Hancock Bryggerierne Sport Cola: This is a cola that I purchased from John's hotdogs in Copenhagen, produced by a Danish brewery Hancock. It doesn't taste at all like American Cola, with more of a neutral but pleasant spiced flavor that was hard for me to place. Kind of like a very mild Sprite mixed with cloves, but still brown in color. Comes in a cool, vintage-looking bottle. 3.0/5.0
drinks cola danish soda hancockbryggerierne sport 3.0
Ruffles Sabor a jamon potato chips: Purchased from a vending machine at the Madrid airport duurng a layover, these ham-flavored potato chips look like regular Ruffles, with an invisible but potently salty seasoning. Texturally, the chips are just like any other Ruffles; ridged, crispy, and more thickly cut than Lay's. But they tasted unlike any other flavor I've had: meaty and slightly smoked, but mostly tasting of MSG. Similar in intensity to ramen packet seasoning. 3.0/5.0
junkfood potatochips Spain ham meat ruffles sabor a jamon potato chips 3.0
Trina Naranja orange juice : This is an orange non-carbonated soft drink from Spain that has a tangy sweet flavor reminiscent of Sunkist or Tang, with a but of lemon Gatorade aftertaste. It contains 10% juice; the rest, I presume, is sugar water. Distributed by Schwepps and exclusive to Spain. I would imagine drinking this would make me super energetic if I were a kid, but I just found, after a red eye, that I only experienced the sugar crash. Purchased at the Madrid international airport. 2.5/5.0
Spain drinks trina naranja orange juice 2.5
Yifang Taiwanese Fruit Tea Lugu Oolong Tea: My good friend and bubble-tea expert Mace recommended this Bay Area spot specializing in Taiwanese fruit teas. Yifang's small to-go shop is adjacent to Berkeley's campus and certainly would have become my go-to spot if I stilled lived there. Their Lugu Oolong tea was super refreshing and clean, with a floral oolong flavor followed by a hint of peach. I added the aiyu jelly, which was well worth it; lightly sweetened, it had a slippery texture with just the right amount of gelatin. Luckily,... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended Berkely yifangtaiwanesefruittea lugu oolong tea 4.0
Dominant Culture Yogurt with Rosemary Sorbet: When asked for recommendations for where to eat in NYC, I always bring up Chikalicious, a dessert bar in the East Village where $18 gets you a prix fixe tasting of fine-dining-level desserts, always served by the industrious and humble pastry chef Chika Tillman. She and her husband have been offering to-go treats at a separate pop-up on the edge of Tompkin Square Park, including churro cone ice cream that I've previously reviewed. Now they're planning a yogurt shop called Dominant Culture an... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended nyc chikalicious dominantculture yogurt rosemary sorbet 4.0
Vive la Tarte Almond croissant : I had high expectations after having the excellent orange blossom croissant from Vive la Tarte in SF, but this almond croissant was less successful for a few reasons. The almond paste filling, while substantial, was wet enough to render the pastry a bit soggy, and the filling combined with the powdered sugar was very sweet overall. Quite large for a croissant, but also more expensive than your typical local bakery at a little over $4. You could taste the quality of the individual ingredients... (read more) 3.0/5.0
bakery sf sanfrancisco vivelatarte almond croissant 3.0