After Easter Candy Bonanza

After Easter sales at Target. This cost me only 2.69

Jalapeno Jack Sun Chips

Though chips may come in many shapes, they are often made of the same things. Most chips are made of either potatoes or corn. However, there is one kind of chip that is made of something other than corn and potatoes. That chip line is the Sun Chips line. Claiming to be made of whole wheat, and also claiming to be "better" for you, Sun Chips are delicious.

Because of they are delicious, I found myself buying this bag on impulse at 7-11. The label states that this flavor is new and I certainly have not seen it anywhere else. Then again, I don't really pay that much attention to Sun Chips. Even though I like them a lot, I've probably only tasted the three original flavors which are Original, Cheddar, and, my favorite, French Onion. I haven't even tasted the ones that come in the loud bags like Harvest...something or another. However, this one came in a handy "big" bag and I decided it wouldn't hurt to give this a go.

A Jalapeno Jack Sun Chip

To be frank, I didn't taste any difference between this and French Onion. If there was some sort of jalapeno heat that was supposed to come off, I didn't feel it at all. Even though I was a bit disappointed that this flavor wasn't that much different from the other Sun Chip flavors I remember, that doesn't it was bad. Like I said before, French Onion is my favorite flavor of Sun Chips, so I still really liked this. However, I feel like I have to deduct at the very least 1/2 a point or maybe even a full point just because I expected something cheesy and spicy, but instead got something I already knew. From a flavor perspective this chip was still great though, so don't hesitate to give them a try for yourself.

Jalapeno Jack Sun Chips: 8.5/10

Diet Big Red Soda

My beverage of choice wherever I go is usually a diet soda. Among my favorites are Diet A&W Root Beer, Pepsi Max, and, of course, good old Diet Coke. However, sometimes, like with all good things, when you have too much of a certain diet soda, you grow tired of it. It doesn't mean that the soda isn't good anymore, it just means you've grown too accustomed to it, so you don't appreciate as much as you once did. That is why, for better or for worse, I'm always willing to try different diet sodas that I've never tasted before.

Enter Diet Big Red. I've read about Big Red soda before, but I've never tasted it. Wal-Mart sold non-diet versions of Big Red, but I would rather save my 150 or so calories for solid food. However, the other day, Wal-Mart did in-fact start selling the diet version of Big Red, so into the unknown I go!

Diet Big Red in my Christmas cat glass

There aren't many red colored sodas, so who knows what this was going to taste like. When most people think of Big Red, they think of Wrigley's Big Red gum, and I was almost certain that they wouldn't flavor a soda with cinnamon. Well, the best way to describe the flavor of this soda would be that it tastes like bubblegum. That's right, think about the flavors of Bazooka Joe or Big League Chew, and this soda tastes pretty much like what you're imagining. According to Wikipedia, the flavors are derived from mixing lemon oil, orange oil, and vanilla. Also according to Wikipedia, this soda is a favorite of several celebrities, including Karl Malone.

I can't say that I liked this soda, nor can I say I disliked it. It was refreshing at first, but after a while, I can see how it can turn disgusting. My friends did not seem to like the soda, with one of them describing it as tasting like cough syrup. I wouldn't go THAT far, but this soda is definitely not for everyone. I guess it's a soda that you would like if you grew up drinking it, but for the rest of us, it's a hit or miss.

Diet Big Red Soda: 5/10

Red Ninja Umeboshi flavored candy

I pretty much made the name up on the fly. There's no English label on the back, so I had to make up a name based on the packaging. Anyway, sometimes there are candies that are seen as "acquired tastes". One of the most popular candies that have an "acquired taste" is licorice. Some people love it, others despise it. Some people don't like sour candy. This is why candy comes in all sorts of different variations of sweet and sour. However, there are some candies that are seen as, "Why would they ever make a candy that tastes like this?" This is one of those candies.

It seems as if Japan took my image and decided use it as a mascot for a candy. I'm fine with that as long as I get some royalties. There's a grape variation of this candy, which has a stockier ninja on it I've never been a fan of umeboshi; having never tried it, how could I? I've seen several umeboshi flavored candies in Japanese markets, but the idea of eating a pickled plum in candy form never appealed to me. However, you know what does appeal to me? Great packaging. I bought this candy, not knowing what umeboshi tastes like, based off of the fact that the bag was interesting. I could only pray that this would taste good, or at the very least, decent.

An umeboshi gummy

Let me give it to you straight: Don't get this candy. That is, unless you like your candy to have a salty-sour flavor, akin to, as one of my friends described, "fish sauce". The taste gets worse the longer you keep it in your mouth. I thought my students were overreacting when they said this tasted terrible. I don't think I've had a candy that tasted this wretched since the double salt licorice I wrote about some months back. The smell is that of fermented something, which is never good with candy, and the taste is salty and sour and just wrong. The grape flavor tastes infinitely better when compared with this. Most candies would taste infinitely better compared to this.

Red Ninja Umeboshi flavored candy: 0/10