A Chocolate Break

I happened across the 100% Chocolate Café in downtown Tokyo. This one-off café feels like a chocolate-making kitchen with its clean décor and clean packaging on the 56 varieties of chocolate that it sells. In addition to chocolate bars, they serve a variety of foods and drinks boasting unique flavor combinations like Chocolate cheese muffin and Chocolate squash banana lime mint. One wall features glass encasements showcasing the 56 varieties as if they were made fresh right there. Another chocolate innovation (maybe this isn’t innovation- trying to think of other word) are the Lotte Dreamy Chocolate containers. The small chocolate cubes hardly ever melt together. With its robust re-closable container, portable chocolate has never been easier.

Shanghai (hot) nights

Shanghai is unbearably hot in the summers and temperatures can average in the 90s with over 70% humidity. With this hot weather comes a most refreshing snack on almost every corner- Ice Cream! With prices ranging from 15 cents to the luxury Magnums at 60 cents, it is a thrifty and tasty way to stay cool. Going to the local shop down the street, I picked up 20 different types for under $5. One clever treat was corn-flavored ice cream with a cake cone sleeve. Others included mochi on a stick, and green and red bean popsicles. A banana pop was especially intriguing as it had a crispy banana flavored coating. There were also various forms of just plain vanilla ice cream- on a stick, in a box-shape (similar to a “naked” Klondike Bar) and in various size cups. Young and old eat ice cream, and I think it’s one of the best deals in China.

Shanghai Surprise

While spending the last six months in China, I have been sampling various kinds of treats and candies. Recently on a local flight within China I was given some shiny wrapped candies… or so I thought! To my surprise, they were actually individually wrapped little beef jerky cubes. Beef jerky is quite common here and can be given as gifts, eaten when guests are over, and is a typical snack for any time of day. They come in many different forms; cubic, shredded, slices, and strips to name a few. I think our minds have been wired to believe that anything in this “candy” type of packaging must be sweet, so spicy meat was unexpected! But why not? What else could be wrapped like this? Dried veggies? Savory nuts? Perhaps this iconic packaging could add surprise and delight to savory snacks.