Food Stuff to Look Out For (Japan)

A few snacks for summer in Japan.

Lotte Ice Bar: Suika and Meron Bar (Watermelon and Cantaloupe Bar). A cantaloupe and watermelon flavored ice pops, shaped like the way these fruits are cut and served. The cantaloupe flavored pops has these small white sugar beads that stand in for the seeds. And in the watermelon flavored pops are black chocolate beads that looks like the seeds. Cute and interesting presentation along with a refreshing taste, goes well with those intensely hot Japanese Summer.

Hazono Manjyu: Kuzu Manjyu. A manjuu is a traditional Japanese snack made of red bean paste. But what I don't like about manjuu is that its too sweet (that's why its served with green tea) and the sticky texture it leaves in the throat. But this Kuzu Manjyu is the solution. Its like its made from manjuu, jelly mix and fruit slices. It has a light sweet taste and refreshing flavors from various fruits that works with the flavor of the manjuu. The flavor that puzzled us all, Filipinos and Japanese alike, is the one pictured above. We don't know what an 'Aoi Ringo' (Blue Apple) is, but it was the most refreshing from the bunch.

Unagi Pie. Its not made from 'unagi' (eel) and its not a pie. Its a thin, crispy biscuit, which looks like a plate of barbecued unagi, is comparable to the Filipino 'Otap' which is glazed with something which is sweet, with an after taste of brandy (maybe thats why there's a V.S.O.P. tag in the front).

Snow Cones. anyone?

In this hot weather we are perennially experiencing in the Philippines, it has become a trend among Filipinos to escape the heat...normally on summer time.

I travel to commercial destinations for the humble snow cone.

"What?!? Travel far away for just a snow cone?"

Well, people do travel to escape the heat. Why not for a snow cone? They would prepare a lot of snacks, sets of clothes, supplies, plan the outing, organize things...just to escape the heat...and come back home exhausted. I do have the same needs, I love to travel, but there are times that I would like to refresh myself without the hassles of setting up an outing. I could just take the 5 min. cab ride to the nearest outlet and wallah...instant refreshing experience.

Now, I take the fruity flavors of snow cones over ice cream anyday. Ice creams are based on milk, which refreshes you momentarily, but you end up generating more internal heat due to the fat. The fructose is a naturally refreshing sugar base which doen't necessarily generate as much fat content as its milk counterpart.

As for places to get them, there are two places within the Makati area which I frequent. There's the snowcone stall at the ground floor of SM Makati, its own mix, and SnowCone in Market! Market!. The prces do differ...and so does the portions, it all comes down to what your immediate needs are.

If you go for quantity...the consumption of more ice than what your sensitive teeth can handle, I recommend the SM Makati branch. Its cheaper by 10 to 14 pesos, and its serve in a large cone, almost like a martini glass. So when I go to SM Makati, everytime I say "I want to stop for an iced martini", it usually means I want to go get some of that snow cone...or get really drunk.

If flavor is what you want, you'll get all that fruity sweetness at the ground floor of Market!Market, near the activity circle. Its a bit more expensive than the one at SM, in a more manageable serving size, like a regular sized softdrink serving, but it packs a lot os flavor in them.

So when in the neighborhood, do stop by for some iced martini...