Kit Kat...ding! Kit Kat new imported flavor....ding, ding! Kit Kat imported sweet potato flavor...ding, ding, ding!

The Review:
As far as I'm concerned, Kit Kat already has street cred with me. I've tried a larger Kit Kat with peanut butter and Kit Kat Green Tea and although I liked one more than the other, neither was a disappointment. I've seen a few other flavors of Kit Kat and passed on them, primarily because of cost, (about $8.00 a bag!) but when I saw these new sweet potato flavored ones, I just could not imagine what on earth this thing would taste like. Well, yes, sweet potato, of course, but within the context of Kit Kat, I had no clue how it would be incorporated into that brand. Let's not dilly dally anymore, shall we?

I open the bag and find these small, individually wrapped packs of Kit Kats. They are about half the size of a regular Kit Kat. I pay $8 a bag and get half the size? Do most people that buy these charge them on a credit card or do they just take gold bouillon?

I unwrap the "mini" Kit Kat and smell a familiar sweet smell that I can't quite pinpoint. Is it custard? Taro? Oh, I guess it's sweet potato. Hehe

I take a bite and the sweetness is intense, but then the source of the smell comes bearing down upon you like a freight train. It's not just sweet potato, it's a baked sweet potato like just out of the oven! Actually, it's more like a baked sweet potato on steroids because it's stronger than any sweet potato I've ever had. Take the sweetest baked sweet potato you've ever had and multiple that times 4. That's what this flavor was like. It's as subtle as Donald Trump during a political debate.

Quadruple the cost, half the size.

Got to love capitalism 

The Sweet:

Miraculously captures the essence and flavor of a baked sweet potato.

The Bitter:
It's pretty sweet, but the bigger crime is the cost. At $8 a bag, you might have to sell some internal organs to support this habit.

Was that worth it?

Conclusion:
In addition to Kit Kat introducing this new and interesting flavor, they also encourage you to stick one in the oven to really recreate the baked potato experience. Talking about going all the way with something.

I must say, I'm pretty floored as to how spot-on their flavor recreation was and I would encourage everyone to try it because it's so accurate, but for the price point, I don't know if I could consistently afford to put this sucker in my cart. Maybe if my supermarket took lay-away, but I digress.

I wouldn't be honest if I said price wasn't a concern, but I could potentially work past that. However when you tack on the over the top sweetness along with the pain in my wallet, well that's 1-2 combination that would send this snack down for the count for good.

Video of the Week
With Star Wars: The Force Awakens just released this past weekend, how come we not acknowledge it somehow? Over at Vice, they went to a NY Jedi School to attend a lightsaber class. Yes, that's what I said, a lightsaber class. Surprisingly, there are some attractive women in this class, so fellas, who needs Tinder when you can swipe right into this class?

Jedi School AKA, the singles dating pool

Yummy Star Magic Cookies Chocolate Flavor

I may have the snack selection
process of a 12 year old

The Attraction:

I normally don't go for snacks that are seemingly geared towards kids, well except for this. However, something about this packaging was begging me to try it. Maybe it reminded me of Riska Sittori Ichigo and since that was such a favorable experience, maybe this could be like the chocolate version of that snack.

The Review:
I have mixed feelings when I see snacks with very little English on them. Part of me is annoyed as I can't determine what the snack is suppose to taste like, yet the other part of me is intrigued and curious as to what the snack actually is. In this case, the only thing I understood on the front of this snack's bag was "Yummy Star". OK, time to flip this thing over and see if there are any more clues on the other side.

"Magic cookies- chocolate flavor" says the label on the back that also list the ingredients. "Magic?". What exactly makes these things magical? Something inside? Is the flavor magical? You win again, language-I-can't-read-packaging.

I open the bag and the poof of chocolate smell that comes out is of that like a chocolate flavored cereal such as Coco Puffs or Count Chocula. Smells like my childhood.

I pick up a star, which is about an inch in diameter. The star itself feels light and airy. Next, time to take a bite. I dig in and get a gentle crunch, if that's possible. The flavor is very much like the chocolate-flavored cereals I mentioned earlier, but the texture seems familiar also. It's not quite as hard as cereal. It's actually like a cheese ball or Cheez Doodles Puffed, but still not as crunchy. I'm so used to that texture being associated with a savory snack, it takes some time to change that neuro-association. I'll guess I'll have to have some more...

Looks like giant deformed Cherrios

The Sweet:

Reminiscent of a chocolate flavored cereal

The Bitter:
I'm not quite used to the paring of something sweet with a cheese ball-like texture

Familiar things paired in unfamiliar ways

Conclusion:
These Yummy Stars were like an emotional roller coaster. Apparently there wasn't anything particularly magical about these stars, yet they are tasty and offer up chocolate-flavored bits delivered in a slightly crunchy, but mouth-friendly package. As yummy as these stars are, they don't deliver a memorable enough performance to warrant a return engagement to my snack stage.

Video of the Week
In parts of China, women who are over the ripe old age of 27 and not married are called, "Leftover Women". I think in the States these same women would be called, "Normal-working-women-that-have-a-life". Anyway, in some extreme cases, parents with children that are still single have taken it upon themselves to "assist" their children by meeting at local parks called "Wedding Markets" to help expedite the matchmaking process. In many cases, the singles do not know their parents are doing this. (and you thought your parents were annoying when they told you to eat your vegetables).

This video digs deeper into the root causes of what may create this perception.

Maybe my meddling matchmaking ways are in my genes.

Meito Donut Party Chocolate

What will await me inside?

The Attraction:

There are a several words in my life that you chain together that will get my attention. Some examples are "Free hot pizza", "Large buttered popcorn" and "Tall Asian librarian". With the exception of that last one, they all relate to food, so when I was in the Asian grocery a few weeks back and saw this curious and festive looking package, I wondered what it was. I had to turn it over to read the translation: "Donut Party Chocolate". Ding.

The Review:
I haven't been this excited to try a snack in awhile. I thought to myself, "What on earth could this be?" I know what donuts are and I know what chocolate is, but are these mini-donuts that are all chocolate flavored or are they donut-flavored chocolates? Well, anyway, whatever the sequence may be, I don't think it can be bad.

I gently open the bag to ensure I don't disturb the "party" going on inside and peer in to see a bag of individually wrapped "donuts" with faces on them. Cute touch, but still, what the heck are these things? I do see that there are several flavors like strawberry, chestnut, banana, cookies and cream and chocolate.

It's almost like they were sleeping

As I take a few out for my customary photo op, I look closer and see that these are pieces of chocolate. OK, one questioned solved, but many more come pouring into my mind; do these chocolates actually taste like donuts with their advertised flavor? Are there any baked tidbits inside the chocolates themselves? Are these just donut-shaped chocolates in a variety of flavors?

This all can be easily solved.

I unwrap a strawberry flavored looking "donut" and take a bite. Yeah, I quickly get the answer to all my questions. These are essentially flavored chocolates. I like the different flavor choices you have, but this snack doesn't introduce anything new flavor-wise, although it's quite a unique presentation. Within the chocolate itself, there are these little bits of wafers to add some texture contrast, but primarily, it's composed of chocolate.

They even have faces on them!

The Sweet:

Cute presentation and idea. Multiple flavors add some variety.

The Bitter:
This was more like a chocolate social than a donut party. The only thing donut-like is the shape.

This don't taste like no donut!

Conclusion:
Half the fun of this product was trying to figure out what it was exactly...and unfortunately when you do, it's nothing really new. I can see how the presentation would be great for kids and the idea is really cute, but just on the premise of a being a snack, it's nothing innovative. It's like a lot less biscuit version of a Pocky and also a lot less of a party than I was hoping for.

Video of the Week
I don't know much about rugby and I know even less about Tongan culture, but last week rugby great Jonah Lomu passed away. Aside from how abrupt his passing was, what was notable was how beautiful of a send off his friends and family gave him. It provided some insight into the richness of Tongan and Maorian culture.

A warrior's send off