a trip down memory lane

at the asian grocers. please ignore the lays and cheetos.
they were once popular a few years ago, but you mind as well buy them fresh and roast them yourselves because these are often dry

as the name says, be prepared to chew!
this is my family's current fave. it is a bar like mixture wrapped with edible rice paper. i love it when they add rice paper!

fancy french cookies with chinese writing on them made in taiwan. very french, oui? :)
i could snack on these 24/7. 365 days a year

chinese new year candy
melon seeds. these can actually be really addicting...there is great technique to mastering how to open these, and once you get going you really have no control of when to stop. good luck.
there is something about these peanuts that make them amazing! my dad's favorite

ok. so don't judge the package. these are dried and preserved plums. they're sweet, sour, and tangy. and they're also crunchy/crisp/ mouth puckering. you have to give these a try.
these are good! tamarind flavored candies

there is so much more flavor than the packaging shows
giant. haha.
dark chocolate pocky
i used to have these when i was little!
epitome of the asian chip.
sesame seed snack
dried jackfruit. if you try nothing on this list, at least try these! they're super crunchy and sweet and taste just like fresh jackfruit. if only i could always have these.
my brother loves these. some of these are cuttlefish and others are squid.

dim sum- seattle

when you're young, food is food. you ate what your parents gave you and you usually ate it without protest. i wish i was still that way sometimesleft- pheonix claw- aka chicken feet. this used to be a childhood favorite of mine and i have no clue why. its difficult to eat, there is no meat and there are so many bones. nevertheless, the flavor is great.
right- shrimp...dumpling? its a signature of dim sum. no shrimp dumpling, no dim sum!
typical dim sum fare. ladies push carts around with steaming hot baskets
beef tripe- cows stomach. i believe that this is one of the four sections to a cows stomach. this has an interesting texture like malleable crunchy cartilage
this was my andrew zimmer moment- pigs tounge. surprisingly it was not as porky as i thought that it would be! the taste isn't what bothered me, but rather the texture with was soft from the top of the tounge and the bottom was chewy
i have no clue what this one is called. it was a mixture of everything from tripe to liver and intestines. i passed on this one
daikon cake- it consists of grated daikon that has additions such as chinese sausages. it is pressed in a pan, steamed, then pan fried to perfection.
pigs stomach anyone?
from the local asian grocer- geoduck. that is one gigantic clam.

bun

so i'm very lucky when it comes to food. my mom is an unbelievably amazing chef. these are vietnamese cakes. cakes may not be the right word actually....i don't know its translation!
you have a rice flour mixture that is poured into a hot dimpled pan. this one has egg poured on topthey are usually displayed as a round. typically it is eaten with green onions and fish sauce
once crusty, they just pop out with a butter knife!

its hot, crispy on the outside with a slight chew. thanks mom :)