Yamayoshi Wasa Bee Wasabi Potato Chips

Chips with a kick?

The Attraction:

As I walk the aisles of my favorite Asian grocery every week, I make it a point to browse the snack area for any new snacks that pique my interest. This week, I came across this pack of wasabi flavored potato chips. I've seen wasabi flavored peas, but never potato chips. Let's see what the deal is.

The Review
I'm not necessarily a huge fan of wasabi, I mean, I do put a good chunk of it in my soy sauce when I'm about to have some sushi, but other than that, I don't think about it too much. I've never walked around thinking to myself how I wish I could have more wasabi flavor in my everyday life, but when I do have it, I enjoy it. It never occurred to me that it could be a "headlining" flavor. Apparently, other people have and now we get to see what happens when it plays the leading role in this potato chip movie.

First thing I notice when I open the wasabi-flavored chips is how there aren't any whole chips; they all appear to be broken in various places. Were they manufactured this way or were they all damaged in transport from Asia? I'm thinking the former, but I don't let that slow me down too much. I quickly grab a chip and put it i my mouth.

There is a great wasabi flavor there, but it doesn't overstay it's welcome. You won't mistake it's flavor. As I was eating a few chips, I get a hint of that horseradish affect as if you were eating sushi with wasabi in it and it seems to go up into your sinuses, sometimes to the point where you have to close your eyes and your nose stings. I wonder if you can get that burning sensation in your nose the same way you can with regular wasabi on sushi with these chips? I immediately grab several chips and shove them into my mouth and start to suck them hoping to generate that signature wasabi sinus burn. To my disappointment as much as I tried, I couldn't quite get there, although I was close on several occasions. That was fun, but do I like them?

I look like a Pringle, but with a secret.

The Sweet:

You get your great wasabi flavor fix delivered to you in a nice crisp chip minus the oily feel.

The Bitter:
The chips all seems to be in pieces. I can't confirm if my pack was just crunched or they are all manufactured that way.

Can't find a whole chip!

Conclusion:
The folks at Yamayoshi sure know how to make a chip that delivers the wasabi flavor that fans are looking for. They are not shy about it or make it ambiguous. You know it's wasabi flavored the minute you have a chip. Although I didn't wake up this morning hoping to find a wasabi flavored chip, I don't think I will soon forget it the next time I'm in the snack aisle with a wasabi craving.

Video of the Week
As we are all "excited" (umm, excited is a strong word) for the new Fantastic Four movie to come out in a few weeks, I thought I would share the trailer for the original Fantastic Four movie. (no, not this one with Jessica Alba), the one before it. Good thing this never hit the theaters. It would make Masters of the Universe look respectable...sorta. Read the backstory here.

"It's buffet clobberin' time!"

Triscuit Rye with Caraway Seeds

 "Just what I wanted! A snack made with Rye
and Caraway seeds!", said no one ever

The Attraction:

The little lady tries her best to look out for me, despite my fondness for snacks. Her idea of a win-win is me getting a snack, but one on the healthier side. That's where this week's snack comes into play.

The Review
There are plenty of snacks out there that are on the healthier side that taste great; various yogurts, pretzels, popcorn or if you want to go old school, just simple fruits and vegetables. Even with those available, it's nice to have some options. Will this variation of the Triscuit fall into that category?

I've never had a Triscuit before, but as friends would describe them to me, they are like a healthier version of a Wheat Thin, which is oddly enough like a healthy version of a potato chip. It's like having a healthier snack to the second power. Maybe if I eat these, I'll have abs in no time! (I can dream, can't I?)

As I crack the box open, the smell of rye fills the air. It's funny how distinct that smell is. You can figure it out pretty quickly when its in bread or in a bagel and it is no different here. I bite in and the Triscuit has a nice baked crunch to it and the salty rye flavor is rather pronounced, but as you continue to chew, the licorice flavor of the caraway seeds come through on the second wave concluding your Triscuit journey. That was interesting, but did I enjoy that?

It looks like a giant Chex!

Although I would rather have a giant pay Chex,!
(ba doom boom)

The Sweet:

Nice baked crunch with a salty flair to hit that savory spot on your taste buds

The Bitter:
Although they aren't bad, you are not mistaking these for a conventional "not good for you" snack anytime soon. They are also a bit on the dry side.

Still looks damn big

Conclusion:
They taste just like what you would expect a baked whole wheat snack made of rye and caraway seeds would taste like. Actually, about as good as you could image a snack like that would taste like; but even at that, snacking has never been less fun.

If I had to spend the rest of my days in snack jail and had to eat these Triscuits, I could really do a lot worse, but being that I am not, there are many other snacks waiting for me around the corner and these babies will have to wait for me to trip up before I have a return engagement with them in the "big house" of snacks.

Video of the Week
I have a dream of one day being a professional matchmaker. I would then retire from work and just go to weddings for the rest of my life. Essentially, like Hitch, but shorter and less African American. Until I get that off the ground, feel free to follow these tips to improve your online dating profile.

Is it me or was the guy in this video sort of a jerk?

Haitai Sindangdong Tteokbokki (Dukbokki)

I first thought they might taste like
baked ziti...umm..no

The Attraction:

Recently I've been slightly obsessed with a Korean dish called Tteokbokki. I would walk by some Korean restaurants that would posts photos of the rice cake based dish and I would wonder what the heck this thing would taste like. It looks like Italian ziti with marinara sauce, but it can't possibly taste like that, right? Then finally earlier this year I ordered some and was pleasantly surprised how much I liked it. The chewy rice cake bathed in a sweet-spicy sauce immediately became a favorite of mine. So much so that when I came across this "precious" snack in the local Korean grocery store, I had to try it....it's mine...all mine!

The Review
First things first, this bag is heavy for a snack bag...and a price tag to match. The bag weights almost half a pound (or 7.58 ounces) and cost $4.99. In comparison, a 1 pound bag of Doritos cost about $4. Well, these things are imported, so what can you do? Plus this product promises to deliver tteookbokki flavor at anytime...and can one really put a price tag on that?

I take my first bite into the "chip" and the flavor that is most pronounced is the sweetness of it. It's a bit reminiscent of this snack I reviewed, but sweeter. Almost like the popular American breakfast cereal Cap'n Crunch. Towards the tail-end of the bite, the slight spice comes through, but it's a sweet spice, not the traditional salty spice I've grown accustomed to. Hmm, not bad, let's try another...then another...etc.

It looks like a spicy, mini-churro, now that I look at it

The Sweet:

A great sweet, spicy flavored snack textured nicely to provide a good crunch.

The Bitter:
Can we make these closer to the States so they don't costs so much?

Many of these were "tested" for this review

Conclusion:
In the end, they ultimately don't really taste like Tteokbokki that much to me, both in texture (crunchy instead of chewy) and in flavor, although the sweet and spicy components are there. With that said, I really enjoyed this snack. So much so that I polished off about half the bag as I wrote this review. In lieu of not having the ability to have tteokbokki on hand at a given moment, this will make a pleasant substitute to distract me until I can get the real thing.

Video of the Week
A short video lesson this week from Bryan Cranston teaching us all how to respond to people asking if we enjoyed visiting their home town.

Was Bryan Cranston Walter White or was
Walter White Bryan Cranston?

Pop Chips Crazy Hot

 "Come on baby, light my fire"

The Attraction:

"Here...it was free!", my pal Steph said to me as she hands me a bag of these in the office. She proceeds to hand out about 6-8 more of these bags. Where did she get these from? How did she get so many? How many more did she have? Is she moonlighting as a Pop Chips salesperson? I had so many question at first, mostly not even related to this product, but after the initial shock wore off, I was ready to get down to business.

The Review
I've not had Pop Chips before. Nothing about it really grabbed me. I'm not into a super healthy lifestyle, so I figured what's the point of having a Pop Chip? Essentially all the same flavors you can get with the conventionally deliciously fried potato chip, but healthier? (cough, Baked Lays suck, how could this be better? cough) Never really had a reason to try one up to this point, but now that it's free and spicy...well, lets see what the hub bub is all about with these Pop Chips.

I take a chip and the first thing I notice is the crunch to it. It's a different type of crunch. It's not the same you wouldn't normally get from a fried chip. It's a lighter, airier chip overall. Not bad, but just a bit different. Immediate after that initial thought is the the flavor of the chip itself. It's spicy, but not as "crazy hot" as the package would suggest, at least not to me. It's a nice spicy. Just enough to get your attention, but not enough to overwhelm the flavor the chip itself. They actually remind me of spicy pork rinds or "chicharrones", as my people would say (if my people spoke Spanish) with it's airy crunch and salty / spicy flavor. This could be dangerous...good thing these are "healthier"...

I look like a round Dorito...

The Sweet:

Good spicy flavor with an airy crunch that is reminiscent of pork rinds, but healthier! 

The Bitter:
This doesn't feel like a guilty pleasure, which may be a good thing, but it takes some of the fun out of it.

but I taste like a spicy pork rind!

Conclusion:
Do you miss spicy pork rinds, but don't want to eat too much because you don't want to drop dead? Have some of these Pop Chips Crazy Hot flavor! They have the same essence, (maybe not quite as crunchy as a pork rind nor as salty), but the gist is there. I can't say that I am necessarily a fan of pork rinds, but I am a fan of these Crazy Hot Pop Chips now thanks to Steph. (PS. Snack makers take note: free samples are your friends, so give out more free samples!)

Video of the Week
If you are like me, you are crazy excited to see Magic Mike: XXL (not totally true). What I was excited to see was Conan O'Brien taking in the movie with a bunch of "excitable" women.

How did Conan get a photo of me with my shirt off?