Hardbite Eat Your Parsnips Lightly-Salted Parsnip Chips: These are literally strips of parsnip that have been cooked in avocado oil and lightly seasoned. Thin and crispy, golden brown (some a little on the darker side, giving it a slightly bitter, burnt flavor), they taste like portable root vegetables and have the distinct sweetness you'd expect from parsnip. I personally like parsnips a lot, but I don't see myself purchasing these again because they were pretty pricy (close to $5 a bag), and I think I still just prefer baked parsnips (not frie... (read more) 3.0/5.0
PCC chips vegetables hardbite eat your parsnips lightly-salted parsnip 3.0
Mooala Keto Mylk unsweetened original: I didn’t read the packaging carefully on this non dairy drink, which I picked up in the refrigerated aisle next to soy milk, and assumed it was meant to be drunk like a normal glass of milk. But the label suggests adding it to smoothies, pancakes, and puddings as a milk substitute. Consisting of nuts, seeds, and coconut milk, the Keto Mylk is thinner than regular non-dairy drinks and has a prominent coconut flavor, making it somewhat unpalatable for drinking on its own. But I used it in plac... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks nondairy PCC mooala keto mylk unsweetened original 3.0
Kiki Bakery Baked Lucky Pudding: This Japanese-style cheesecake combines a milky pudding base, with a caramelized bottom, with a cheesecake top. Denser than expected, the cake nonetheless has a light eggy flavor. The combination of moist pudding with cake should combine the best of both worlds in theory, but here the pudding outshines the cake, which eats a bit dry. Purchased at a small Asian bakery called Kiki’s, with its own black cat mascot (a nod to the Ghibli film). 3.0/5.0
seattle cheesecake pudding kikibakery baked lucky 3.0
Trader Joe’s Spicy mango lemonade: I wasn’t quite expecting this spicy mango lemonade to be as spicy as it is, thinking it would be more fruity with a small chili-spiked aftertaste, but this is definitely not a drink to gulp down as you might normally with a thirst-quenching glass of lemonade. The heat is pretty upfront, stemming from a mix of jalapeño and cayenne, but if you like spicy drinks, I can see how this can be a refreshing take. You can definitely taste the mango too. Kudos to Trader Joe’s for not diluting the ta... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks traderjoes spicy mango lemonade 3.0
Mateo's Arrayan Paletas: Mateo's is a chain in Los Angeles that has a rainbow assortment of ice creams and fruit bars, or paletas, featuring tropical flavors from Central America ranging from yellow cherry, mamey, and sapote (a type of ash-colored persimmon fruit). The popular shop had a short line out the door, with two groups allowed in the store at a given time (and no samples during the pandemic). Their arrayan pop features fresh fruit from the arrayan guava, which reminded me a lot of Taiwanese guava I had wh... (read more) 3.0/5.0
losangeles tropical fruit mateos arrayan paletas 3.0
Crown Jolly Pong: A Korean puffed wheat cereal with kernels that look like mini corn nuts and have a nutty, caramel flavor. They remind me of the Honey Smacks / Golden Crisp cereal I had as a kid. Smells like a mix of cotton candy and coffee. Small bag has 2.5 servings and was purchased at HMart. 3.0/5.0
cereal hmart korean crown jolly pong 3.0