Sunday, July 5, 2009

I LOVE FUNNY FOREIGN FOOD!

What is this? Does anyone know? The only English on the package is on the inside of the box lid & says “Pudding Chocolate”, but the pictures on the box look like cartoon flan. It contains individually wrapped candies that resemble soft white chocolate with a brown top. It doesn’t taste like anything else, especially not chocolate & is super sweet. I acquired this bizarre confection at my local Uwajimaya store.

Uwajimaya has a lot of strange Asian candies & packaged foods. Shopping there is like a wee vacation to a major Asian metropolis encapsulated in a one block area. It’s crowded but fun. I can hardly read any of the food packaging. You can spice up a dull day by purchasing something there which you have no idea what it is & making it. It’s a surprise! Fortunately, many of the cooking instructions are accompanied by pictures.

They not only sell groceries & produce, which are often cheaper than at most chain grocery stores, by the way, but contain a bookstore that stocks periodicals, stationery & manga. The candy section & impulse racks are unbelievable, you won’t have a clue what most of it is, & some of it looks like REAL BUGS. (I dare you.) The food court, inexplicably, has a Herfy’s hamburger stand in addition to Japanese, Chinese, Korean & Filipino food stalls. There are also Asian specialty housewares, appliances, & Sanrio products. Combining the latter two, I once saw a waffle iron for sale here that made waffles in the shape of Hello Kitty’s head. I wish I had bought it. Regrets…

So if you want to feel like you are in a foreign city for the day or you just need a takoyaki maker, take a trip to Waji. It’s an adventure. FP

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