Sunday, March 26, 2006

Gullible Gaijin



Sometime you are duped into believing that there are new flavours to be found in chocolate. That's what pulled me into the oldest gimmick in the book: display something cool-looking at the checkout counter.

I was getting out my groceries at the Chinese market when I saw this cool-looking package. Most of it was in no language I could decipher. The English promised "Only Hokkaido Taste", the charmingly silly English side bars on the cover talked of nature, in the middle of said silly English was a roaring bear, a symbol of the Ainu people. I was intrigued. I wondered what Hokkaido chocolate tasted like. I pondered if it was some exotic addition like black sesame or even seaweed! The cartooned picture on the back seemed to promise a chocolate with little black dots. I even dang-well saved it to eat up north, prolonging my investigation.

I shouldn't have bothered. It was chocolate with toffee bits in it. I ate the first half of the bar trying to strain my tastebuds to taste something exotic and the last half in emotional misery at being suckered in. Not that I didn't enjoy the chocolate but I'd been so looking forward to trying something unique, something foreign. Maybe next time I'll try the grass jelly drink or the canned silkworm pupae. At least I KNOW I haven't had that.

PS: I have a new daily photoblog you might want to have a gander at

Later note: My apologies to those who tried to use the address I gave above for my photo blog. I switched a couple of letters that didn't capture my eye for a couple of days. I guess I must be more tired these days than I thought.

6 comments:

s'kat said...

Deetsa, I tried to go to your photo site, but blogger is saying it's not found?

Too bad about the chocolate!

Deetsa said...

Hmmm.... I doublechecked the spelling and everything, s'kat. It should work! Blogger can be such a bugger. If cutting and pasting doesn't work, then maybe you could try the clickable addresses on the righthand side bar under "Other Places I Wander". My site is clickable from there too. I know that it works from there because michelle of accidental scientist found my photo site by clicking it.

Michelle said...

I hate that - such disappointment! Please promise that you won't eat canned silkworm pupae - please? EW! Glad your back, my friend. I've missed you!

Deetsa said...

Actually, Michelle, I was being a bit silly about those things I said I'd try (including the pupae). However, I did have a morbid fascination with them when I saw them in the Korean market a couple weeks back. I'd never seen a can of insects before.

I missed you too, Michelle, my friend. Glad to be back.

Michelle said...

Nerissa - have you seen this website? This is what I immediately thought of when you said 'silkworm pupae' ;)

http://www.thesneeze.com/mt-archives/000398.php

This one is funny, but my absolute favorite is the beggin' strips!

Deetsa said...

Actually I was shocked when I went to the page, Michelle. It was the exact can!!! So that's what they looked like. Not very appealing, are they?