Kinder Happy Hippo

I bought this product a while ago and kind of forgot about it. It wasn't until I looked through my work bag that I noticed that I still had it. I originally intended to give some of it to some of my students, but oh well, whatchya gonna do? I thought it would only be right if I tried it before giving it to my pupils.

As you can see from the box, I thought that some of the younger kids would have found this to be amusing. Maybe even some of the older kids would have found this amusing. I mean, it's a snack in the shape of a hippo. Regardless, I was informed by the kindly cashier at the European market that Kinder was the best brand of chocolate. I wasn't going to doubt what that man said, so I decided to buy this

Yep, the hippo looks DIRECTLY at you. I think it's coated in chocolate bits or something. Anyway, this is a pretty cool looking snack

And the hippo lost its snout

The closest thing that I can describe this to is a Ferrero Rocher without the hazelnuts. The outside is a little bit different from a Ferrero Rocher, but when I think about it, the flavor and texture are similar. The outside is crispy with some bits of chocolate at the bottom, and when you get to the inside you meet the cream and chocolate. The flavors of chocolate and smooth melted texture mixed with the crispy bits of biscuit made for a delicious snack.

Kinder Happy Hippo: 8.5/10

Corn Nuts Chips Santa Fe Ranch

Some of the fondest memories I have of middle school involve eating. A snack that I enjoyed back then very much were Corn Nuts, and they are still somewhat popular today. Nowadays, I'm not that much into Corn Nuts, but there was a product at Walgreen's that seemed interesting.

I asked myself, "What could this taste like?" the response that I got was, "I don't know, why don't we try it?" and you know what? I did. This was a purchase that revolved around impulse and curiosity with a tinge of nostalgia. There were two other flavors available, Original and Hot Sauce. I figured Original would be too plain and Hot Sauce would be too unpredictable, so I chose what I thought would be a safe choice.

Size comparison of a Corn Nuts Chip next to a dime

As you can see from the size comparison, these chips are VERY small. The flavor was kind of like Doritos Cool Ranch, except smaller. These are definitely chips where you would want to eat more than one at a time. Their texture was like that of a regular tortilla chip. This was certainly not disappointing, nor was it a surprise. It was all in all very plain Jane. I want to say I expected more, but I really didn't; this was one of those snacks that I had a rough idea of what it would taste like. The only thing that caught me by surprise was how small it was.

That's what she said.

Corn Nuts Chips Santa Fe Ranch: 6.5/10

Oreo...strawberry bar

I think it's been established that in Japan they eat Oreos a different way than we do. Actually, I'm not sure if that's correct at all. Anyway, they have different flavored Oreo bars which I have not seen here. I've written about a few of them, so here's another one.

I'm going to assume that the packaging indicates that it's strawberry flavored. I could be very wrong about that, but that's going to be my assumption. I have no idea what the green and white text says at all

An unwrapped Oreo bar broken in half

All I can say is...eh. I wasn't too crazy about this. The texture was a bit rocky, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The strawberry flavor was there, but I didn't like it that much for some reason. If chocolate and strawberries is a good combination, then for some reason I'm not a fan of Oreo and strawberries. I would say the flavor is reminiscent of Strawberry Yan Yan, which is good, but I just wasn't feeling it with this bar.

Oreo Strawberry Bar: 6.5/10

Cheetos Cheesy Enchilada and Doritos Tailgate BBQ

I haven't done a review on Cheetos because I never really felt like Cheetos needed anyone to say if they were good or bad. It was generally accepted, I believe, that the available flavors of Cheetos were generally well recognized and there was no need for me to weigh in on them. However, whilst in a gas station I stumbled upon this:

I know that Cheetos had released smaller "bites" with different flavors, but I didn't think they would would have a new flavor for their curls. Personally, I think they had a real good thing going with the regular Cheetos and Hot Cheetos (also their Hot Cheetos w/ Lime). Ergo, this bag intrigued me and I purchased one on impulse

A Cheesy Enchilada Cheeto cheese curl

As the picture shows there's not much difference in terms of appearance between this flavor and regular Cheetos. The flavor is pretty much the same as well. There was a slight hint of some sort of spice but after the first bite it disappeared and it was like I was eating a regular Cheeto again. I'm conflicted by this because I really enjoy Cheetos, but I was expecting more from this. Due to disappointment, I'd probably rate this maybe a half score lower than I would regular Cheetos, because it raised my hopes and brought them down in a hurry.

Cheesy Enchilada Cheetos: 8/10


Next, Doritos are also another variety of chip I haven't written about yet. They have many flavors and I could probably do a series on them. However, I never really had the motivation to do so due to, probably, laze. I found the next flavor at the same gas station and I also felt compelled to get them and write about them:

Maybe it's the fact that there were the words Madden 11 on the bag. Maybe it's because BBQ and Doritos don't really sound right. Whatever the reason, I needed to get it

A Tailgate BBQ Dorito

How should I describe this? I want to say that it was disturbingly delicious. The flavor tasted remarkably like a Western Bacon Cheeseburger from Carl's Jr. in chip form. I kid you not, that is what this flavor reminded me of. I couldn't stop eating them because I was so confused, but so delighted by it. I must say that I hope that they decide to keep this flavor around because its taste is amazing.

Doritos Tailgate BBQ: 10/10

Tohato Caramel Corn Ramune

With the next item I'm going to write about, I have a little bit of experience with. When I tried a different flavor of this item, I didn't like it very much. However, when I saw this flavor I decided to give it another chance:

So Tohato Caramel Corn kind of reminds me of sweet puffed corn. If you've had Pirate's Booty or something like that, you'll know the texture I'm talking about. I don't remember what the first flavor I had was, but I didn't really like it. However, when something like caramel corn is Ramune flavored, how can you say no? It was worth a try just to see what it tasted like

A Tohato Caramel Corn Ramune curl

The initial smell and flavor of the curl reminded me of soda or something. As I chewed more, it reminded me of something very familiar. That something was "Froot Loops". Yeah, the more curls I ate, the mroe they tasted like Froot Loops. I don't know how to react to this because it was different yet familiar at the same time. I would say if you like Froot Loops you would like Tohato Caramel Corn Ramune, but otherwise you can spend the same amount of money for a huge box of Froot Loops at a supermarket.

Tohato Caramel Corn Ramune: 6/10

Kit Kat Bitter Almond

It had been a while since I last saw a new or interesting variety of Kit Kat at the Japanese markets I occasionally go by. This saddened me because I felt like I was Alexander and there were no (Kit Kat) lands left to conquer. However, about a week ago I was happy to find that there were still many varieties of Kit Kat that I had yet to sample.

I didn't know what this would taste like and I had no idea what TBC was. Typically, you don't see the word bitter associated with candy either. I assume the bottom left corner of the box states what percent dark chocolate it is, but who knows?

The packaging for the Kit Kat looks very nice and the Kit Kat is noticeably darker than other varieties of Kit Kat

How is this different from Dark Chocolate Kit Kat you ask? Well for one, this one was much less sweet, and slightly bitter as the box implies. It had fruity undertones nearing the end. I have to say that I rather enjoyed this product because it wasn't particularly sweet, but it still tasted like candy. I suppose this is somewhat of an adult candy as I can't see kids enjoying this that much. I liked it, but as with most foreign Kit Kat varieties, it cost more than other candy. The best substitution I'd say is to find wafer and eat them alongside and dark Lindt chocolate bar.

Kit Kat Bitter Almond: 7/10

Yoshida's Teriyaki Chips

The item I'm about to write about falls under the category of, "This looks so ridiculous that I HAVE to buy it". When I saw the next item I thought to myself, "Yes...Yes!"

Take a good look at that man. He's some sort of Japanese cowboy. For those of you that watched "King of the Hill", please recall the episode where Hank has to try to get business from the man visiting from Boston. That customer from Boston is what I thought of when I saw this bag. I also thought that the bottle on the bag was BBQ sauce, but it is actually teriyaki sauce. Think about it

Look at this guy, I have no idea what he's saying, but it's probably hilarious and full of American stereotypes

A teriyaki chip

This wasn't that bad, it reminded me of the rice crackers you can get most anywhere except the teriyaki flavor was stronger. The texture was crisp without being too stale or hard. It was a bit pricey, but price was no object when I saw the man on the bag. It was a solid product with great packaging. I was satisfied with the flavor and even happier with the bag.

Yoshida's Teriyaki Chips: 7/10

York Peppermint Patty

After spending an extended period of time writing about treasures from the Far East, I thought it was time to write about candy that can be found at almost anywhere. I've neglected to write about simpler things such as the Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar, various M&M's, and so on. Today, I will be dissecting a candy that I haven't had in quite a long time and see if time has treated it well.

The York Peppermint Patty is a unique candy that still confuses me even to this day. Like the Klondike Bar, it doesn't follow the trends of its peers. Whereas most candies come in bars or in little bits, the York Peppermint Patty comes in the form of a patty. I slightly remember the commercials for these, but I can't say that I can really recall what these tasted like. If anything, the first candy that came to mind were Junior Mints

An unwrapped York Peppermint Patty

A York Peppermint Patty cut into two pieces

This tasted like a really big Junior Mint. The chocolate flavor was very subtle in this candy; I could only taste mint and more mint. It had a smooth, creamy texture, but the flavor did not appeal to me. What is the chocolate shell on the outside for if it's only there for decoration? It certainly was refreshing, but I had hoped that there would have been more of a chocolate presence. In short, it was too minty for me and I probably would not purchase this candy again.

York Peppermint Patty: 6/10