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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
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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
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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
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Yifang Matcha Brown Sugar Bubble Tea: I was delighted to come across the Taiwanese bubble tea shop Yifang in Shin Okubo, the Koreatown of Shinuku in Tokyo. I wish I were able to read the menu of fruit tea options, but I had to go by the pictures and decided to try their matcha latte with brown sugar, a drink that has a fixed amount of sugar (unlike some other menu items, where you can adjust how sweet you'd like it to be). I did find the drink to be sweet for my taste, but the combination of bitter matcha with sweet brown suga... (read more) 4.0/5.0

recommended drinks tokyo taiwanese boba bubbletea yifang matcha brown sugar bubble tea 4.0
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Yifang Coconut Sago Drink: Really enjoyed this refreshing creamy drink from Yifang, which has small tapioca balls (sago), like the type in tapioca pudding. A great alternative to milk tea if you're craving something fruitier. 4.0/5.0

recommended drinks coconut sago drink 4.0 yifang
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Yi Fang Grass Jelly Drink: Purchased at the Taiwanese fruit tea chain Yi Fang in Chinatown. A classic Chinese drink, grass jelly has a slightly medicinal taste but rich sweetness reminiscent of molasses. This version from Yi Fang is much better than the canned grass jelly herbal tea that I resort to once in a while when I'm craving this taste from my childhood. Their grass jelly, which surprisingly is not included as part of the drink already, is also satisfyingly gelatinous - not too firm or soft, and fully flavored... (read more) 3.5/5.0

recommended chinatown nyc taiwanese yifang grass jelly drink 3.5