Lychee Mogu Mogu

Mogu Mogu Lychee

Origin: Thailand/Philippines/Japan
Type: Drink
Description: Fruit Juice with Pulp

If you've followed this blog thus so far, you'll know that I'm a HUGE fan of anything that's Lychee flavored. Here we have Mogu Mogu, Lychee Flavor. It's a fruit juice with coconut bits floating around in it. I thought at first that it was lychee bits because somehow they made the fruit taste just like lychee, even the texture was the same! It's got the light flowery taste of lychee with just the right amount of sweetness. It's a refreshing treat that I would recommend to anyone.

Roasted Eel in a Can

Roasted Eel

Origin: Asian super market
Type: Canned Fish
Description: Preserved Eel in sauce

Now let me start by saying that I absolutely LOVE eel. Eel is probably one of my favorite fish to eat. When it's fresh, roasted grilled, with or without sauce, fresh or saltwater eel, I love it all! So sweet, succulent, and delicious. Needless to say, I was very excited to find and try this canned eel. My enthusiasm would be extinguished with the first bite.

Open the can, and it looks like eel. As soon as a stuck a fork in it, it was obvious that this was no regular eel. It was tough, not soft like the eel that I enjoy so much. The flavor is sweet, but not much like eel. It didn't taste like eel at all, not in flavor or texture. It's too chewy, about half way in I gave up. I couldn't finish it. It's no good. It's not something that I could eat regularly, but it's something that seems like it would be a nice treat if it were the only meat that you had to eat.

Want More Garlic Toast Chips

Want More Garlic Toast

Origin: Asian Super Market
Type: Chips
Description: Garlic Flavored Toast chips

These were so cute, how could I not get them? I'm not sure what that character on the front is supposed to be exactly, but it's kind of cute in that "hey, buy me!" sort of way. I don't usually buy something because of the packaging, but this is adorable and it was on sale.

The first thing you'll notice when you open the bag is not the lack of chips inside, but rather the smell. The smell is so strong! It's like if you were to take the smell of raw garlic and amplify it 10 times over. If you're a garlic lover, you will love these chips even if it's just for the smell alone. It was a little too much for me.

The chips are a nice consistency, they aren't hard at all. They are light and crispy, the way a toast snack should be. I hate all of these toast chips made in America because they are too hard and crunchy, unlike these that are so softly crisp that they almost melt in your mouth. The flavor is just as strong as the smell, but they're also kind of sweet. It's a little overwhelming at first because it feels like your senses are being assaulted, but they get easier to eat as you go along. I ended up just putting them in a cup of soup. Yeah, they're better when you add them to something else. These chips are very unique to say the least. I would recommend these chips to anyone who likes garlic or to anyone who wants to try a crazy new chip experience.

Hello Kitty Tropical Mango Marshmallows

Hello Kitty Mango Marshmallows

Origin: Japan/USA
Type: Candy
Description: Marshmallow Balls with Jelly Filling

I found these on my last market run. They looked good, but they were kind of over priced. Charging $3.50 for a bag of marshmallows just because it has some cartoon cat on the front should be a crime. When you open the bag you get that nice artificial mango smell. Mango is one of my favorite fruits so this is quite the treat.

They're so small, cute and squishy! There aren't that many in the bag though, which is a disappointment, especially when you consider the price.

When you bite into one you'll find just a tiny amount of mango flavored jelly. It's alright, but there's not enough in there. It's just a super tiny dot compared to the marshmallow part. The flavor over all is like that of mango with flowery notes. It's not as strong as I would like flavor wise and not as sweet as expected for this kind of snack. They're pretty good, but I probably wouldn't buy them again.

Lucky Stars Chips

Lucky Stars

Origin: Chinese Super Market
Type: Chips
Description: Shaped Potato chips

I picked up these chips at the local Chinese market because they were on sale, on sale for $1.39. How that's any cheaper than the other potato chips, I may never know. The first thing I noticed when I opened the bag is that there's more air in there than potato chips, but at least it smells good! It's like if you were to take the smell of regular potato chips and amplify it a couple times over. Yummy!

Even though these are called lucky stars, there are no star shaped chips! They're shaped like the different suits of cards in a deck; hearts, diamonds, spades, and clovers. These chips taste as good as they smell. They're crunchier than regular chips, thicker too. They also have a slight sweetness to them and a strong potato flavor. If you can find a bag at your local market, I would suggest trying them out for yourself.

Lychee Calpico, Ramune, and Soho

Lychee Drinks!

Origin: Japan
Type: Drink
Description: Non-carbonated lychee beverage

Calpico is a popular drink in Japan. It's a non-carbonated beverage that tastes like tangy yogurt. While Calpico by itself is already quite delicious, I was very excited when I found that there was a lychee flavor. Lychee is a small fruit that has a hard shell. The inside has the consistency of a grape with a big pit in the middle. The flavor is very unique, almost flowery. It's hard to describe unless you've tried it. Lychee is by far one of my favorite flavors ever so I would describe drinking this as heaven in a bottle. Yes, one of the best drinks I've ever had.

A while back I had the pleasure of trying both Lychee Soho and Lychee Ramune Soda. The Ramune soda was a little disappointing. The lychee flavor was weak and the soda was a little too acidic for my liking. The Lychee Soho on the other hand was delicious! Mixed with some club soda, it made a really refreshing beverage. I would recommend the Soho, but not so much the lychee ramune.

Taiwanese Strawberry Jelly

Origin: Taiwan
Type: Jelly Snack
Description: Non-refrigerated strawberry gelatin.

I should have known that I was in for trouble when I ran across this beauty in the bargain bin. For a little over $1, you too can partake in this vile treat from Taiwan. This box contains 4 packages of strawberry jelly. They don't need to be refrigerated, which should have been my first clue that this was a terrible idea.

Tear into the wax coated paper packaging and try not to spill the liquid that the pouch contains. Beyond the packaging and the sticky stuff, you'll find a brick of jelly. It smells like strawberry and plastic. This isn't the good kind of jelly, no this is the cheap nasty stuff. It's so full of preservatives that when you bite into it, it falls apart in your mouth. It's a stiff kind of jelly. There seems to be some "fruit" pieces in the middle. They're hard and tasteless. The flavor of the jelly itself tastes like it smells; strawberry and plastic. What's most offsetting is that it's also salty. It's a salty sweet strawberry mess. This is disgusting and I wouldn't recommend it.

Assorted Chinese Pastries

Chinese Pastries

Origin: Chinese Super Market
Type: Pastry
Description: Flaky pastry with filling

Green Tea Pastry

The first pastry we tried was the green tea pastry. The outside has what appears to be tea flakes but they don't have much flavor. The crust or pastry part on the outside is extremely dry and brittle. It gets all over the place when you bite into it. The inside is a squishy but dense green tea flavored filling. It's a little bit sweet and savory. The flavor isn't strong at all, and the texture on the inside is reminiscent of what you would find in daifuku.

Red Bean Pastry

The outside pastry has sesame seeds. The pastry of this one is about the same as the last. Flaky, dry, and pretty bland. Inside is red bean paste. Red bean paste is used in all sorts of food throughout China, Japan, and Korea. It is also sweet and savory. The texture is like a thick sweet paste. It has a unique flavor and goes well with many treats, including this pastry.

Winter Melon Pastry

This pastry has nothing special on the outside, just the same bland crust again. The inside contains winter melon flavored filling. Winter melon by itself is already pretty much flavorless. In Asian cuisines it's mainly used as a vegetable in savory dishes like stews. Here the winter melon paste is as bland as ever. I would not recommend this one, it's bland over all and has little to no flavor what so ever.

Taro Pastry

The outside of this one has some crushed nuts on the top. The crust is the same. Inside of this one, however, you will be delighted to find taro paste. Taro is sometimes called "purple yam". It tastes a little like sweet potato with flowery tones. When cooked, it is light purple in color. This taro pastry is second sweetest with the red bean being the first sweetest.

Overall these pastries are worth trying. My personal favorite is the Green Tea pastry. It's savory, sweet, and has the most balanced flavor. My least favorite was the winter melon, it was a chore to finish. I wouldn't recommend eating these everyday, though I did buy a few extra to eat on mornings when I may be too tired to make breakfast. Because of the dryness of the pastries themselves, these are best eaten with coffee or tea.

Snack Time! The Foreign Snack Food Blog

Snack Time!

Thank you for visiting Snack Time! This is a blog about foreign foods and snacks! Foreign foods, weird snacks, crazy drinks, this is where you'll find all sorts of weird and exciting foods! Some are good, some are terrible, what snack or strange food will we try next? Let's take a trip around the world with foods from all different countries and cultures. It's snack time!