I Want Candy!

Hellooo,

I just came back from Safeway as I was there buying some last minute things for Japan Bowl. I love Safeway because I get to buy a big bag full of candy. This time, I got these round cherry candies, milk chocolate covered raisins, and milk chocolate covered cookie dough. Sounds delicious, doesn't it? I am going to write about each of these three candies. The cherry candy is a ball of red artificial flavor and coloring. During the first bite, I immediately taste both sweet and sour in my mouth. It is very chewy and takes only a few seconds to finish. I like it. the milk chocolate covered raisins are a delight. First, I experience the rich milk chocolatey taste and then enjoy the sweet raisin. It's probably healthier than the cherry candy because it has a raisin (fruit). My all time favorite is the cookie dough one. Although it is very very sweet, it is sooo goooood!! It basically tastes like milk chocolate and hardened cookie dough. You should try it if you have not yet!

Well that is all...

What is your favorite candy?

---Katie.

100 Calorie Oreo Bars? Not so good.

I was strolling through my local Safeway's junk food aisle to pick up some of my favorite chips and candy when I came across these 100 Calorie Oreo Bars. Thinking that they would be as delicious as what the box said, I decided to buy a box. Unwrapping the white cover, I noted the chewy looking texture and the squiggled white frosting. I expected to taste something similar to the 100 calorie Oreo snacks but was very disappointed when I took my first bite . To put it short, it tasted horrible. The weird texture combined with the bland flavor just made me cringe. They definitely did not taste like Oreos. Then again, the 100 calorie snacks do not taste like Oreos as well. Now, I am stuck with nine more of these Oreo bars. Great. I would rather much eat a regular granola bar. Better luck next time when I try the Chips Ahoy Bars...

---Katie.

Furikake--ふりかけ

Hi guys,

What are those mysterious bits of green, pink, and white? Well, they're something called furikake. What is Furikake? Furikake is a Japanese condiment used to sprinkle on top of white rice. There are different types of this condiment. The bottle pictured below contains bits of dried seaweed and super dry bits of plum. Sounds weird, doesn't it? Other types include dried bits of salmon, egg, vegetables, sesame, wasabi etc. Trust me, it actually makes the rice taste a lot better despite its questionable ingredients. They come in jars, shakers, and single-use packets. I remember how I loved furikake so much that my mother told me that I would turn into a mummy if I continued pouring too much on my rice. I actually believed her.... Nowadays, I use furikake occassionally.



-Katiee.

Update on Salted Watermelons

If you remember, one of my first posts was about how some people put salt on their watermelon slices. Well, I promised to try it out so I decided to eat my watermleon with salt today. I did not sprinkle a lot of salt on the watermelon, so there was not a big difference. What I did notice was that the watermelon was both sweet and salty at the same time...It tasted kind of weird actually. Next time, I am going to leave my watermelon unsalted. I will think of another way to eat watermelon and share it with you guys in the future :).



--- Katie suiiiiiiiika.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Love

Hi guys!

My English teacher decided to give us an assignment over the weekend which to create an ode for anything. Being the food lover that I am, I decided to dedicate an ode to chocolate chip cookies. I am not a skilled poet, so excuse my awkwardly written poem.

My Ode to Chocolate Chip Cookies

A whiff of aroma flies like a bird from the kitchen,

My delectable chocolate chip cookie is ready for me to eat,

As it has been waiting impatiently in the oven,

Transformed from dough to a cookie that emanates heat.

I manage to hold the cookie in my hand,

Slowly feeling its soft and uneven texture,

Its chocolate chips are treasure buried in the sand,

While the rest is a thick blanket covered with sugar.

I open my mouth and take a bite,

My taste buds dance with joy more than they can permit

The melted chocolate makes the whole room go bright,

Oh no, I already finished it!

Here are some pictures to help illustrate my ode:

--Katiee.

Instant Miso Soup!

Whenever we go to Mitsuwa, my mom buys a pack of instant miso soup. Who could have imagined that we can now bring warm, yummy soup with us to anywhere we go. I usually drink this in the morning when I am going to be late for the bus. Anyways, the pack comes with five different condiments and packets of miso paste. I have some pictures to share!

Isn't that little girl in the middle so cute?

You pour the dried ingredients into a bowl.

Then, you add the miso paste into the ingredients.

Add water.

Stir as fast as you can!


Ta-da! Here is your miso soup. おいしい！Yummy!

---Katie.

Cake Cake Cake

(When you see someone carry one of these, you know it must be cake!)

(This is my fabulous fudge cake for Jessica. I baked it at 12 AM.

I baked a cake for one of my friends today because her birthday is tomorrow. I don't know if it tastes good because I want her to take the first bite. I'm hoping that it is at least edible..

Many students have a tradition of baking a cake or any other sweet treat for a special occasion. Some people bring in plain, undecorated cakes while others choose to add sprinkles, frosting, candy, etc. Of course, we can all go to a supermarket and buy professionally made cakes, but actually taking the time to bake one by yourself shows the receiver how much you care. Rani, my funfetti-buddy, and I have been baking each other funfetti cakes for our birthdays since 7th grade. Last year, I received a funfetti cupcake cake--it was very pretty and delicious. I will post a picture of it later. Even though it is just cake, receiving one makes you feel like the most special person in the world. Sharing it with your friends and getting frosting on each other is also a fun way to celebrate your birthday at school.

---Katie.

I LOVE TARO.

Several people give me weird looks when I tell them how much I LOVE taro. If you don't know what it is, taro is a plant/root native to the wetlands of Malaysia. Although poisonous in its raw form, it provides many vitamins and minerals when cooked. The exterior of the root sports a brown, grainy texture while the inside is a pretty purple.

There are many ways to eat taro:

1. Taro Pearl Milk TeaCourtesy of Farm 2 Flicker

2. Taro in Hot Pot

3. Taro Ice Cream

Picture Provided by Timothy Chou: tchou13.blogspot.com

4. Poi from Hawaii

5. Taro Chips

6. Taro Milk

7. Boiled Taro with Coconut

8. Fried Taro

9. Mo Mo Cha Cha

Courtesy of Ipoh Wav3 at Word Press

10. Taro Bun

These are only a few of the many amazing taro snacks/dishes/drinks.
Next time you go out to your local supermarket, buy some taro!

(Sorry for the lack of pictures!)

---Katie.

Yo-Swirl Tasting :D

Following up from my post about fro-yo a few days ago, I decided to drop by my local frozen yogurt store to try some of their flavors. I actually had a legitimate excuse to eat six different flavors of Yo-Swirl's fro-yo! That was definitely the highlight of my weekend. Anyways, I ranked the flavors from one to six, one being the best. Keep in mind, everyone has different preferences so these rankings and comments are based on mine. I omitted taro because I would be too biased if it was included

Rank Number 6 goes to.. Tart

Comments: I was not a fan of this flavor because it tasted like sour yogurt. I definitely would not get this again in the future. I probably do not like this because I do not like tart in general...

Rank Number 5 goes to.....Mango

Comments: I just didn't like this flavor. It was really sour and it was too ice-y for fro-yo.

Rank Number 4 goes to.....Thai Tea

Comments: I usually like this flavor but this time it was way too sweet. However, it does taste like Thai Tea...

Rank Number 3 goes to...Chocolate York Mint

Comments: I am usually not a fan of chocolate ice cream and fro-yo in general, but I really enjoyed this flavor. It gave me a refreshing burst of chocolate with a hint of mint. It actually does taste like York Mint Patties, one of my favorite type of candy.

Rank Number 2 goes to...Vanilla

Comments: I liked this flavor because it tasted like a lighter version vanilla ice cream. It was nothing special but better than the other flavors.

And the winner is....STRAWBERRY DOLE WHIP.

Comments: I loved this flavor! It tasted like a strawberry starburst candy. This received Rank Number 1 because it was not too sweet nor too sour and the texture was perfect.

(My top 3 with Mochi balls and mini Gummy Bears)

Thanks for Reading!

---Katie.

Candy Can Be Dangerous.

A designer named Woo Teik Lim created Fragile Candy to remind candy lovers to limit their candy intake. Fragile Candy is designed to resemble shattered pieces of glass.


I am not sure where you can buy Fragile Candy but I thought it would be interesting to share this with all of you. I think that this idea is pretty creative. When I first came upon it, I mistook it for real glass. It comes in different colors such as blue and yellow. I wonder if they have different flavors. When eating/licking a piece of this candy, you need to be very careful to not cut your tongue on the pointy edges! That would be painful, wouldn't it.

There is probably a way to make Fragile Candy by yourself. It looks like sugar candy purposely shaped into shattered glass.

Just looking at that picture makes me shudder! I would never dare to lick a piece of this glass candy. Would you?

Be careful when you eat any kind of candy!

---Katie.

Pictures from Yanko Design

Late Night Sushi

I just came back home from my regular Friday late night dinner at a Japanese restaurant near my house called Oedo with my parents and their interesting friends. I have been going to this same restaurant since I was a toddler. Every Friday, we drive to Oedo around nine and stay there until about twelve. The late nights at Oedo can be described by my father being loud with his friends and tons of Japanese (and Taiwanese) food.

Picture Time!

According to the sushi chef, this wasabi is freshly ground. Unlike preserved wasabi that comes in plastic tubes, this is made right before it is dolloped next to sashimi. It looks really fluffy--I want to touch it! I remember how once when I was young, I thought it was green tea ice cream and took a big spoonful but learned that it was wasabi when I started tearing up..

This is simply fried chicken sprinkled with sesame seeds. The skin was crispy while the meat was kind of soft. I am not sure if this is authentic Japanese food but it was yummy!

I ordered a platter of Hana sushi and California Roll. "Hana" means flower, so the sushi is apparently supposed to look like a flower. Do you think it looks like one?

This is what I see almost every Friday night. A group of men singing and grooving to old Taiwanese and Japanese songs. My father happens to be the one in the spotlight here.

I always get a scoop green tea/ red bean ice cream before I leave. Doesn't the green tea part of the ice cream sort of look like the wasabi?
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These are a few snapshots from my Fridays at Oedo. Although the singing can be improved, I enjoy eating free food and laughing with friends and family.

(Sorry for the late post)

It is finally the weekend!





--Katie.

Fro-Yo Fad

Hi there!

Recently, the popularity of frozen yogurt, also called fro-yo, has been rapidly growing A healthier alternative to ice cream, fro-yo has less fat and more live cultures that ferment the milk. However, there is still not a whole lot of difference between the two. Fans of this dessert can be seen in fro-yo stores during any time of the day. Many stores offer several flavors ranging from vanilla to Thai tea and are usually self-serve. After choosing your own combination of flavors, decorate your fro-yo with a generous amount of toppings such as mochi balls, gummy bears, cereal, and candy. Then, proceed to the counter and weigh in your almost-ready-to-enjoy frozen treat. Once you have paid for it, you are ready to experience the sensational delight when the spoonful of fro-yo meets your taste buds!

Shops such as Pinkberry, Yogurt Land, Red Mango, and Yoswirl have been receiving immense popularity these days. They are like the new Starbucks and Jamba Juice. Saying "I got fro-yo!" is now almost equivalent to "I got Jamba Juice!"

I used to eat frozen yogurt probably once every year at the Harker Family Picnic. Nowadays, I treat myself to a satisfying bowlful of taro and strawberry fro-yo topped with jelly, fruit, and mochi balls at least once every month. Out of the numerous fro-yo stores, I frequent Yoswirl in Fremont the most because there are not as many stores near my place. A new store called Pink Swirl opened up just recently five minutes away from my house, but the flavor choices are limited. Pink Swirl= Yoswirl + Pinkberry?

(Sorry for the boring picture--I finished my fro-yo too quickly..)

Which store do you go to most often and which flavors do you like the best?

---Katie.

Sprinkling Salt on Watermelon??

I have always wondered why some people sprinkle salt onto their slices of watermelon. Wouldn't the salt make the watermelon taste funny? Since I was really interested about this, I asked my friends and family.
Apparently, the salt brings out and enhances the flavor of the watermelon. It actually makes the watermelon sweeter by opening up taste buds and allowing them to catch the sweetness. They even sell "Watermelon and Salt" flavored Kit-Kats in Japan! They are on my Japan shopping list for thissummer. Who came up with the idea of doing this? They must have experienced with many other condiments such as sugar and pepper. Imagine sprinkling pepper on your watermelon...

Watermelons are one of my favorite fruits. What is your favorite fruit? In my lovely Japanese class, my classmates affectionately call me Suika (watermelon). I was one for Halloween! I might have to add white salt dots on my costume for next year. I do not sprinkle salt when I am eating watermelon because it is already sweet enough for me. However, I might try it the next time my mother buys a watermelon from the super market.
Some people even add lemon juice to their watermelon! Have you heard of any other interesting ways to make fruit taste better?

That is all for now.

---Katie.

My Favorite Type of Cuisine?

Since this is my first official post, I would like to share which country's cuisine I like the best..and that would be...JAPAN. Why? I enjoy Japanese cuisine the most because there is such a variety of different types of food. Since Japan is comprised of separate islands and regions, each region has its own special dish. The different types of raw fish (sashimi) is apparently really healthy for you. Maybe all that sashimi is the reason why Japan has such a high population of senior citizens. There are so many types of Japanese food--from

sashimi to takoyaki. We even have our own version of sushi many are familiar with--the California Roll. Candy and snacks from Japan are also really yummy. My favorite is probably those cool soda ones that fizz in your mouth. I eat at the same Japanese restaurant almost every week and I still have not become tired of it. During my trip to Japan over the summer, I tasted many new kinds of Japanese dishes. Vicky and I stuffed ourselves with so much sushi that we were afraid that we were going to have "sushi babies." Anyways, the picture on the left was one I took in a restaurant at a traditional Japanese Inn. As you can see, Japanese dishes are decorated really nicely. I get really excited when I see sushi in my school cafeteria :).

--Katie.

Introduction.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to my blog! My name is Katie and I love food. That is why I will be writing on this blog about just anything that has to do with food. I will take pictures from time to time to make it more engaging. I am not a food expert, but I am very interested in trying new dishes and learning about the scientific and health aspects of it. Enjoy!
Thanks,

---Katie.