Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Interesting Japanese Products II

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The longer we have lived in Japan, the more we have become accustomed to the variety of products available here that aren't readily available in the U.S. Things that once seemed exciting to me, such as aloe flavored yogurt, nori (roasted seaweed) flavored potato chips, or yuzu flavored tea, are now commonly a part of our diet. Occasionally though, something will stand out, which is what happened when I saw Azuki flavored Pepsi. Azuki, or red bean, is a popular addition to desserts, often you will find it ground into a sweet paste and used as a filling for mochi, bread, or other confections. Personally I find it to be ok in small amounts, but I don't like to eat too much of it at once because I feel that the consistancy of the beans is too pasty to eat in large quantities. When we saw the Azuki Pepsi we tried it out of curiosity, thinking that it would not be very good, however it was pretty tasty. The sweetness of the azuki was slightly reminscent of cherry flavored sodas, and the red color also conjured up this image (visible in the photo). Although, as I don't drink soda very often, about 1/3 of the bottle of the sugary carbonated sweetness was as much as I could take.
Another yummy product that I had recently was the Meiji brand Rich Matcha candybar pictured below. I love anything matcha (powdered tea leaf) flavored, so this combination of matcha and white chocolate was definitely a favorite of mine. I'm also a huge fan of matcha lattes, matcha ice cream, and matcha cake, as well as my favorite guilty pleasure beverage to study with, Starbuck's Matcha Frappucinos.
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