Pepsi Japan will be debuting a new seasonal flavor on October 20th – Azuki (or Red Bean)!  Personally, I could see it working well enough on the taste buds.  Couldn’t be any stranger than Pepsi Ice Cucumber or Pepsi Shiso, which actually sounded pretty good!

P E P S I   A Z U K I

Unfortunately, we in the States will still be limited to Wild Cherry (or for those of us who are even more alternative, Pepsi Jazz in French Vanilla, Black Cherry or Caramel Cream).  Who knows, perhaps some specialty shops in Los Angeles will bring in Pepsi Azuki for the American masses.  We will certainly make some phone calls, and update you if this happens!

*Click here to learn more about Pepsi Azuki

I’ve come across a new flavored rum that really strikes my summer fancy; It is a guava rum concocted by the award-winning folks over at Cruzan.  The liquor (which I believe premiered last summer) has really climbed the ranks among the company’s already-impressive line of flavored rums.

You will be blown away by how much it tastes like the real deal.  Not only is Cruzan the first company to launch a guava flavored spirit, it may have achieved perfection with its first shot.

C R U Z A N   G U A V A   R U M

As you can see, the bottle says that the rum is made “with natural guava flavor.”  Not sure what that means exactly, though I do know that the rum is made from distilled molasses as oppose to a combination of molasses and sugar cane.  Cruzan Guava is 26% alcohol by volume (ABV), which is light for rum but not necessarily light in general.

There are so many possibilities with Cruzan Guava Rum.  The cheapest price I can find for a 750 mL bottle is $10.99 through Crown Wine & Spirits.  Sweet!

*Image courtesy of Drinkhacker

Not surprising that cupcake boutiques are the latest fad in trendy cities like Beirut and Dubai.  After all, celebrities love partying and luxuriating at the pricey digs in these Middle Eastern locales.  And where there are Ruth’s Chris Steakhouses, you can be sure $2 dollar cupcakes will be soon to follow!

Y E S,   W E   S P E A K   C U P C A K E !

Sugar and Spice: Fadi Jaber says that women account for 95% of his business at Sugar Daddy’s, which has locations in Dubai, Beirut, and Amman

What borders?
By Annie Louie Sussman

“AS a young student at the multinational Aramco school in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Fadi Jaber, a son of Palestinian refugees, always preferred his American classmates’ cupcakes, brownies and chocolate chip cookies to his mother’s pastries: knafah, qatayef and baklawah.

But when he tasted a vanilla-frosted vanilla cupcake from the Magnolia Bakery in Greenwich Village in 2004, it changed his life. He quit his marketing job at Unilever and used his savings to enroll in a baking and culinary management program at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan.

And after an internship at Billy’s Bakery in Chelsea, he was ready for his next move: In July 2007, in Amman, Jordan, he opened Sugar Daddy’s, the shop that brought the cupcake craze to the Middle East.

Cupcake shops have become as ubiquitous as hot dog stands in some American cities, and have spread to Rome; Istanbul; Berlin; Seoul, South Korea; and Sydney, Australia. Now Mr. Jaber has proved that even the Arab world is not immune to such a Western frivolity.

Patrons at Sugar Daddy’s, which sells American-style cupcakes in the Middle East

Members of Jordan’s royal family stop by the shop in jeans and sweatshirts, ordering boxes of cupcakes while their bodyguards wait outside. It is rumored that Queen Rania is a fan.

Since December 2008, the shop, which also sells cheesecakes and brownies, has been in the well-to-do neighborhood of Abdoun, which is thick with embassies and upscale restaurants. Mr. Jaber has also opened a Sugar Daddy’s in Beirut and in Dubai.

Most of his clientele (95 percent are women, he estimates) were familiar with cupcakes from living or studying abroad. Others knew them from the TV show “Sex and the City,” which has been shown on regional satellite stations for a few years. One customer asked him to draw lips on every cupcake. When he asked her why, she replied, “Because that’s soooo ‘Sex and the City.’ ” Read more

*Photos courtesy of Simon Milne-Day for The New York Times

I collect Morinaga’s Hi-Chew fruit candies everywhere I see them.  So far, I have tried: grape, apple, orange, lemon, melon, yogurt, mango, strawberry, lychee, and a bevy of others (with mango and yogurt being my favorite).  I’m not the only one who likes them either!  They are widespread among Asian food and candy bloggers.  There was even an entire piece about them published in this July’s Gourmet magazine!

Several weeks ago, I was at a local grocery store when I spotted Hi-Chew Dragon Fruit Candies!  Eep!!  I immediately picked up a couple packs, and took them home to share.

Outside wrapping:

Inside candy:

Dragon fruit Hi-Chews tastes nothing like the actual fruit. When consumed fresh, dragon fruit taste similar to kiwi… only noticeably less sweet. This candy kind of tastes like fruit punch. The seeds are a nice touch though.

If you are still scratching your head, here is a photo of what an actual dragon fruit looks like. This one is from my yard:

And here is a photo of what they look like on the inside:

Gorgeous, right??

Many Japanese and Vietnamese grocery stores carry some flavors of Hi-Chew, often rotating new supplies. Saigon City Market in Westminster is currently carrying dragon fruit flavor (Saigon City Market: 15471 Brookhurst Street Westminster, CA 92683). Also, Nijiya Market is known for always having at least a couple different kinds… though I have yet to see dragon fruit there (Nijiya Market: 2130 Sawtelle Boulevard Suite 105 Los Angeles, CA 90025).  In stores, they are sold for about $1.50 to $1.99 a pack.

*Last image courtesy of simply-thai
*Click here to learn more about Hi-Chew, and here to purchase online!!

According to today’s Boston Herald, my favorite Ben & Jerry’s flavor is getting a temporary makeover.  What does everyone think?  Love it or grieve it??

H U B B Y   H U B B Y   I C E   C R E A M

Ice Cream Company Fetes Gay Marriage
By Jerry Kronenberg
September 1, 2009

“Ben & Jerry’s is temporarily renaming popular “Chubby Hubby” ice cream “Hubby Hubby” beginning today to celebrate the start of legalized gay marriage in its home state of Vermont.

“The legalization of marriage for gay and lesbian couples in Vermont is certainly a step in the right direction, and something worth celebrating with peace, love – and plenty of ice cream,” Ben & Jerry’s CEO Walt Freese said in announcing the sugary switch.

Ben & Jerry’s, which has long backed liberal causes, plans to rebrand “Chubby Hubby” as “Hubby Hubby” for 30 days to show support for Vermont’s new law.

The move is mostly symbolic, as Burlington-based Ben & Jerry’s isn’t changing labels on “Chubby Hubby” pints sold in stores.

Spokesman Sean Greenwood said revising product labels takes 18 months, although he said Ben & Jerry’s hasn’t ruled out retailing “Hubby Hubby” in the future.

In the meantime, a wedding-themed Ben & Jerry’s truck will hand out free “Hubby Hubby” across Vermont today. Scheduled stops include the Vermont Capitol, where lawmakers passed a gay-marriage law that takes effect today.

Ben & Jerry’s six Vermont ice cream parlors also plan to sell special “Hubby Hubby” sundaes during September.”  Read more

*Click here to find out more about Ben & Jerry’s Hubby Hubby ice cream

Remember awhile back when I posted about the first crop of heart-shaped watermelons cultivated in Japan?  Well, it seems as if that country’s love of puffy shapes knows no bounds.  Check out these latest heart and star shaped cucumbers!

Magically delicious stir-fry

From what I understand, the molds for these cucumbers – as well as the subsequent harvests – come from the Yamagata Prefecture located in the Tohoku region of Japan.  Weird Asian News reports that they are being bought in bulk for festive occasions like weddings at about $2.50 a pop (or 300 yen).

For those of us who live too far away or who simply don’t have the means to ship cucumbers over from Japan, molds and starter kits are available for purchase online.  The only things needed are a credit card and a green thumb.  $80 bucks may sound steep, but seriously, this would be an ingenious way to trick kids into liking their vegetables.

When I mention the word “port,” people often grimace.  “Too sweet” they say.  “Tastes like cough syrup.  Makes me feel sick.”  Even the greenest wine drinkers suddenly become too hardcore for this age-old variety.

Often, people are dismissive of port, and won’t explore different vintages before giving it the axe.  But surprise, folks!  If your port tastes like cough syrup, you’re drinking the wrong kind.

That said, I would like to share with you something really terrific: Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port.  It is part of a limited collection of specialty wines produced by Montevina Vineyards in Sierra Nevada’s Amador County.

T E R R A   D’ O R O   Z I N F A N D E L   P O R T

This deep purple port is surprisingly light on the tongue.  The most dominant aromatic tones are: candied orange peel, vanilla, cocoa, and rum raisin.  Very festive, but definitely bright enough to be enjoyed year round.

When you first take a sip, it hits the mid-back of your tongue, jolts the taste buds there, and then literally pushes forward onto the rest of your palate.  It takes about half a second to spread out all over the front.  As it does this, you will notice how smoothly it transfers and how increasingly sweet it becomes.  The taste and smell of juicy, plump raisins will flood your senses.

This is my go-to port, literally bought by the case.  My parents love receiving it, and I find it ideal for drinking, entertaining, and cooking (more on that later).

You can purchase Terra d’Oro Zinfandel Port at Cost Plus World Market, BevMo!, and many specialty wine shops.  You can also buy it directly from the Terra d’Oro’s store by clicking here.  A 750 ml bottle will run you about $24 dollars, though I have seen it sold for as low as $15 dollars.

*18.5% by volume
*Click here to visit Montevina Vineyards online, and here to learn more about Terra d’Oro