Vital Information

I like Coconut M&M's better than Pretzel M&M's.



To elaborate, I think Pretzel M&M's were a good concept, but the pretzel inside actually emphasizes the sugary candy shell, rather than the chocolate.  It makes the chocolate taste fake and too-sweet.  You're better off with actual chocolate-covered pretzels.

-------

Early Birthday Presents

I love the day that Easter candy first makes its appearance in the stores -- or, at least, the day I first notice it.  That day was yesterday, and I snagged a couple of my favorites because today's my birthday and I "deserve" a treat.

Though I prefer an original Cadbury egg over the other flavors (the filling is always creamier in the former), orange is nice for a change.

-------

Not just for kids

[Seatbelt Carriage Satchel by Harveys; Uniqlo Boyfriend Jeans; We Who See Pleated Canvas Booties from Urban Outfitters.]

We toured a local pediatricians' office last week and made sure to take home a couple of the Yummy Earth organic lollipops from the reception desk.  The doctor who spoke to us said that they used to give out sugar-free suckers, but that they'd decided that organic ones with real sugar were a better, healthier idea.

Tastier, too, I'm sure.  Mine ("Strawberry Smash") was tart and sweet at the same time.  Delicious!

-------

Oh, yeah -- I ate these, too.

Sour, gummy mushrooms, anyone?!

Not bad.

-------

Asian Grab Bag 9-11

Items 9-11
Package Information: Blueberry, Strawberry, and Melon.
Impression: These were all soft and weird and crumbly on the inside.  Soapy again!  They tasted of powdered sugar with a hint of fruit.  "Melon" had very little flavor at all.

This concludes the Asian Grab Bag!  Thank you, mysterious benefactor.


[What's the Asian Grab Bag?] 

Asian Grab Bag 8

Item 8
Package Information: Kabaya Jersey Milk soft candy (Japan).
Impression: Resembled a sickly obese lemon drop.  A lemon drop drained of flavor by a vampire who sucks lemon flavors out of things?  Tasted like coconut.  Soft, but not too soft.  Sort of like those coconut macadamia balls Angela sent me.


[What's the Asian Grab Bag?] 

-------

Asian Grab Bag 7

Item 7
Package Information: "Supreme Taste Since 1885"
Impression: Looked like a caramel; chewed like something softer and meltier. Vague flavors of coffee and soap.  Why do all of these candies taste like soap?


[What's the Asian Grab Bag?] 

-------

Asian Grab Bag 6

Item 6
Package Information: Meisan (Japan)
Impression: Everything's red.  I dared hope for cherry.  It was kind of fruity and something...more.  Slightly tart.  A devious friend.

[What's the Asian Grab Bag?] 

-------

Asian Grab Bag 5

Item 5
Package Information: Kanro (Japan).
Impression: The packaging and the candy are both yellow.  I'm expecting lemon flavor.  It's lemony, sure, but with a sort of "nursing home perfume" note underneath.  This fades and becomes mostly vegetal/floral.  Lemon and flowering weeds?

[What's the Asian Grab Bag?] 

-------

Asian Grab Bag 1

Remember this bag of Asian candies and chocolates?

I can not, for the life of me, remember who gave it to me.  Dad? Paul? Martha and Jim?  A thousand apologies, friends and family.

Whatever country these items were purchased in, most of them are Japanese.  Let's peruse, shall we?
 


Item 1
Package Information: Kabaya Matcha Chocolate (Japan)
Impression: Strong green tea flavor and sharp soapiness

A teaser

Coming soon...

Snacky Easter! (A Photo Essay)

What's boosting my morale today?

Look, but don't eat.

It's not that I didn't appreciate the leftover Valentine's Day candy that showed up at work last week. It's just that I no longer dabble in Necco Sweethearts.

I like the SweeTart candy hearts so much, I just can't do it. These may be more classic, but the Sweethearts' flavor doesn't measure up to the SweeTarts'.

Happy New Year! Now, get back to work!

I rescued two Pixy Sticks from the piñata that was whacked to smithereens during DJ and AF's New Year's Eve party. Glitter covered the dance floor in drifts, hiding the rest of the loot that had been driven out of the festive vessel, but I managed to come away with a plastic and silvery necklace, a couple of KitKats, and these.

I found the paper cylinders of tart red powder (again) in my purse while at the office a couple of days ago and ingested one (just its contents, not the paper) as a well-needed back-to-work-already?! sugar rush pick-me-up (that's a lot of hyphens, no?).

It was sweet and so are you.



(photos mostly by Dave Johnny)

I got tricked.

These are gross. Take my word for it. I'm happy to take questions from the gallery, if you have anything to ask, but otherwise I'll leave it at that.

How to Accessorize a Sweet Tooth

(photo by Dan; shirt by Jemma Hostetler; cardigan from Urban Outfitters; tank from source unknown; purse from Anthropologie)

Is it weird to be excited because one's new purse photographs so well alongside Reese's Pieces?



I mean, it only made me a little more excited than I normally would be about Reese's Pieces, but still.

I See Me.

Once upon a time, a box of See's Candies Gourmet Lollypops came to stay. There were four flavors -- a butterscotch flavor, a chocolate flavor, a vanilla flavor, and a cafe latte flavor.

All four flavors lived together in the box in perfect harmony until we ate them.



And the cafe latte flavor was too strong in its coffee-ness.

And the vanilla flavor was too sweet.

But the chocolate flavor was like a hard brownie on a stick, with an intense fudgey density.

And the butterscotch flavor was just like butterscotch, and a little bit like caramel.

The people who were given the lollypops lived happily after and also the end.

Elsy's gift

Elsy is a lovely woman who cleans the office at work. She recently took some time off to be with family overseas. When she returned, the basket pictured above appeared on the counter in the kitchen. I don't like coffee particularly, but these coffee-flavored caramels from Colombia were sweet and rich. I ate at least my fair share, if not more.

Thanks, Elsy!

Poetry Tuesday: Trepidation, Mexico (a series).

[Today's Poetry Tuesday post is in honor of a new blog, Haiku Lunchbox, which I read about today on my Serious Eats feed and immediately added to my RSS reader. Welcome to the food-poetry blogging world, HL!]



Memories in dust,
A piñata's leavings wait.
Snack jail - tempting fate.




I'd be a sucker.
When was I in Mexico?
Horror show on sticks.



Such friendly dressing,
So eyes cry to mouth in vain.
A will dances, ill.