gyoza

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Snack Crack

I’m in love with Pretz — crispy little breadsticks covered in salt and umami.  In Nagoya we did a riverside taste test: clockwise from the top left, we tried salad サラダ, gyoza 餃子, black pepper chicken wings 手羽先, and citrus すだち. The black pepper wings were the obvious winner.

A quick Google search of Pretz cemented my love — check out the YouTube cache here. Warning, it may cause seizures. Please take note that Pretz is pronounced like the classy Pennsylvania gas establishment Sheetz (Ah Sheetz! I dropped my Pretz!), not like the Pennsylvania snack food, the pretzel. The recommended method for eating Pretz is to snap them in half. I prefer to inhale them, teeth continuously chomping like the wood chipper in Fargo. “Where is Pancakes House?” Who cares, I have Pretz.

Snack food companies in Japan are good at throwing new, crazy flavors at you so you’ll continue to buy their products, as if the addict needs another excuse. A recent find, just butter ジャガバタ:

And there are many, many more. Sorry crafts, it looks like I have a new hobby.

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Turkish Delights

Not all things in Tokyo are kawaii (adorable cuteness in Japanese pop culture), but let’s face it, many are just too lovable and awesome not to mention.  Like Namja Town.  Dan and I accidentally stumbled upon this gyoza and ice cream nirvana, and were simultaneously bewildered and amazed with what we found.  (By the way, if you follow the links and are confused, have no fear — you are in good company.  I still feel that way.)   Namja Town is a food theme park, where you can try gyoza (dumplings) from different parts of Japan, and visit an ice cream museum full of flavors you never wanted to know existed, including…

Turkish tea ice cream, in a cone, dressed up like a Turkish man.  It was also served by a (seemingly) Turkish man, who twirled it upside down before handing it over, making all the teenage girls in line shriek with delight.  Please take note of the licorice scarf, my favorite part.  This little man didn’t stand a chance.