Pomelo

 No, I'm not a giant pear!

The Attraction

As part of my recent trip to Taiwan, I had the chance to try this obscure fruit in the US, that happened to be in season on my visit.  

The Review:
These pomelos were all over the place when I was in Taiwan. Every market had them, I saw truck fulls of them everywhere I went. I even saw fancier versions of them wrapped preciously in paper and packaged in boxes. What the heck must these things taste like if they are so popular? Oh heck, what do I have to lose?

My in-laws had a big box of these in their house and one night after dinner, they busted out a few for us to have. I was a little nervous at first as I've never had one before so I had no idea how to begin to eat it. They were kind enough to cut it open for us, so at least I knew not to bite into it like an apple.

Once it was opened, it looked very similar to a giant orange or a large grapefruit. I wasn't sure how to feel exactly. I love oranges, but more lukewarm towards grapefruits. Either way, I had to try it now. I can't not have a little in front of the whole family.

Look how big this sucker is compared to my hand!

When I picked up a half, it was clear that even though it looks like an orange, the skin surrounding the actual pomelo flesh itself was much thicker and tougher. Almost like you have a really dry grapefruit skin.

Sure enough, people begin peeling off the skin around the flesh and ate the juice vesicles. (not to be confused with juice testicles, which is something I just made up). I followed in suite and stared at the fruit of my labors for a moment. Then I popped it in my mouth. After all that work, this better be worth it...

Tasty little bit

As I chomped down on the pomelo, there was a burst of citrus juice in my mouth; it tasted like an orange at first, but before it could get sweet like a conventional orange, a tartness settled in like a grapefruit. Wow...how interesting. It's literally like an orange and grapefruit combined; not as tart as a grapefruit, but not as sweet as an orange.

Is that a good or bad thing?

I laboriously picked thought a few more pieces to see if it would become any clearer to me, but it didn't. I did eat all the pieces that I extracted...that must mean something, I think.

The Sweet:
It's a great snack if you are looking for something new with a sweet and slightly tart twist.

The Bitter:
Takes some work to get to the good stuff

Conclusion:
Pomelos are a strange snack to me; they didn't really strike me as anything special when I first had them. They didn't bowl me over the way persimmons did when I first had them, so I thought I could take them or leave them. However as more time passes since my last encounter, I find myself looking for them in Asian markets.

Maybe Pomelos are like that female friend that you always got along with and had a great time with, but you never really thought about because they were always there. It wasn't until they weren't around anymore that you realized how much you missed them.

Yes, what I think I'm trying to say is say is Pomelos are like Rachael Leigh Cook in "She's All That"

Video of the Week

Great, it's going to kill me, in a stylish way

After warning you for months, if not years that these things (here and here) are going to take over the world and kill us, they've now made a robot that can jump and flip. I'm human and I can't do half the stuff this robot can do. We are doomed. Calling Kyle Reese, come in Kyle Reese.

Kiwano Melon

 
 Not to be confused with the equally delicious guano

The Attraction

I was strolling in an American supermarket last week when I came across a small exotic fruit section in the produce aisle. As I was scoping out the fruits in there, (among them persimmons and quenepas) I come across a fruit that I have never laid eyes on before. It was orange and had horns on it. (I was tempted to write "horny", but I was giggling too much). I didn't even know what it was called, but one thing was for sure; I was going to be taking one of these home to try!

The Review:
The label on this bizarre looking fruit said, Kiwano. I was really curious as to what this thing would taste like. It vaguely resembles a dragon fruit or pitaya, but probably mostly because of the shape.

After googling it extensively, I find out that the kiwano is actually a kind of melon that is popular in Africa. Not sure when the next time I'll be in Africa, so I was sure glad I grabbed this kiwano before some other adventurous soul beat me to it.

Once I take it home and cut it in half, it becomes very clear kiwano is very different from dragon fruit.

Whoa....that's freaky!

The kiwano melon has all these seeds inside that are surrounded by these gel like pods. Think like a pomegranate. It's a little freaky looking, but that just made it all the more intriguing.

I picked up a half and grabbed a spoon. It was time to dig in. I scoop out several "pods" and go to town on it.

The seeds are edible!

The first thing I notice is that unlike pomegranate seeds, these seeds are far easier to eat. You can barely feel the texture difference between biting into the gel sack portion and when your teeth hit the seed within the pod. Think passion fruit in texture.

Flavor-wise, it was reminiscent of eating a not sweet green grape. Some green grapes have a slightly tart flavor along with the sweetness. In the case of this kiwano melon, the lip smacking tartness is there, but none of the sweetness. The texture is also similiar to an inside of a grape. I also get a slight cucumber vibe off it as well, but not a lot, otherwise I would really not like it.

I can't help but feel like a bit of a fruit pioneer as I eat this melon (except people in Africa have been eating this for many years)

The Sweet:
A nice change of pace from the "regular" fruits. Refreshing!

The Bitter:
Not chocked full of flavor. Very subtle flavor compared to many other fruits.

Conclusion:
No, I won't be running back to the supermarket to buy out the remaining stock of these exotic melons, but I am glad I tried it. I can see chilling one of these in the fridge, then cutting them in half and eating them as a chilled dessert with a spoon because, well, lets face it, how many fruits can you eat with a spoon with no preparation?

I would, however, recommend that should the next time you are at the market and see one of these or another fruit you've never had before, you jump in with both feet. How often does one get to sample these types of fruit in your home town? It's one of the best parts of traveling to new and exotic places; sampling the local cuisine. Now you can do it from the comfort of your own zip code.

Video of the Week

This video makes me think of this song

At first, I wasn't too amused, until the remix kicked in. It seemed like it started out intentional and then he lost control. I hate showoffs, but love it when karma kicks in....even with little kids. That shows him what happens when you try to showboat.

Water Coconut

Water coconuts! (No, not giant canepas!)

The Attraction

I watch a lot of survival / outdoor shows like Dual Survival, Survivorman, and Alaskan Bush People, so while on a recent trip to the supermarket when I saw a water coconut, I was hypnotized and knew what I had to do; try to imagine myself as a survivalist and extract coconut water from it.....from the comfort of my very home.

The Review:
I was excited to bring this baby home, although I had no idea how I was going to crack this thing open. On the many shows I watch, two methods come to mind; 1. find a fallen branch and sharpen the end of one and impale the coconut on it and use that to peel away at the shell of it or 2. take a machete and hack off the top of it and drink it like you are Indiana Jones.

Be it that I didn't have an branches in my house and /or didn't feel like breaking one off of a tree and then having to sharpen it, I opted to try plan B. Granted I don't own a machete, but being Asian, I did own a Chinese butcher knife. I know, not exactly the same, but it could be equally effective. Now to figure out how to do this without lopping off any parts I might need. (More mine than the coconut's)

Gilligan!!!

For my safety, I opted to place the coconut on my kitchen counter. I said a quick prayer and went to it. I swung my knife into the coconut and it dug right in, but what next? You can't just hack it in half because all of coconut water will just pour out. How would I survive on a dessert island if that was my technique? I've trying to get the water into my mouth, not onto the counter top.

Next I decided that my second hack into the coconut would be about 4-5 inches apart from the first one. I was going to try to get a "V" shape cut in there.

Doesn't look too exciting

After hacking away and pulling some of the husk off for about 5 minutes, I began to see some moisture trickle through. I knew I was close! I swung my knife one more time and I could feel the shell of the coconut crack and give way. I grab a glass and begin to pull where I could feel the crack. Coconut water starts to gush out and into my glass. Take that survivalist! (Don't ask me where I would have found a glass in the wilderness)

After getting all the water out, I hack into it a few more times to the point of where I could "open" the coconut shell to see what was going on it there. Sure enough there was some coconut jelly on the interior of the coconut. I went ahead and scraped it off the sides and scooped it into my glass.

Finally, the time had come to taste the spoils after such a herculean effort.

I bring the glass and take a sip. If you have never had coconut water before, it's remarkable how much water is in it. It's really light in comparison to many other fruit "juices" It more comparable to fruit infused water, where there is an essence of fruit flavor in the water. The flavor is more subtle and the density of the drink itself is much lighter than juice. I can see why many people would enjoy it, as did I.

For those that have had coconut water before (as many have in recent years with all it's supposed health benefits), the fresh coconut water taste identical to me to the bottles of coconut water you can purchase at the store. I guess that's good news for people buying the commercial products, but bad news for people that were hoping the fresh variety would taste much better. I can't vouch for if it's better for you having it straight from the source like I did.

The Sweet:
Fun experience.

The Bitter:
Not easy to find. Takes some time and energy to get to.

Just like store bought!

Conclusion:
Is it worth the trouble to hack into your own personal coconut to get to the water? Well, that depends on what you are looking to get out of it.

If you just want the freshest coconut water possible, yeah, you can say you can't do much better than this, but truthfully, it's indecipherable from the stuff you get from a good quality coconut water manufacturer. For me, the extracting and opening of the coconut was the fun journey I had getting to the destination.

Have you every done some work around your house or apartment? Paint it, lay some tile down, hang the kitchen cabinets? By doing it yourself, you gain a different level of appreciation for the said task.

That's the way this water coconut extraction was for me. Even though I think it's the same thing as what you can find in bottles, the water I got from that coconut I hand opened that day never tasted quite so good.

Video of the Week

Take thee to a water park!

When I'm not working, watching my kid, or extracting water from large cumbersome objects, I like to go on vacations. Maybe the next time I'm at a tropical location with a water slide, I'll try this trick. (note to self: check if health insurance is current before going away) 

Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

 PB and C? Even if it's bad, it's never that bad

Yes, I know. I've been away for awhile. There's been some changes going on in my non-snack life that's been taking up much of my time, but alas, like two star-crossed lovers, snacks and I will always find a way to make it work, but enough about me. On to the snacks....

The Attraction

The company I work for is still generous enough to offer it's employee snacks throughout the week. The catch being that the snacks they offer are of the healthier variety. A small price to pay for comped snacks, I say. Well, it also depends what kind of snacks we are talking about. One can only consume so many dried apricots before finding a small queue forming at the restroom stalls.

In this case, they try to find something "healthier", but not mind-numbingly bland. In this week's case, thy name be Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate. (That sounds about as healthy as a reduced fat pork rinds)

The Review:
I've had a few Kind snack bars in my day. Almost always because that's what my office offers, but I'm happy to say that they have almost all have been great. I have nothing but high hopes between my past experience with their products and with the headliners on listed on marque in bright orange letters, "Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate". In a perfect world, I would have opted to not have the "dark" kind of chocolate in there, but one does have to try to make these products sound somewhat healthy.

It's like Richard Simmons came in and threw a bunch of healthy
stuff over Paula Dean's Rice Krispy Treats

I undress this sexy sounding bar to reveal a darker looking Rice Krispy Treat with bits of oats, seeds and dark chocolate mixed in. To me it's like watching Margo Robbie in The Legend of Tarzan. You can put all these things and try to ugly up Margot Robbie, but its still Margo Robbie. The core will always shine through, but will the taste follow the appearance?

I think they are on to something

I take a nibble of the bar, (so the photo I take of the bar after doesn't look like a bear attacked it) and find that the oats, seeds and miscellaneous healthy items in the bar doesn't distract from the delicious peanut better and chocolate flavor. I swear, if you were to change the wrapping on this thing, you would have no idea that this product was geared for a more health conscious crowd.

The bar isn't too sweet or too much anything. It doesn't overpower you with the pb flavor and the dark chocolate actually helps keep the sweetness reigned in. I also enjoy that the bar isn't to dry or crunchy because overall I just prefer chewy bars like these.

Then all of sudden in dawns on me.....this doesn't taste delicious in spite of all those healthier ingredients....it takes good because of it! (mind blown)

The Sweet:
Taste good and better for you than the status quo.

The Bitter:
Costlier than your typical Rice Krispy Treat

Conclusion:
Frankly, I might have to stop reviewing Kind products. I have yet to encounter one of their items that I haven't enjoyed. Even if the initial offering and listing of ingredients don't turn me on, I give it a try and always end up liking it. Now, I can't vouch for how "healthy" they are cause they just taste too good to me to be totally convinced that it's all good for you, but it's got to be better for you than the conventional commercial candy bars and sugary snacks on the market.

Maybe that says all in the end; Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate is so delicious that you begin to even doubt how healthy it is because it's so tasty.

Video of the Week

I wonder if I can retrofit the robot that
does my floors to do my windows?

What have I been up to you may ask? Well, I'll get into that on my next post, but as of late, when I have to time to surf, I've been obsessing with these "Cool Stuff you can get on Amazon" videos. Some are ridiculous, but some are actually cool. Now, will I ever buy them? Probably not, but maybe I just have a weird thing for watching infomercials.

Odwalla Chocolate Chip Peanut

You guys are here again?

The Attraction

Recently, I reviewed Odwalla's Berries GoMega and then compared it against Kind's Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate bar. I received some grief about that as some readers felt that it was not a fair comparison because I wasn't comparing like products. Yes, they are both "healthier" snacks, but one is fruit based and the other, chocolate based. OK people, you win. Let's do it again, but this time let's see if Odwalla can step up their snack game and make something I would want to eat on purpose.

The Review:
There are two ways that I could have conducted this test; either review a fruit based product of Kind's or a chocolate based snack of Odwalla's. After some debating (not really), I thought I would go the chocolate route (what a surprise). Actually, I think it was the better way to go as I had some serious doubt as to if Odwalla would be able to produce a snack that I would recommend, even if chocolate was a primary ingredient. If they could not make chocolate and peanut taste good, I don't think they would be able to make anything that would.

Hmm...Could this be better?

I unwrap the chocolate chip peanut bar and take a peer inside. Much like their Berries GoMega, the bar itself looked like it was compressed with oats, bran and other things that are good for you. Granted the physical appearance isn't quite as sexy as the Kind bar, but in the end, this review is really about how the Odwalla bar stands on it's own, not how it compares to other similar products.

I take a bite from the bar and I notice the texture isn't as mealy as their other bar. It's not that the Berries GoMega was dry, but the texture seems different. This go around, the bar was more reminiscent of a drier brownie or cake. When I sink my teeth into a chocolate chip on the same chew, it dawns on me that this bar taste like a chocolate chip cookie. OK, not like the world's most decadent, rich or moist cookie, but like a chocolate chip cookie with maybe a third of the chocolate chips a cookie would have. The peanuts aren't as prominent as I'm accustomed to (perhaps because they are actually peanuts, not peanut butter), but you will harldy notice as you polish off the rest of the bar.

This was a little different

The Sweet:
Comparable in flavor to some "non-healthy" snacks.

The Bitter:
Not a replacement for some of the more high end / decadent snacks.

Conclusion:
Even though I got some grief for comparing two very different types of healthy snacks, I'm glad I did. Odwalla got a chance to redeem itself with their Chocolate Chip Peanut bar and redeem it did. If you are looking to keep on the "healthier" snack side of the pool, this bar is a reminder that although all healthy snack options are not created equal, going to a healthier snack option doesn't necessarily mean a death sentence for your taste buds. In the case of Odwalla's Chocolate Chip Peanut, it actually means a reprieve.

Video of the Week

"It's always about porn"

VR is getting more and more exposure these days. From gaming to business applications, it seems like there are new and interesting ways to incorporate VR into the fold. Conan O'Brien recently headed over to You Tube's VR Lab to see exactly how far they have taken VR. The results are somewhere between funny and like being in a giant video game.

Kind Peanut Butter Dark Chocolate

Can this possibly be "good" for you?

The Attraction

After my last review of Odwalla Berries GoMega, I received some emails questioning what was a good healthy snack bar since in my assessment was less than stellar about the Odwalla bar. I didn't have an answer off-hand, but I thought it was fine time to start testing a few so I can recommend some to try as opposed to just give you ones to avoid.

The Review:
I've seen these Kind bars around for a bit. I can't say I was necessarily excited at the idea of trying another "health" bar, but I also think we can't just eat milk chocolate bar and potato chips everyday (although I would probably try). I will say that just by the looks of the transparent wrapper, it looks more appetizing already than some other bars in this "healthy"arena. This bar was not a compressed bar, but it does advertise a bunch of almonds, peanuts and chocolate! However far looks can get you, this was a good start, but as in life, it can only get you so far for so long. Let's see what lies beneath the surface, shall we?

If only all healthy things looked this good

After liberating the Kind bar from the wrapper, it's difficult not to take a second and admire the overall beauty of this bar; from the glistening shine off the assorted nuts to the drizzle of dark chocolate across the bar. As if that wasn't enough, the whole underside is coated in dark chocolate. If looks could kill, I would be in for some serious trouble.

I finally take a bite and it's...every bit as tasty as it looks. Dare I say the abundance of nuts and chocolate in some regards can stand right up there against your perennial snack bar favorites. Think a nuttier Snickers bar. In fact, it's so nutty, it reminds me of another nutty chocolate bar, the Nuggle. Forget about tasty for a "healthy" snack, it's just plain tasty. I will say that although it advertises peanut butter, I don't really detect any. It could be that the bar itself is so full of nuts that it gets lost in the shuffle, but frankly, I forgot about it because I was so surprised at how good it tasted.

I could get used to this!

The Sweet:
Deliciously comparable to many commercially available chocolate snack bars

The Bitter:
Exactly how "healthy" is this?

Conclusion:
I get it, I'm not exactly comparing apples to apples here if I'm putting this up against the Odwalla bar. Most people in the world would probably prefer dark chocolate and nuts vs. compressed oats and cranberries (duh, really?), but let's just let this snack stand on it's own. I can't vouch for how "healthy" this particular Kind bar is, but compared to a standard Snickers bar I would hope it's better for you. In fact, maybe that should be the approach here; maybe in the future when you have a hankering for a "guilty" chocolate snack, instead of reaching for the standard candy store variety, reach for one of these.

Are you going to turn into a supermodel from eating these instead of the customary assortment of chocolate goodies? Not likely, but if you can shave off a few calories along with a few grams of sugar and get some protein in the process as well, what's the harm? Your taste buds certainly won't be upset with this compromise.

Video of the Week

Hope you packed a lunch

Over the course of time, I've come to accept that some people work at their own pace; some a little faster, some a little slower. However in this case, I can't tell if this woman is working at this pace deliberately or she is just a super methodical mover. Whatever it may be, I don't think she would last very long as a bank teller in NYC. Either she would get constantly get yelled at by customers and quit or tons of customers would catch heart attacks from their blood pressure boiling over waiting. (Have you seen how we react to just slow walkers on the street?) 

Odwalla Berries GoMega

Oh no, I feel healthier already

The Attraction

Part of the beauty of snacks provided by my office is the opportunity to try new and different snacks that I normally wouldn't buy on my own. This week's snack definitely falls in that category. I'm not sure if it's the color of the packaging, the "superfood" tag or the pictures of fruits and oats on the outside. It all normally points to a strong pass for me, but this is a snack blog. I never said specifically I would only review guilty pleasure snacks, so here I find myself looking down the barrel of a "healthy" snack bar.

"Nobody moves, nobody gets hurt."

The Review:
Free is a strong consideration when you are going to eat something. Well, at least for me. God knows there has been many things I didn't want or need, but because it was "free", it made me think twice about it. Even with "free", I was not excited about this product. I don't mind eating "healthy" snacks, I really don't, but this item failed to even excite my "free" radar.

I tear open the superfood bar wrapper and unveiled what appears to be a compressed snack bar. You can see the flax seeds already from the outside. In addition, there was a scent of preserved berries that was released when the wrapper gave way to the actual bar. Perhaps it was like raisins or dried cranberries, but the artwork on the outside seems to indicate it was either blueberry, strawberry or raspberry (is that a cherry on the wrapper as well?)

If only this was covered in chocolate

I take a bite and sure enough, it's as I suspected; a compressed healthy snack bar ( a bar made of various ingredients like oats, bran, seeds that are sometimes ground up and "compressed" back together along with some dried fruit to form a bar). Although it's not dry, I wish there was more moisture to it, so it didn't feel quite as crumbly when I took a bite. Think along the lines of a dried-out outer shell of a Fig Newton. Taste-wise, it's pretty much what you would expect from a healthy snack bar; much of the dried fruit provides natural sugar and flavor to the snack as well as some contrast against the otherwise homogeneously-textured product.

OK, I didn't die, but I'm sure not in heaven with this snack.

...and only if these were chocolate chips

The Sweet:
Healthy alternative to quick grab-and-go snacks.

The Bitter:
Other healthy snack bars are tastier.

Conclusion:
Look, I get it. These snacks aren't made purely for pleasure. They are made for the health-conscious crowd. Even at that, I've had other snacks targeting this specific audience deliver treats that one would not mind eating on a regular basis. I'm not going to get into which one has more fat, sugars, etc, because that's not what this blog is about. For me it's about the pleasure of eating snacks, but as far as a snack in this category goes, there are tastier ways to go while minding your heart and figure.

Video of the Week

There's going to be some trouble.

I think the screenshot says it all. This week, another trailer for, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" was released. In it, you get to see some more familiar imagery, like the dark masked man above. December can't come fast enough. They should release a new iPhone that day too so we can just have endless lines of people that have too much time on their hands.