Designing for the Tongue

Do you remember first tasting Cocoa Puffs? I remember them being the best thing I had ever tasted in my life. Part of that was that my parents never bought that sweet cereal for us, so I had to go to my friend's house to taste it.

And Atomic Fireballs, man, I didn't think anything could be better. I once bought a "Bulk" size canister of them and ate them all day long. I took a pocket full of them to take my SAT (that may be part of why I didn't cross the thousand mark!)

There's this soda called "Cola Champagne" that I grew up with that if a restaurant had it, I was getting it. The thing is, you have to be in a Puertorican or Cuban restaurant or some Latin American Country (or some parts of Florida) to get it. Actually, you can get it at some grocery stores depending on where you live. It's not alcoholic, and tastes like cream soda.

This is starting to sound like I'm a total junk food freak. Well, maybe I am. Maybe it's just that I over analyze things...even foods.

Honestly, I still have not found anything that beats a Starbuck's Iced Mocha.

Anyway, here are some really fun foods that I feel I need to share with you. I like them all for different reasons. Some for the texture, some for the design, some for the look, but all of them for the flavor.

The first is Flat Earth's Baked Fruit Crisps (Wild Berry Patch Flavor)
This is actually a Lay's affiliate or sister company or whatever you call those things. They are fairly healthy, and they taste really, really good. Very easy to eat the whole bag. We like the Wild Berry flavor, but the peach mango one is pretty good too.

They are a little expensive, so go to their site and print out a coupon. They are kind of a cross between muncho's and well, a fruit. Sorry, I can't think of anything that tastes quite like it. They are crispy and yummy.

Their logo is cool. It's a flying pig. Apparently the idea is that no one thought a healthy snack could be tasty as well. Their site is well designed, although the flash site is a little obtrusive, it looks nice. Very clean and crisp.

Next is Glico's Pocky (Chocolate and Crushed Almond Flavor)
It's a crispy biscuit stick that is dipped in chocolate or some other flavor. You can find them online in various places, and you might even find it at your grocery store. I know our Wal-Mart has the chocolate and the strawberry ones. The best place is probably an Asian Grocery store. They will probably have all the flavors, and probably a bit cheaper. These guys are so easy to eat, and they leave a little bit of the biscuit at the bottom without being dipped so that you can hold it and not get all dirty. The first time I got some of these, the packaging was all in Japanese, but they've since made the package in English.

Flavors I've seen (but not necessarily tasted) are coconut, dark chocolate, sesame seed, white chocolate, Green Tea, Tomato, and one called "Mens", which is apparently a bitter chocolate. Here's a site that sells Pocky.

Then there's Stretch Island's Fruitabu (any flavor)
I first found Stretch Island when they were calling their product "Fruit Leather". Basically dehydrated strips of fruit. They were about 33 cents each. Now, I guess they needed a new name and package to break into Wal-Mart and other grocery stores, so they repackaged them as Fruitabu. (They still have a product called "Fruit Leather", they are just packaged different.

They sell fruit Twirls (like fruit by the foot) and fruit leather, which they call "Smoooshed Fruit". Their ingredients are surprisingly healthy. No sugars added, just fruit. That's great. They are really tasty too. And Organic.

You can buy their products directly from their site. Otherwise, take a look in the breakfast isle at your grocery store. They're probably next to the pop-tarts and that kind of stuff.

Next is Yoplait's Fizzix Fizzy Yogurt (Berry and Fruit Punch Flavor)
This is going to trip you out. It's like a yogurt and a soda. Very different, and not everyone in my family likes it. It is a surprise. I can imagine it tasting like the product is fermenting in the package...to adults. I wonder what the focus groups were like with these guys. "Oh, uh, I think this one is rotten!" "No, no, that's what it's supposed to feel like!"

My wife won't taste it a second time. My kids eyes pop open when they have a taste. They are in a pouch...sort of like "ice-pops". Very strange, and really cool. A lot like pop rocks, except not as much sugar, and some of the good stuff from yogurt (acidophilus). I got some in the ever growing yogurt section at the grocery store. Isn't it interesting how big that section is getting? I remember it never being this huge. Here's the Yoplait website.

Lastly for this post is Bubble Smoothies with Black Pearl Tapioca Balls (Mocha, Pineapple and Honeydew Flavor)
So, this is gonna freak you out too. They give you this huge straw, and at furst, I was like, what's up with the straw? My first suck explained everything, as my mouth filled with smoothie, yes, but also a bunch of little gummy balls. Man, that was crazy. What an experience.

You just chew the balls. They don't taste like much. Slightly sweet. More of a texture than anything. Man, after that first time, it's like I was addicted to the feeling of the balls pulling through the straw and filling up my mouth. You'll see.

At another place, they didn't have the Tapioca Balls ready, so they offered me Mango or Coffee Jellies. Those were great too. Little flavored gelatinized cubes. Big straw, everything. I really liked the coffee Jellies.

Well, you can probably get one of these at your local Asian restaurant. Most likely Vietnamese or Thai restaurants.

I suggest the mocha, the honeydew, and the pineapple smoothies...with the tapioca balls, of course.

Oh, and don't think these are healthy at all. Watch them make it and you'll see. The flavoring is a powder, they sweeten it with corn syrup, and use whole milk. Oh, look, there's even a wiki entry!

Hope this helps.

What do you think?
1. Have you discovered a strange and wonderful food item?
2. Can you get the tapioca ball smoothies in your city?
3. Are you an adventurous taster?