Squid Jerky

Recently I decided to sample much more crazy foods and drinks than usual and as a result I picked up a bag of squid jerky. It came in a yellow bag that I see quite often at my local supermarket and I’m assuming that this company is the lower-end value brand kind of like “Great Value” at Wal-Mart. Regular readers of the blog might recall that I really like squid so as crazy as squid jerky sounds, it wasn’t too weird for me. The following is not exactly the same package I had, but is pretty close to it.

For the 300 yen there was a pretty good amount of squid in the bag, all cut up into thin 2 inch strips. The first few pieces were great and full of salty squidy goodness but the more I ate the quicker I realized I could only eat but so many before getting sick. In the end I think 10 pieces or so was the final limit. One thing I noticed from the first piece is that they were packed with much more flavor than beef jerky which made for far slower chewing. I don’t really intend on buying more later but for as weird of a food as it was, it was a pretty good experience.

Asahi Ginger Draft

I had Asahi’s latest offering, Ginger Draft, for the first time on Halloween weekend and was instantly into it. It’s a lighter brew with a subtle tangy aftertaste that makes for a welcome change from Asahi’s standard Super Dry without entering into the wacky novelty flavors of Chu-Hi. At about $2 for a 500ml (17 oz.), it’s a mid-priced beer that won’t break the bank like Yebisu ($3.50) or make you sick like Nodogoshi ($0.98). Although the can represents the taste fairly accurately, eventually the dark green gets a bit annoying. I’m assuming it’s a seasonal drink and have only seen it in convenience stores as opposed to being on draft at bars.

Considering it’s a new flavor I’d say Asahi did a pretty decent job with Ginger Draft. Final Score: 3.7 out of 5.

Ginza Cocktail

After my recent experiment with Calpis Sour I decided to try another drink out the next day called Ginza Cocktail. For it’s size it was a bit expensive at around $2.50, but much to my surprise it was delicious and the can even looks cool enough to be a conversation starter at a party. There were two flavors available, grape and peach, and I went with the peach.

One thing that set it apart from other fruit flavored drinks was that I got the sense that it was closer to tasting like real fruit than anything else I’ve had. Of course I couldn’t really read the specifics on the ingredients, but I think it’s safe to assume that there was actually peach in it. Although it’s certainly not going to become my new drink of choice, I would probably buy it again eventually.

Calpis Sour

No matter how long I stay in Japan one thing I don’t think I’ll ever completely understand is the Calpis beverage company, aside from the fact that they sure like to make a whole lot of white drinks. I’ve had Calpis Soda which is pretty self-explanatory, but I later found out that they make a number of other drinks, including one called Calpis Water, all of which pretty much look and taste the same. I recently tried yet another version of the drink, this time with alcohol, called Calpis Sour.

It sells for about $1.75 for a 12oz can and tasted decent at best. I bought it purely out of novelty, and in the end it wasn’t something I would go out of my way to try again. It was in the Chu-Hi section of the supermarket and as such tasted similar, but with more of an odd creamy flavor to it with an aftertaste of alcohol. I will say however that the can is pretty cool looking.

Noodle Bowls

For a variety of reasons, one of the main foods that I’ve eaten in Japan are the just-add-water noodle bowls. These come in a wide variety and could be considered the post-college version of the slightly edible ramen noodles famous in America. Because of this familiarity I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them when I first came here, but after surviving on no paycheck for two months I got used to them quite quickly.

Before even opening the bowl, you’ll notice that the first major difference here from American ramen noodles is it’s price. As where one pack of ramen could only be $0.10, these can run anywhere from $1 at the cheapest to upwards of $3-$4. Next is the difference and quality of the ingredients. While American ramen usually consists only of the thin noodles and powder, you’ll typically find dried meat to add, extra sauce, tofu, and even varied vegetables in the Japanese version.

While even the cheapest of these are quite good, I’ve somewhat lost my taste for them in favor of the more expensive bowls. Of course these are probably still far from healthy even at the higher end of things, but they make for a great lunch to take to work as well as a late-night dinner during lazy weekends around the apartment. My old favorite was the Kitsune Udon and lately it’s been the more meat-based bowls.

Pepsi White

This past summer I wrote about Pepsi Blue Hawaii which for me was more of a novelty than an actual good drink. Not surprisingly it was off the market within a mere matter of weeks. Since it was the second annual summer-only drink from Pepsi, I was quite surprised to find Pepsi’s newest offering, Pepsi White, not but a week ago in the Fall. According to the bottle it’s a mix of “Pepsi and Yogurt” which I have to admit doesn’t sound the least bit appealing, if even fit for human consumption. Very much to my surprise it was one of the best sodas I’ve had in a very long time.

For those who haven’t tried many Japanese drinks the taste may be a bit difficult to describe since my first thought was that it reminded me of a perfected version of the also white soda called Shiroi Natchan. Aside from that, Pepsi White has a crisp and light flavor that goes down remarkably smooth for a carbonated soda. So far I’ve only seen it in small bottles, but I’d stock up on it for sure if they made larger sizes. On a side note, I’ve only been able to find the regular Coke that everyone knows and loves in 1 liter sizes at best. I have no idea if Pepsi White I is available anywhere else in the world but I’m assuming it’s only in Japan. Either way, two thumbs for Pepsi White.

Food Review – Kyuri

I think the first time I had “kyuri” was with a girl I used to go out to izakaiyas with a lot. It’s essentially just a cucumber sliced into thick chunks with salt and soaked in some kind of liquid that may or may not have miso involved. You just eat it straight but it’s still surprisingly flavorful. Along with squid and gyoza, it’s always one of the first things that I order when going out.

However you don’t have to go out to a restaurant to find this as I recently found out. For about $2.50 you can usually get a large bag of them from any convenience store or supermarket. I haven’t tried making them at home yet, mainly because whatever they soak in is what gives them the flavor and I have no idea what it is.

Food Review – Squid

If I remember correctly, the first time I had squid, or Ika, was at my favorite sushi shop called Yoroi. It was one the times I spent all night talking to people and ended up drinking Sho-Chu all night with some old lady. After awhile, she started ordering item after item for us to eat and one of those items was squid. I was instantly hoooked and now it’s one of the first things I order when going out.

You can resonably expect it to be prepared the same way every time, but once when Rory and I ordered it in Fujisawa it came out uncooked with a tiny grill so we could finish the job that the cooks didn’t do. No matter how long we left it on the burner, it was still too rubbery and inedibile.

Ika comes in two sections, the first is the body sliced to make O rings. This part is usually a little rubbery, but not too much. The second part is the feet or tentacles which are usually quite crispy. It’s typically served with a side of mayo, a lot of salt, and sometimes with sauce on it like the picture above.

It will usually run you about $3-$5 depending on how high class of a restaurant you go to. I think at Yoroi it’s about $6, but well worth it. I’ve made store bought squid twice in my apartment but it’s never been too good. I always end up making too much and get sick of it. If you’ve never had it, I suggest you try it next time you get the chance.

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Chu-Hi by Kirin – Drink Review

Chu-Hi, pronounced “Chew-Hai,” is another drink I had never heard of before coming to Japan. The first time I had it was on Enoshima beach as the sun was setting and it was awesome. Here is a picture: L-R (Rory, Brad, and Andrew)

I have no idea what Chu-Hi is made from, but it’s clear and almost always has a fruit flavor of some sort such as Lemon or Grapefruit. It goes down smooth and crisp, almost like a super-fizzy Sprite that also gets you drunk. I may have heard somewhere that it’s a girl’s drink in Japan, but if I’m at the beach this summer and the sun is beating down I’ll definitely take Chu-Hi over a beer.

It costs around 200 yen to 250 yen at convenience stores which isn’t too bad considering that most beers of the same “Duece-Duece” size are about 300 yen. The usual alchohol percentage is 6%, but Kirin also makes an 8% version as well, most likely for the same price.

I think you can also get this drink at bars and Izakaiyas, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re a guy. In that case, you probably would look like a girl drinking it. But, if you’re lounging at the beach or just want to switch it up for a second between beers I think it would be okay.

After doing a little research online, I found out that this stuff is loaded with sugar. If you care about that sort of thing than take it into consideration. Whatever. I love it.

Final Decision: 4 out of 5

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Pizza-La – Food Review

When I saw Pizza-La from Doritos at Lawson I was so taken in by the bag that I just had to try it. Unfortunately, it was quite underwhelming.

One would think judging by the picture on the bag that perhaps there was some kind of awesome chip/fake pizza hybrid waiting for you to enjoy. I sure did so I handed over my 147 yen without hesitation. Even the English slogan says “All the taste and toppings you want on a pizza straight from our oven to your door.” I was later surprised to find there were no toppings at all, let alone “all the toppings [I] want on a pizza.”

What I did find however was just an overpriced small bag of regular-ass Doritos that just tasted a little funny. They looked exactly like every other kind of Doritos I’ve ever had, and nothing like the picture at all. They were Doritos after all so it wasn’t a total failure. I soon got used to the “Seafood Italiana” flavor, if that even is a specific kind of flavor. I think I was just left feeling tricked, but it was worth it to try out some new food from Japan.

Final Decision: 1.5 out of 5

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