Woongjin barley tea: A Korean chilled tea that is perfect for the summer heat. No calories or sugar, but is slightly sweet and had a deep herbal flavor. Begins very mild but has a robust aftertaste. Thirst quenching and very refreshing. 3.5/5.0
woongjin korean drinks tea barleytea recommended hmart barley 3.5
Yamada Bee Factory 塩とシークヮーサーはちみつ: A second beverage I had from the hospital vending machine is this salted citrus beverage with organic honey. Its color, an electric yellow-green, makes me naturally think of lemon Gatorade, which it has a similar flavor to except the sweetness has a little more depth, and the consistency is a slightly thicker on the tongue. A decent sweet beverage good for the impending summer heat. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks citrus vendingmachine yamadabeefactory 塩とシークヮーサーはちみつ 3.5
YBC Aerial Cheddar Flavored Chips: I really like the texture of these light and crispy chips from Japanese junk-food manufacturer YBC. They consist of nugget-shaped chips that are multi-layered and irregularly shaped, giving it a very unique texture. The cheddar flavored ones have a milky and creamy flavor that is common among cheddar-flavored Asian snacks, which is less salty and sharp than American cheddar-flavored snacks. Overall, I still like it for the texture but prefer the roe-flavored chips I previously reviewed. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese junkfood ybc aerial cheddar flavored chips 3.5
YBC Noir Cocoa Cookies: These are the Japanese equivalent of Oreo cookies, which I tend to have about once a year at the MIT Mystery Hunt competition. Since Mystery Hunt was completely remote this year, I wasn't able to partake in the normal consumption of college-dorm junk food normally shared in person to fuel late-night puzzling, but I still wanted to capture the spirit, which led me to purchase this snack. The YBC snack packs are ubiquitous and can be found at basically all convenience and grocery stores. Ov... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended cookies japanese coop ybc noir cocoa 3.5
Yes Chips shrimp dressed in garlic: To be honest, the main reason I bought this snack was the ridiculousness of a shrimp wearing a head of garlic. Packaging aside, the chips themselves have a styrofoam-like texture, not unlike airy shrimp chips that were given to non-Asian diners in Chinese restaurants in the 90s. Still, the seafood flavor is actually quite good, and the garlic doesn't leave a strong aftertaste. The chips melt in your mouth (from all of the saturated fat, I'm sure). 3.5/5.0
yeschhips korean hmart shrimp seafood garlic chips 3.5 yeschips dressed in
Yida Haw Cheese: As a child, I imagined if I needed to sustain myself on my paltry allowance, I could afford to live off Haw Flakes, a traditional Chinese candy consisting of stacks of purple-red discs (think Necco wafers, but thinner), costing about fifty cents for a pack of 10 rolls. They taste like strawberry fruit leather and are made of a Chinese fruit called hawthorn. Texturally, it's hard but then slightly chewy at the first hint of moisture. This individually wrapped candy from Yia is a different t... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended candy yida haw cheese 3.5