China/All the way to New York

Here's what I have eaten so far of the assortment of Chinese candies Jim and Martha brought back with them. I thought I missed my chance to eat them, but some made it to our apartment after their stopover in Pittsburgh.

• Cylindrical packaging with smiling ear of corn = large, sweet, somewhat fish-flavored, hollow Cheeto-looking stick. Disgusting.
  
• Trapezoid-shaped "East Dignity" candy with pineapple print on wrapper = pineapple-flavored chocolate. Decent.
• Light-green small rectangle with leaves, labeled "Tenfu Mini Pie" = layers of pumpkin seed brittle with only a light bitterness. Not bad.
• Metallic green package, marked "Jofukuki" and "Hsu Fu Chu." with thumbsucking, cross-eyed dog depiction = fruity red, gold and green (one of each) gummy bears that taste like lollypops. Not Haribo, but yum.

To be continued...

Out on a limb

I can't say I've been looking forward to trying this one. I'm feeling suspicious and apprehensive. The only words in English on this package are "Orange Jelly Candy" on one side, "Made in Hong Kong" on a second side (along with characters that look like Chinese), and "51 Smith 51" on another side, which might be an address or the name of a company. I'm not sure quite what I'm in for...





With a York Peppermint Pattie standing by in case of emergency, I rip the package open. Immediately, I smell an orange tang. Inside, the column-shaped candy had been broken into two pieces, but at some point they fused together again. I pop the whole thing in my mouth.

It is at once sweet and powdery. The flavor definitely is that of orange powdered drink mix. As I suck on it, it becomes sweeter and more sickly. The texture feels slick and pebbled under my tongue, but not hard. I bite down a bit and find a jellied firmness. As I chew, everything starts to stick to my molars. I'm not really enjoying this.

It doesn't really feel like this candy will ever disintegrate in saliva. I feel I could chew on it for hours, except that it doesn't taste good enough to do so. I don't have any desire to chew on it until it is gone.

I don't finish it. It is warm from my mouth and slippery and doesn't look or feel edible. Where's the value in a snack like this? I feel almost philosophical about this. Who considers such an experience a treat...and why?

Thank goodness for my Peppermint Pattie chaser.

China/All the way to Pittsburgh.

Jim and Martha returned from China with assorted goodies.

In the Thanksgiving shuffle, I forgot to try any. Here's to what could have been.

From Snack Street, Beijing

Here are some photos from special operatives Jim and Martha, traveling in China.

I don't know if I could handle this. I am lily-livered and tender-hearted. I know it means I miss out, but I have a hard time eating things that look like the animals from which they are derived. I'm happily an omnivore, but even chicken legs and wings give me pause from time to time.









Jim says these were still alive.


Speaking of being an omnivore, has anyone read the book The Compassionate Carnivore by Catherine Friend? Looks interesting.