Mitsuwa

[furtech]

Went downtown (Little Tokyo) today to pick up my magazines and grab lunch. Hot and dry, so it felt cooler than yesterday even though it was cracking 100 here in the valley.

I'm on a peach kick. Peach juice, peach candy, peaches (especially those odd "ring peaches"). Happily, so are the Japanese. I picked up one of their juices and discovered that it was not just a "juice": there was a globby-mascot on the label that I hadn't seen. You takes yer chances* when you do that with foreign food: turns out it's a new (?) type of drink that has the texture of un-set gelatin. Imagine my surprise when I open the bottle, tip it to my mouth and nothing comes out (you have to shake it vigorously). Fortunately, I -like- eating unset gelatin, so it was a happy accident.


*Having had "Calpis", calcium enriched whatever (turns all drinks cloudy-white and ech); peach tea (not tea flavored with peach, but a weird mix); odd waters; something foul and medicinal; and of course the famous douche we inadvertantly tried out of a vending machine (mmmm... soapy).

Comments

[digitalis.livejournal.com]

mmmm...peach tea...
but not the gelatin drink! 0_0
The douche is a joke...right? Right?

"Looks like "Sake"... but it tastes...weird..."

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Actually, it is true. You can find anything in a Japanese vending machine, including hard liquor and porn (printed and video). This machine was in a dark residential alley and was a -very- plain machine (just the one product, high enough that it was clearly not for kids). Looked like Sake...no pictures on the label... curious we, we gave it a shot. I tasted it... definitely *not* sake. He tasted it... no clue.

The next day we had our local guide in stitches when he finally managed to tell us what it was. blargh!

[desertcoyote.livejournal.com]

Cool- I used to love trying new food at New Tokyo Food Market in Phoenix... (actually, I think I had a Calpis peach drink once, and I really liked it- but then they ran out and didn't reorder... :P)
I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE Taiyaki (I believe that's what it is...) -The little fish shaped pastries filled with sweet red bean paste. Every time anyone I know goes down to Phoenix I ask if they'll take the ice chest and get some for me, but no go yet /\_/\- I'll just have to go down there myself sometime!
I also liked the little rice flaver packets- they eat a lot more rice than we Americans do on average, so they have a lot more seasonings for it!
Of course, need I say more about Pocky?
The little peach gummy candies are good, too.
*is now drooling and missing New Tokyo*....

[desertcoyote.livejournal.com]

Oh- I am sitting here right now with a little Japanese candy on my desk... it's some kind of milk candy, very chewy and creamy, that is wrapped in a little white wrapper with a picture of a cow on it. They're pretty good!

[furtech.livejournal.com]

Come to L.A.! We'll give you the grand tour! Also, turns out that you can get "Chipwiches" down here!

I think "Krispy Kreme" got their idea from the taiyaki shops in Japan: they have the all-in-one machines with mini-conveyor belts and everything... ingredients in one end, an-filled baked cakes out the other.

Have you tried "Manly" pocky yet?

True to stereotypes, I (and my family) ate a LOT of rice. That would be the primary reason I could never do the Atkins diet... Along with the rice seasoning packets, there are also a ton of "chazuke" flavoring packets (chazuke=rice with tea). Chazuke is great stuff when you're feeling a bit queasy, but hungry.

[diadexxus.livejournal.com]

Speaking of gelatine.. I miss those gelatine candies (which unfortunately got taken off the market because kids choked on them)... Those were SO yummy frozen.

-J