Fresh Kumquats

 They look like tiny oranges!

The Attraction

My mom had a friend that shared some fresh kumquats picked from her own tree somewhere not in NY ( I forgot where). Fresh kumquats AND they are free? You don't have to ask me twice.

The Review:
I haven't always been a fruit lover, but I've always been curious to try new fruits (as I have been curious about trying new packaged snacks) I've seen these in grocery stores, but never felt compelled to try them. In this case, with nothing to lose, I thought it was the perfect time to try them.

As you can see, they very much resemble a small orange or an orange-colored cherry tomato. When I picked one up, I washed it carefully and gave it a squeeze. Like an orange, it didn't yield too much to pressure.

..but do they taste like them?

I bring one up to my mouth and debate if I was supposed to eat the skin or not. Like a newbie, I didn't at first and paid the price. The inner flesh of the fruit was tart..like a grapefruit, but I got some of the rind in my bite, which is actually sweet. I know, it's like an orange in reverse, sweet rind, tart inside. It was very confusing. It tasted like a tart orange, but not as sweet. The tartness of the flesh balances out any sweet highs of the skin. It's literally a back and forth battle in your mouth of flavors. One split second tart, the next sweet and so on and so forth until you finish chewing then swallow. What just happened there?

You do have to be careful because like most oranges, the kumquats do have seeds as well. Surprisingly large for a fruit so small. The seeds were about the size of an orange seed.

Don't let their tiny size fool you!

The Sweet:
A nice departure from the "conventional" fruit stand options

The Bitter:
Though a change from the norm, they don't stand out too much from other citrus fruit.

Conclusion:
I was happy to finally try what a fresh kumquat tastes like. In addition to enjoying saying the word "kumquat", these weren't bad, but like most lazy eaters, the effort to carefully eat these due to its seeds and it's limited availability don't make this a very desirable snack option. I'm a high yield, little effort eater. It's like eating grapes with seeds. After awhile, you get spoiled with eating the ones without and you never want to go back to having the ones with seeds in them again. If these were in front of me would I eat them again? Yes, of course, but would this be a snack I would look forward to eating while watching Wrestlemania? (I don't watch Wrestlemania.....anymore), most likely not.

Video of the Week 

"You know where you are?!"

I have to admit, even I was excited when I heard that Gun's N Roses are back together. Sure, Axl is about the size of 2 Axls compared to back in the day, but even at that, I would love to see them live again. Now if only they would bring the McRib back my life would be complete.

Honchos Peach Habanero

Cause you just couldn't wait to scratch
that "peach habanero" itch

The Attraction

Just because it's not everyday you see this combination. I can't wait until they release their next flavor, "banana dingleberry". 

The Review:
I really wasn't looking necessarily to review something quite so "out of the box", but I have to fess up, this flavor combination caught my eye. It's not everyday a chip manufacturer add a fruit flavor to something savory and then tosses in some spice on top of that. Whether it's a hit or a miss, one thing is for sure; I doubt I will say, "Oh, this taste just like..."

After wondering aloud if the flavor is "peach habanero" as in a type of habanero or "peach + habanero", I figured out that I've never heard of peach and habanero used together, so it much be peach + habanero. I know, I know, who doesn't know that there isn't such a thing as a peach habanero? Come on, there are banana peppers, so is a peach habanero really that far of a stretch? I digress...

I open the bag of chips and peer inside. As sure as the photo illustrates outside the bag, these chips bare a striking resemblance to the big "D". Down to the color. Actually, they are a little more cool ranch color than the nacho variety, but could they possibly be as tasty?

"Umm...have we met before?"

I pick up a chip and dive in. The first flavor that steps up is a slightly sweet flavor. It remarkably starts off exactly like a "Cool Ranch D", but just as quickly as I can place that flavor, the sweetness keeps going and exceeds that of a standard nacho chip. It then turns savory before the habanero drops the leg on you. It's not an exceedingly spicy flavor, it's more of a "back-of-your-throat" burn, but it's present. This schizophrenic flavor ride is delivered to you courtesy of a crispy corn chip that is identical to that of a....a...(I promised myself I wouldn't say that snack because that "snack" is such a favorite of people's, including myself, that almost no snack similiar could live up to that expectation) 

"Oh,no. You must have mistaken me for
someone else."

The Sweet:
Intriguing flavor combination, yet...

The Bitter:
...it's an emotional rollercoaster for your taste buds

Conclusion:
It's almost like dating someone that looks like your first love. On the outside, they sort of look the same and could actually pass for the person, but once they start talking and interacting with you, it's clear they are not the same hunk or babe you were crushing on way back in the day. That's a good and bad thing for these Honchos. I respect them for being bold and not going down that well treaded snack path littered with cheese flavors, but at the same time, this combo was just too ambitious for my taste buds.

Video of the Week 

That's why I have such strong forearms!
Phew, I thought it was from all that exercising
(I really want to put quotes around exercising, but this is a family website)

This week's video involves some of the extra things we have grown out of as humans have evolved. Unless we are around a buffet, in which case all bets are off and all those animal instincts come back instantaneously, but that's a video for next time.

Passion Fruit

Why is it called a Passion Fruit?

The Attraction:

This may have been only the second time that I've ever seen a passion fruit in person. I'm not sure if I just never payed attention or if they are just not stocked in the groceries that I go to. Well, anyway, I thought that I didn't want to leave this planet without ever knowing what a fresh passion fruit taste like, so for the hefty price of 2 for $6 USD, I would give it a go. Heck, you only live once...

The Review
I know, I know; a fruit on a snack block? Well, I did it this one time and I thought it was high time I did it again as snacks don't always have to be something man-made.

As I held the passion fruit in my hand, it felt light. You can tell it was hollow-ish on the inside. It felt like a ping pong ball with a slight weight to it. Alright, let's cut this baby open.

Sure looks good, doesn't it?  Wait til you see the next photo

As I cut the fruit into 2 halves, it reminded me of a pomegranate in some ways; the reddish interior, the "fruit" encasing a seed, although granted, not nearly as appealing. The edible part of the passion fruit, is the slimy part in the photo. The best way to eat it is to scoop it out with a spoon, which is exactly what I did. Down the hatch it goes.

Up to this point in my life, what I've know about the flavor of passion fruit has been limited to sugary sweet drinks that I've gotten at the local bubble tea stand....and let me tell you....it's not quite the same. The biggest difference is the tartness in the fruit itself. Yes, the "passion fruit" flavor is there, but there is a sourness that comes along with it as well. Oh, Mother Nature, can't you make everything exactly the way I want it?

The Sweet:

Passion flavor taste. Sounds silly, but it's nice to know what the heck the actual fruit taste like.

The Bitter:
Obviously, the passion fruit is what it is and is perfect as nature intended it, but something to be aware of is it's tartness. In addition, I would have preferred to pick this from a tree than to plunk down $3 per passion fruit, which roughly breaks down to about $1 per teaspoon. Hmm...I can either have 4 passion fruits (and still be hungry) or a reasonable lunch in midtown Manhattan in NYC. Where's that halal cart again?

Yum?

Conclusion:
Who am I to argue with what nature has created? I can, however, argue that for the pricey cost for passion fruit here in the States and for the little amount I netted per fruit, I won't be running down to the grocery store to pick up a bag of passion fruit anytime soon....especially if the said bag had 6 passion fruits in it...I'd rather pass and get a decent steak for the money.

Video of the Week
This week's video is brought to you by Vocativ and highlights how kids from China come to the US to study and pickup a few convenience vehicles during their stay (if you consider cars that cost six figure convenient). I don't know about you, but even though I'm Chinese, I never quite rolled in any of these types of cars when I was in University... I was pimping in one of these instead

I wouldn't mind rolling up to Taco Bell
with one of these MoFos

Jackfruit

Jackfruit

This go around, I cover jackfruit. Now, prior to this sampling, I didn't even know what the heck a jackfruit was or what it looked like.

The Attraction
I was in an Asian grocery store when the gf picked it up and started looking at it because she hadn't had any since she left Taiwan several years ago.Next thing I know, an older Indian gentleman started telling me how tasty it was. When I asked my gf what she thought of it, she gave it the ringing endorsement of " it's not bad". How could I refuse after a declaration like that...

Review
The picture above is one I found online and I had to use it because the jackfruit itself was sold in cross sections. I can understand why because it was going for about $4.29 a pound. I decided to hedge my bets and get the smallest piece I can find.

At first, the spikey-green exterior and the fruit bearing interior reminded me of a durian (another fruit found commonly in Asia). Thankfully there wasn't a smell like one.

Seems like the good parts you eat are the parts that look like bulbs with a pit on the inside. Peeling these "bulbs" from their sometimes "gluey" homes, took a little effort. Another thing I noticed when I pulled the fruit out, is that is was slightly "foamy" feeling in texture. Think like a piece of dehydrated apple ring that you might buy at the store. I'm not sure if that's just because I had an older jackfruit or if it's naturally that way.

First bite: The dehydrated apple ring texture analogy also translated to when you bit into it. It had the same type of feel. Flavor-wise, it had a sort of banana mixed with a little apple flavor to it. As I continued to eat it, I found myself wanted to try more because the flavor and texture combination was so foreign to me.

The Sweet
I enjoyed the flavor and texture of the jackfruit. It's also a healthy snack option.

The Bitter

At $4.29 a pound, this won't be at the top of my "snack" list, although if you think about it, many snacks lining the supermarket shelves aren't much cheaper. In addition, the availability of it also makes it a less likely to find treat.

If you are looking for a healthy snack option and are ok with the flavor of banana, but are tired of going to the "old stand by" fruits, you should give jackfruit a try.I know I would again.