Tirol Strawberry Pack

A good friend in Kyoto sent me a bunch of candy, including a pack of Tirol chocolates called いちごがいっぱい (ichigo ga ippai), which means lots of strawberries. I suppose strawberry flavor is common right now, as one of the latest Japanese KitKats is also strawberry (review coming soon). There were three varieties of strawberry chocolates in the pack, so I'll review them one by one.


First up is Condensed Milk and Strawberry, and of the three, it had the most authentic strawberry smell and flavor. There was also a hint of cream in the smell, which was neat.

From the picture, you can see that there is a layer of condensed milk inside and WOW did it make this a sweet piece of chocolate. It was a little too sweet, actually, but the chocolate tasted really nice. There were even some strawberry seeds in the chocolate. I was surprised, but this was actually my favorite of the three. I would have rated it higher were it not for the intense sweetness of the condensed milk, but that is one of the sweetest things out there, so I wasn't terribly surprised. A-


Next, I tried Strawberry Jam. I thought this would be my favorite, but it wasn't. There wasn't much of a strawberry scent, but I could smell milk chocolate. The taste was similar in that the milk chocolate overpowered both the strawberry chocolate and the strawberry jelly in the middle. On a positive note, the strawberry center was really fruity and tasty.

Even though I was disappointed at how much the milk chocolate took over the flavor of this chocolate, it was better than the last jelly chocolate combination from Tirol (Christmas Soda), and it still tasted good, just not particularly impressive. B


Finally, I tried BIS Strawberry. "BIS" is short for biscuit, and I've always been a fan of chocolates like this (such as the Ritter Sport with the biscuit inside, and the regular BIS Tirol). This one also didn't have much of a strawberry smell, which was disappointing.

At first bite, I thought this one was delicious! I was all set to give it an A, but then the aftertaste kicked in. The strawberry chocolate here tasted a little soapy, and it ruined it for me. The biscuit was great, but I couldn't get over the soapyness. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't perfect. I wish it had the flavorful strawberry chocolate from the Condensed Milk and Strawberry. Oh well, it was still my second favorite. B+

I was really surprised that only one of the flavors packed a strawberry punch, but I can't say any of them tasted bad. In any case, I love Tirol chocolate and can't wait to see what flavors they roll out next! For another take on these, check out Japanese Snack Reviews.

Tirol Chocolate website (Japanese)

BP At The Pig

Now, here's my second favorite find of the trip -- boiled peanut bar in Piggly Wiggly!

I'm not sure if this is a new thing at all the Piggly Wigglys, or just at the Piggly Wiggly on Meeting St. in Charleston that I went into. I usually hit up the Piggly Wiggly on Folly Road on James Island when I'm in Charleston, and I've never seen the boiled peanut bar before. I could have just been oblivious, though.

These hot bowls of boiled peanuts were in the fancy cheese/deli section of the grocery store, with two different sizes of Styrofoam cups to fill up with either original boiled peanuts (in a salt brine) or Cajun boiled peanuts. I got two cups and filled them up with some of both.

I'd like to say that I've never eaten boiled peanuts from the can, but I guess I can't say that anymore, as these boiled peanuts are from Margaret Holmes, a name brand label from the Southern foods cannery McCall Farms in Effingham, South Carolina. All I've got to say is...not bad at all!

I've also only eaten boiled peanuts in their traditional Southern salt brine, but I'm most definitely making some spicy Cajun boiled peanuts the next go round. These things rocked! A nice, gentle kick of heat and depth of flavor.

Charleston Dog

My most exciting find from my trip is probably the most humble -- a hot dog cart serving veggie hot dogs! (I spared you the all-caps, but imagine the last part of the previous sentence was screamed in extreme excitement.)

If you are not familiar with my quest for hot dog street vendors that serve veggie hot dogs, let me refer you to this post. Sure, it's almost too easy to find veggie hot dogs in brick and mortar establishments, but it's a little more difficult (a lot more difficult) to find a veggie hot dog served up from a cart street side. (Don't even talk to me, people in the Northwest and Canada; I don't want to hear about your riches.)

My discovery of Charleston Dog at the corner of George and King Streets along the high end retail tourist drag of King Street in Charleston is only my second happening upon a hot dog cart serving veggie dogs. Technically, Charleston Dog is my first, since the cart in Lawrence, Kansas, served veggie bratwurst.

In talking with the chilaxed dude manning the cart, he told me that he suggested veggie dogs to the boss man because he thought they'd go over well in a liberal (?) town like Charleston. Thank you, guitar-playing, pro-veggie-dog dude! Charleston Dog also has a couple of other carts in town, but I didn't ask about their locations.What rocks even harder than veggie dogs on the street is the fact that you can get a bag of boiled peanuts! Only in South Carolina. And probably only in Charleston.I got my dog with a squirt of ketchup and coleslaw. The sweet, creamy coleslaw doesn't come from a Sysco box, but is made in Charleston Dog's kitchen. Awesomeness.

Tic Tac Chill Exotic Cherry

This little guy was a pain to open. It called to me at the gas station one day, so I bought it. It came in clear plastic wrap that was quite hard to remove, and even then, I couldn't figure out how to open it. Finally, I slid the front panel down (see photo below) and was able to access the Tic Tacs inside.

Later, I saw a commercial on TV that showed me that the top opens, too, like regular Tic Tacs (see photo above). A diagram or something on the box would have helped.

Both the box and the Tic Tacs themselves are larger than regular Tic Tacs. The shape is still the same, and, despite the fancy box, it doesn't feel like much has changed.


The Tic Tac felt really cold in my mouth, and had a slight cherry flavor, but wasn't too strong (or exotic). I don't know if it would be a great breath mint, but it tasted okay. I chewed it up after about a minute, and it was very sour, but not terribly cherry. It didn't really do much for me, but it wasn't bad.

Although it suffers from the same problem as orange Tic Tacs (as in it makes your breath worse), Exotic Cherry just didn't taste as good as orange to me, so I doubt I'll buy it again.

C

Ferrero Website

Hello and Au Revoir

3000 miles and one $1100 car repair later, and I'm back! I know. $1100!

I knew I needed some rotors turned, but when I pulled into Charleston, the last city on our Southern romp, the grinding noise told me I needed more. A whole lot more, apparently -- everything brake related, plus struts. A friend recommended Gerald's, a tire and brake shop filled to the gills with every flavor of man to repair your car, and just as nice as could be. They even give all the ladies a long stem rose. Aww! It almost takes the sting out of your bill and has you contemplating calling them up again for a second date. (Trust me, dudes, a rose is better than a mint.)

I'm also filled to the gills, but with food. Besides all the holiday food I filled up on at home, I ate out more than I ever care to. (I don't know how you paid food writers do your job without feeling disgusting, but keep up the good work.) I'm currently just overjoyed to be able to eat a bowl of cereal and pop open a can of soup in my own kitchen. But this won't last for long.

I'm off to Belize at the end of the week and won't return until February. I'm gonna pound out my Southern eats this week (there are lots), but let them trickle out while I'm away so this blog doesn't go stagnant.

Au revoir.

Signs: Italian Market Meats

While the sheep snoozes, and the cow is oblivious, the pig knows he's the tastiest and the first one to go. You think he saw this sign?

Nestle Muscat of Alexandria KitKat

I bought this KitKat when I was in Japan about two months ago, and I've been avoiding reviewing it. My husband took one of the packs inside and I tasted a little bit, and I really, really didn't want to eat any more of it. I finally mustered up enough courage to eat and review my half of the KitKat this morning.

Grape always makes me nervous. I love grapes, and like some grape candy (purple Skittles, grape Hi-Chew), but it just doesn't seem like a flavor that goes well in chocolate. My suspicions were confirmed - this KitKat didn't work.


The KitKat is a pale green and smells strongly of muscat grapes. I guess that's good, mission accomplished. The taste was a strong muscat with a fake aftertaste that lingered for quite some time. I could only eat one of the fingers in the pouch.

This was not a good idea. Chocolate and muscat grape do not go well together, at least not here. It was okay when I couldn't taste the grape, but even then, the white chocolate was overly sweet. It was the aftertaste that really pushed me over the edge. It wasn't inedible, but it was the worst KitKat flavor I've ever tried. Funny, you'd think that title would go to soy sauce flavor. Anyhow, this KitKat was not for me. My husband liked it more than I did, and Orchid64 at Japanese Snack Reviews didn't hate it, either. Please check out her review, or ZOMG, Candy for other perspectives.

D

KitKat Website (Japanese)