Chocolate and Chauvinism

While on my Japanese novelty kick, I came across a selection of Pocky varities. You might have heard or seen Pocky here in the States - it is a brand of pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate or other flavors. It is probably the more popular of the Japanese sweet imports, and if it isn't it's at least the more prevalent. Among the choices available at my local Oriental grocer was Pocky Men's, the dark chocolate sticks.


As candy, it's okay. Nothing spectacular, just a nice quick treat if you don't want an entire bar. What caught my attention, however, was the labeling. Is there a specific reason this is marketed as "men's" chocolate? Is the less-sweeter designation of the chocolate assigned a gender? Are women forbidden from enjoying it? Are there hormones mixed with the chocolate?


I only mention this because it's actually not the first time I've seen chocolate designated as such. In the UK, there is a brand called Yorkie, a solid bar from Nestle bearing the politically incorrect slogan, It's Not For Girls. I was given a bar last year as a gift, and upon opening and biting into I'm pleased to report I didn't sprout whiskers (no more than usual for a gal of Sicilian descent rapidly approaching middle age, anyway) and my voice hasn't changed. Whether the marketing of this bar attracts more females than otherwise I'm not sure - to me it's typical drugstore chocolate, enjoyed for the taste and novelty. I find it interesting to see these examples on the foreign market, as I haven't seen any type of marketing like this in the US. Makes me wonder if men abroad simply don't eat a lot of chocolate, and this is an attempt to stimulate that demographic.


If they don't want it, though, send it here.

I Still Don't Know...

Remy: What is that?
Emile (mouth full): I don't know.
Remy: You don't know...and you're eating it.

Part of the adventure of trying odd chocolates is that some of them are actually odd...and undecipherable by me. When I lived in Georgia, I took one course in Japanese and I've since forgotten everything but how to count to five, but it hasn't deterred me from going into Japanese groceries to see what looks interesting.

We have stores here, but they don't seem to carry as much as those in larger cities. You won't find bizarre Kit Kats here, but you'll find Pocky - another popular brand - and bags of sweets with Hello Kitty logos. Today I picked up something from Glico, which makes Pocky, and for the life of me I can't read the label.


I had to scan this, seriously. I didn't know how to begin searching in Google. It is a two-pack of some kind of filled biscuit - a waffle-shaped square with nine pillows. The bottom layer is white chocolate, the top milk with crisp rice. As far as novelty bars go, it didn't send me to the moon, but it provided a new sensation for me. I'm thinking briefly of that Polly Waffle bar I had earlier, only with white chocolate in place of marshmallow. In appearance it resembles a Kit Kat turned inside out.
For people interested in experimenting with foreign chocolates, this would be a good beginning brand. You won't find any wacky flavors or unpleasant surprises. If you can translate the package, however, please respond.

Review: Ginger Ale Kit Kats

Recently I received a purchase from eBay - several Japanese Kit Kat bars. If you're unfamiliar with the way Japan does Kit Kats, you may be surprised to know what flavors are available beyond the milk, dark, and white varieties we get in the States. In fact, I don't think you can get those there.


Seems this country will put anything between those thin wafers and cover it in sugar cream or chocolate. Exhibit A: the Ginger Ale Kit Kat.

This is probably one of the "safer" varieties I chose, so I've decided to try it first (the odder we'll get, I'll bring out the camera). Kit Kats, judging from the packaging I received, come in four fingers like the US cousins, but are wrapped in twos and boxed two sets per. The ginger ale flavor, when opened, gave me a stronger lemon than ginger aroma. It's interesting to note, too, this particular bar has the Kit-Kat brand stamp in English - I sort of expected Kanji.

The texture of the bar is much like the traditional bar, and the taste to me is sweet, almost more lemon at first. There is a ginger flavor finish, however. I'd say it's reminiscent of an upscale lemon creme sandwich cookie. This would make for a nice palate cleanser.

Considering the other flavors I have yet to try (soy sauce and green tea for two), I'll save the other ginger ale for last...just in case.

New Additions to The Stash

What's better than chocolate? Discounted chocolate! A local chocolate shop, The Royal Chocolate, has a special offer where you can buy a twenty-dollar gift certificate for $14. After getting one for now and one as a gift, I headed over once I finished work. Seems every time I go there is something new to try, and this month they naturally have beefed up their inventory. So now I can add the following to The Stash:

NewTree Renew - Dark (73%) with currants and cassis. I bought the three pack nibbler as opposed to the full bar. I've had NewTree before, they market themselves as a "healthy" chocolate for the Oprah crowd.

Seattle Chocolates Coconut Macaroon - Dark (53%) with coconut and sea salt. This is a truffle brand. I've already had the Rainier Cherry and Orange Peel varities - both of which are fairly rich and sweet - and I wouldn't normally buy another one. This one, though, had me at sea salt.

La Suissa Extra Dark (70%) - Standard solid Italian bar. No frills.

Chez Hachez Ingwer Pferrer - Milk variety with ginger and pepper. The oddest of the bunch, I think. The bar is perforated with huge peppercorns and crystallized ginger. I might just video this one next because I have to see my reaction to trying it.

Sip it Slowly

These days I must use discretion when ordering from Starbuck's. Weight Watchers, thankfully, offers a concise rundown of their drinks and points values, though I've been unable to find one for their Chantico sipping chocolate. No matter, anyway, for we recently found a less expensive, and equally rich alternative in Trader Joe's brand sipping chocolate mix. Last week we received their latest newsletter in the mail (if you don't receive it, imagine the Seinfeld-esque J. Peterman's catalog, devoted to food), and the second we saw this, we had plans for the weekend.

One word of warning, something I have trouble heeding myself, given my paranoid cooking skills: for optimal results, know how to heat up milk. I had a saucepan of 2% going while my husband chided me in the background. Don't turn it up too high, you'll scald it! Scald it! Waaah! My initial finished product - three even tablespoons of thick powder in 1/3 cup milk, resulted in many little lumps. The milk hadn't warmed up enough, but at least I didn't burn it entirely.

The taste? Very rich, and smooth once I got the consistency correct. For the untrained, sipping chocolate vastly differs from hot cocoa - the ratio of chocolate to liquid is closer than one would expect with a packet of Swiss Miss, and this is definitely something you can't gulp down. Gentle sips, rolling the dark chocolate on your tongue produces a pleasing experience - especially fitting in this cold weather.

If you don't have a Trader Joe's nearby, you can find comparable products like Bellagio online, though I've not tried other brands outside Starbuck's Chantico. For the weight conscious, one serving of TJ's using 2% percent milks comes to 2 points, and while it doesn't yield a full cup it does leave you quite satisfied. You can also up the milk to a cup for a rich hot chocolate, which I will try in the near future.

Video - Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar

Last year I reviewed the Bacon Bar. Recently I won a contest at Vosges for a free bar. Good times, good times.

Video Review: The Polly Waffle

The first of my amateurish video blogs on chocolate. Tonight I sample the soon to be defunct Polly Waffle bar of Australia. This particular bar was purchased at Great Aussie Food.