Dydo Grandtime Vanilla Drink: I found this in a Dydo-branded vending machine at the Tameiko-Sanno Subway Station in Tokyo and decided to give it a try. I couldn't read the Japanese, but I guessed that it was flavored like vanilla ice cream from the graphic on the can. It has a milky, slightly-yellow semi-opaque color and tastes really strongly of Breyer's Vanilla Ice Cream, or something that I had growing up at kid's birthday parties. It was way too sweet and honestly pretty gross. I didn't want to finish the whole c... (read more) 1.0/5.0
drinks avoid vendingmachines japanese dydo grandtime vanilla drink 1.0
Hobson's Tofu Ice Cream: Hobson's is an Americana-inspired ice cream shop in Roppongi, decorated with blue and white checkboard and featuring American pop music from David Bowie and the like. It's decor is verging on kitchy but also has a bit of charm. While it's clearly American-inspired, it offers Japanese flavors like green tea, tofu, and yuzu. I got the tofu ice cream, which I really wanted to like, but to be honest it was some of the worst ice cream wise, mostly because of the texture. As tofu is itself a wa... (read more) 1.0/5.0
avoid japanese icecream roppongi hobsons tofu ice cream 1.0
Yotchan Cuttlefish Snack: Bought this at a 7-11 on my way home mostly because of the packaging. I didn't bother translating anything about it in advance, so I was in for a surprise. Let me cut to the verdict: this is a truly awful snack. It tastes like white vinegar and salt and has a chewy yet stale texture like Bubble Tape that's been sitting around since the 90s. I gathered from the package that it was a squid snack, and I still think it probably is: little white squares of awful processed cuttlefish. At least it ... (read more) 0.5/5.0
711 japanese seafood junkfood yotchan cuttlefish snack 0.5 avoid
Outstanding Foods Pig Out Pigless Bacon Chips: Everything about the packaging of Pig Out snacks screams bacon, from the pig mascot to the photograph of bacon-looking chips (enlarged for texture) – it's only upon closer inspection that you see that these chips are completely plant-based, and only in the ingredients list is the predominant ingredient (mushrooms) listed. It's an interesting choice to go for the bacon-loving consumer, rather than the vegetarian craving meat. The chips are kind of like Terra sweet potato chips in texture; t... (read more) 1.5/5.0
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Polar Unicorn Kisses Seltzer: Someone decided to order these half-sized cans of seltzer at work, so of course I was going to review it. Despite being calorie-free, you can smell the intense sweetness upon opening the can. It tastes exactly like a box of Runts smells - like every artificially-flavored fruit candy, from grape to watermelon, was made into a concentrate and generously mixed with carbonated water. Hard to imagine why anyone would enjoy this. 1.5/5.0
avoid drinks seltzer polar unicorn kisses 1.5
Ahlgrens Bilar Original foam candy: A Swedish candy whose recipe has remained constant since its introduction in 1953, Ahlgrens Bilar consists of pastel-colored car-shaped candies with a texture similar to a stale marshmallow. It has bounce, but eating them also strangely feels like taking a bite out of ear plugs. The flavor reminds me of a sweetened version of the dental paste you get during a cleaning. Maybe mint, but also vaguely fruity, I believe that each color is actually a different flavor, none of which are particul... (read more) 2.0/5.0
candy avoid swedish junkfood ahlgrensbilar original foam 2.0