the box that contains 6 small boxesThe spawn of the banana fad in Japan continue to multiply like bunnies on aphrodisiacs. I wish they'd give it a rest because, frankly, I'm tired of thinking of things to say about banana-flavored stuff and my husband isn't going to stop buying these things. Of course, I don't have to review them because he buys them, but not doing so would seem like a wasted opportunity.
the small box that contains 12 caramelsThese caramels are actually rather special because you can't buy them anywhere except New Days convenience store and you can only buy them as part of a big box containing 6 smaller boxes. Most of Morinaga's line of caramels, which includes milk, brown sugar, green tea and adzuki, are sold for about a dollar (100 yen) as single boxes. I don't know why you have to buy six boxes in one bigger box for these banana caramels, but it certainly meant my husband took on a far greater risk when he forked over about $6 (600 yen) for the whole lot.
the foil that protects the caramels from harsh exposure to germsThe caramels look similar to and have the same texture as Morinaga's other very good caramels. They're firm and a little sticky, but soften easily in the mouth and become very chewy. They're very small, about the size of the base of a Hershey's Kiss candy and about 20 calories apiece. They don't smell especially strong, which always encourages me with fruit-flavored items. The ingredients state that the banana flavor comes from "banana powder". Other than that, they're mainly sugar and whey.
The banana flavor in these is strong, but not in a nasty or overbearing way. They very much remind me of some banana-flavored candy I had as a kid back in the U.S. but that memory is so far back in the recesses of my mind that I can't attach a brand name or even a candy appearance to it. The main point is that it's not fake tasting and isn't one of those chemical bombs that reminds you of the esters you worked with in high school chemistry class.
I'm not a big fan of banana sweets (though I love bananas as a fruit), but I found these fairly tasty. I wouldn't seek them out necessarily because, well, I'm not big into banana-flavored sweets. The rating I'm offering is based on the fact that I wouldn't balk at eating one of these if offered and that my husband likes them a lot and said he wouldn't hesitate to buy them again. If you tend to like banana-flavored items, as he does, you'd likely enjoy them.
I've eaten the green tea and black sugar caramels by Morinaga(?) before and they are yummy! Watch out for any fillings or crowns you might have in your mouth, though!
ReplyDeleteFor your 1000 Things companion blog, I noticed that readers can't make comments anymore. Did I miss the post where you explained why or is it just a glitch? Or just too much work with two blogs?
Hi, Molly, and thank you for reading both of my blogs and for taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the comments on the 1000 Things blog, I did not post and explanation, and I'll explain why at the end of this comment.
The 1000 Things blog, unlike any other blog I've done before, has a specific format. It's meant to be brief and have a notational form as well as to speak in a personalized way (I will/I won't...). This format was a standard I had in mind before I created the blog.
Unfortunately, the format has limits which I attempted to address by putting up a post which said, "before you comment", but that didn't work. The bottom line was that people were starting to get argumentative and upset with me for the things I didn't say or address in my posting. Essentially, they felt that I was obliged to address the points from a macro (societal/worldwide) level rather than a micro (personal) one. The thing is that that is simply not what I want the blog to be. I've done two blogs where every post was a vast explanation and all sorts of points were covered and I don't want to go in that direction again. It's a "been there, done that" thing. I am intentionally narrowing the approach and focus on the 1000 Things blog.
I had a choice to make and one choice was to spend time explaining myself again and again and getting into pointless discussions with people who were irritated that my approach didn't say things they felt needed to be said or to simply eliminate comments. Initially, I tried to explain myself in the comments, but that only made things worse with the people who were upset at my posts. They took my explanations and turned them on their heads as well. It was clear that explaining myself only made things worse so I decided to simply remove comments without explanation.
I regret that I had to take them away from the viewpoint of interacting with others who might have something to say, but I believe, given the form I'm using and the vast potential for misunderstanding, it's the best choice. I hope you (and anyone else who reads both blogs) understand!
That's too bad that some people (ducking as I type) necessitated the elimination of the blog comments. I enjoyed reading other people's (brief and mostly lighthearted) comments as well as your own responses. Oh well. And I would also like to point out that you must be an excellent teacher; your explanation was concise and clear. I am looking forward to more posts in both blogs.
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