SpyShopper-- Taste-Testing New Chip Flavors

My all-time most favorite chip flavor:  UmeShio!  (Pickled Plum Salt)

Everything is seasonal in a Japanese supermarket-- including flavors of chips.  At left, my favorite chip flavor *ever* (even better than Salt & Vinegar).

thank goodness the bags are small...

When the plums ripen in June, it's time to make Umeboshi (dried, pickled plums-- I like the kind, pictured at right, made with honey) and Umeshu (plum liqueur).  It's also time for the Ume flavor chips!  Yay!  You can tell they're meant for summer because that huge kanji in the middle says "SUMMER" (natsu), and the bag is decorated with fireworks and a windchime.

I found two new flavors at Daiei today, though, that I've never even seen before, let alone eaten.

That flavor up there is Asparagus-Bacon, a popular side dish in the summer when the asparagus is in season (just wrap the cut asparagus spears in a piece of bacon and fry--extremely yummy!).

This was not a bad chip flavor at all--very savory, and there actually was a bit of an asparagus taste.

The other flavor I found was "Yakitamanegi"... fried onion.






This flavor *rocked*.  Very onion-y, and it really matched the potato taste well.  Umeboshi is still my favorite, but I would definitely buy this again for a change of pace.

I also gave the two new flavors above to the kids and a couple of friends in a blind taste test.

Results:
Teddy--  liked both flavors, but liked the asparagus the best
Teddy's friend-- liked both flavors, but liked the onion best
Koshi-- definitely liked the onion... tasted the asparagus...said it was ok...tried it again... then I told him what  flavor it was... and he said "bleah!"
Koshi's friend-- liked both ok, but like the onion best
Cici-- thought both flavors tasted weird
Me-- I liked both, but liked the onion a little better

Fried Onion:  five 'Yes', two 'OK', one 'bleah'
Asparagus:  one 'Yes', three 'OK', two 'bleah' (of the two 'beahs', one of those was not a decided 'bleah' until the name of the flavor was revealed.  I expect my mom will laugh about that;-))

Itadakima--su!

O-Yatsu Jikan: Favorite Chocolate Cookie Snack

Take no Ko in the field...

When I went to the store day before yesterday, I picked up some snacks for the kids.  They got to have a 'special', so they asked for a snack called Take no Ko no Sato... which happens to be one of my favorites as well.

Take no Ko no Sato (Bamboo Shoot Village)

...and since I just posted a recipe featuring Take no Ko not too long ago, it occurred to me to post a couple of photos about my favorite Bamboo-shaped snack.

Oishiii!

See?  It's just plain, little cookies dipped in chocolate and made to look like bamboo shoots:-))  So cute.  So tasty! 



Has anybody seen these on sale in the US or Europe?

...The 'sister snack', so to speak:  Ki no Ko no Yama (Mushroom Mountain).  Same little choco-cookie snack, but shaped like little mushrooms.

Moar kawaii!  Kids, of course, love either snack (as, for that matter, do I;-))

So if you happen to run across these-- get some!  They're good!

Mata asobou, ne!