McDonald's BTS Meal Sauces: I went along with my sister to McDonald's for the BTS meal, not knowing much of what to expect other than that two dipping sauces were co-designed to accompany their standard chicken nuggets meal. At a 4pm on Wednesday, the day the collaboration was officially released, there was a snaking line outside the drive through, and given an endless feed of BTS-themed McDonald's TikToks I saw afterward, I can only imagine everyone was there for the same reason. I can't say that I know much about th... (read more) 2.0/5.0
mcdonalds sauce bts meal sauces 2.0
Ritz Cheddar Cheese Crispers: Since returning to the states, I’ve gotten a chance to satisfy my cheese cracker craving, which typically involves consuming Cheddar Rockets from Trader Joe’s, but I sometimes try new offerings I spot in the cracker aisle. These cheddar crisps from Ritz are an example of an unfortunate purchase - the cheddar had a strange off flavor, and it was quite messy to eat because of the dusted cheese coating. The base of the cracker itself didn’t have the satisfying buttery richness of ritz crackers,... (read more) 2.0/5.0
crackers ritz cheddar cheese crispers 2.0
Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips: I like potato chips, and I like everything seasoning. But these chips were far too garlicky, and it misses a lot of the nuance of good everything seasoning. The poppy seeds, for example, have a hard time sticking to the potato chips, so they mostly end up at the bottom of the bag, and there isn't any discernible sesame flavor. Texture-wise, the kettle chips are totally solid. But I wouldn't get them again because of how alarmingly strong the garlic is. 2.0/5.0
chips traderjoes everything but bagel seasoned kettle-cooked potato 2.0
Trader Joe's Many Things Snack Mix: Trader Joe's version of Chex Mix, this medley combines fairly lackluster standards like pretzels, wheat squares, and bread crisps along with a welcome addition of honey roasted peanuts. I found myself fishing for the honey roasted peanuts, even though I don't especially like peanuts, as I found the other components to be completely average. The seasoning oddly veered towards overly garlicky. Would not recommend. 2.0/5.0
traderjoes snackmix pretzels peanuts many things snack mix 2.0
Timeless Tea Beet Lemon Tea: I was hopeful to find a good bubble tea shop but ultimately found Timeless Tea, a shop close to University District, to be disappointing. The teas are on the expensive side (many over $6), though the menu is expansive. My beet lemon tea had a ton of sliced lemons in it, which filled up much of the volume of the cup, and there were so many lemon seeds that it made it difficult to drink. Flavor-wise, it wasn't any better than you would expect the combination of beet juice and lemon water to... (read more) 2.0/5.0
drinks seattle timelesstea beet lemon tea 2.0
Swedish Fish Tails: Growing up, my family had a Costco membership, which we sparingly used for snacks and essentially never used for candy except for the one time my mom purchased a box of Swedish Fish. The box contained about 20 bags of the original red Swedish Fish, the individual rectangular bags you'd find at the checkout section of a gas station. While I liked Swedish Fish a lot, by the time we were done with that Costco pack, I really did not like Swedish Fish anymore. As an adult, I'd occasionally eat... (read more) 2.0/5.0
candy swedishfish tails 2.0