Bobalicious's Open Salon Blog

LOTTE BLUEBERRY GUM

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:11:01 -0500

If you're like me, and love berries, you'll dig this.

Lotte's Blueberry chewing gum, had been a staple in the Japanese candy arena for ages.

A good, slightly tarty blueberry flavor does not disappoint. Japanese chewing gum has a different texture to it than American gum. It's more rubbery and seems more satisfying to chew and doesn't"break down" after hours in your mouth.

Good chewing enjoyment with every stick.

$1.00 - 1.50

RATING: 4 out of 5

CHOCO BABY

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 17:11:44 -0500

Choco Baby is, well, bliss.

These small, shiny pellets of choco goodness are delicious and addicting.

Produced by Meiji, they have been around for years and was one of my first Japanese candies I ever had. That would be around the age of 8.

The candy is contained in a sturdy and cool container with a red flip top. the container stores easily in pocket or purse. After the candy is gone, one can think up many uses to reuse the container as it can hold all sorts of small items. Your imagination is limitless.

The chocolate is very good and almost hints of a solidified form of hot chocolate.

Do yourself a favor and get more than one. Believe me, you'll get a craving for them.

About $1.49-1.75

RATING: 5 of 5

SUCHARD EXPRESS

Tue, 9 Nov 2010 17:11:49 -0500

And now for my first blog entry from Germany...

This is possibly the best chocolate drink mix I have ever had.

Tastes so much better than American counterparts. It's rich and creamy and can be made hot or cold.

This use to come in boxes as shown in the picture above, but am now only finding it at the German markets in Los Angeles, in resealable pouches. In fact, the last time I saw the boxes, they had shrunk in size and the price was the same. Everyone's doing this now: Shrink the product, get less, same price. People need to start revolting.

That still won't keep me from this delicious beverage. Beware that it flies off the shelf in the markets, since it is very popular. I bought the last two remaining during my last trip to the Alpine Village Market in Torrance, CA. About 400g of product.

$7.99

RATING: 5 out of 5

(For those who are already fans of this, THE SWISS BAKERY ONLINE.COM has a 2kg canister for those who can't get enough. $45.)

Since 1954, the young and old have drunk Suchard Express. Suchard Express is manufactured by the chocolate experts who created the Swiss formula with milk to create an irresistible chocolaty flavor. The popularity of the Suchard Express products is not only because of its high quality cocoa, the important vitamins in the product and the fine taste, but also the clever cartoon mouse Choco Charley. He is the mascot of the brand experience and Suchard Express always new and exciting adventure on the products. Suchard Express, the Swiss classic for the whole family.

PRETZ

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 13:11:36 -0500

Like the Pocky described in my last post, the Pretz has been around for ever. Not sweet like Pocky, it falls under the savory category. The Salad variety seems to be the most popular at the moment and can be found in your local Japanese market or Chinatown.

As with Pocky, they come in a ton of varieties: Beer (seasoned to go well with beer), Butter flavor, and even a delicious cocao (hard to find), cheese, etc.. Pizza Pretz and the cheese flavored are the best one's I've ever tasted, buy good luck trying to find them any more.

Unfortunately, Japanese snacks are like fashion; what's popular at one moment can change the next.

Honestly, these are really good with beer or cocktails, or when you just want a small bit to curb your appetite before that big meal.

$1.97-2.49

RATING: 3.8

GLICO POCKY

Mon, 8 Nov 2010 12:11:57 -0500

A well known staple of the Japanese snack world, Pocky has been satisfying snack hunger around the world for many years.

Consisting of a thin, prezel-like cookie, the stick is dipped in chocolate and packaged into the iconic red box.

Over the past decade, Glico has produced Pocky's in all kinds of delicious flavors -- strawberry, white chocolate, dark chocolate, black and white, coffee and even Kiwi! A few years ago, they started coating the chocolate in almonds for a new twist. They even have a "Men's Pocky", which I'm not to sure what that's all about, except it may involve bitter chocolate, which is big in Japanese snacks these days.

Also, look for the big ass GIANT POCKY. These come in large boxes and are HUGE.

The cookie is mildly sweet and the chocolate is good quality.

This is the cousin to the PRETZ. Another iconic snack staple.

About $1.97-2.25 for the regular size box. (*NOTE: they now can be found in some supermarkets in the Asian section. However, they aren't cheap if you should find them there.)

RATING: 3.5