JJ Bakery Strawberry Shortcake Mochi: From the Taiwanese sweets shop JJ Bakery in LA, this plump ball of strawberry shortbread is about twice the size of a normal piece of mochi and contains a whole strawberry nested in rich cream and moist cake. The mochi skin is impressively thin and elastic, and as a result, plays a supporting role to the western cake on the inside. Ripe, deep red strawberry is sweet and fresh. Cream is not for the faint of heart (there's a lot of it), so this snack may be best shared among friends. (I at... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended losangeles cake jjbakery strawberry shortcake mochi 3.5
Berkeley Bowl Pumpkin Ice Cream: Actually from Loard's Ice Cream, a chain based in Oakland, the Berkeley Bowl Pumpkin Ice Cream is sherbert orange with specks of brown throughout. If you let it sit out at room temperature, it takes on a whipped consistency almost like whipped cream cheese (I prefer this to the otherwise firmer, more dense texture). Sweet but endearingly so, like a dessert made with far too much cream but with a lot of love. 3.5/5.0
recommended berkeleybowl pumpkin cream 3.5 icecream
Trader Joe's Soft Baked Drizzled Gingerbread Oat Bars: Despite the double-fisting polar bear on the packaging, each of these seasonal bars is individually wrapped. More similar to a soft baked cookie than a granola bar, they are moist and chewy, and while the icing feels unnecessary, it adds a festive touch. Spiced flavor contains molasses, ginger, and fig paste, along with your favorite wintery spices. A snack I would be happy to eat year round. 3.5/5.0
recommended traderjoes soft baked drizzled gingerbread oat bars 3.5
Yaokin Cabbage Taro Baked Cookies: This bag of puffed corn snacks was purchased solely based on packaging, with its friendly green police frog and lack of English labeling. They are more airy than your typical cheese ball, with a flavor that is almost like a junk food mirepoix, with tomato, onion, and carrots. It's unmistakably Japanese, with added sprinklings of nori and MSG. And, like many Asian snacks, they come in small packages, with only 3 servings in a bag. Brought out during a party, these were quickly devoured an... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended japanese vegetables yaokin cabbage taro baked cookies 4.0
Shirafuji Seika Ika mirin age: To mark the occasion of reaching 1,000 tasty snacks, I went to Tokyo Fish Market to purchase Japanese snacks. I purposely picked two bags without any English on the packaging. The first was a squid-flavored rice cracker which, according to the ingredients, contains shrimp, cuttlefish, and octopus. Combining these seafood flavors with a generous amount of MSG leads to a umami-rich snack. The irregularly shaped crackers have a deep orange color and a shiny coating. Very satisfying and tasty. 3.5/5.0
japanese shrimp squid seafood ricecrackers tokyofishmarket shirafujiseika ika mirin age 3.5 recommended
Voskos Original plain Greek yogurt: This plain yogurt has a tart, savory flavor that makes it ideal for dips and sauces to pair with dishes. It has a substantial, thick consistency that's much better than your average Greek yogurt. Even better, it's less expensive than Fage and similar alternatives, making it a great value. Purchased from Berkeley Bowl. 4.0/5.0
recommended yogurt berkeleybowl greekyogurt voskos original plain greek 4.0