Chinese New Year falls on January 26, 2009, and it’s the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. As the date approaches, I enjoy visiting Asian stores to see the various decorations, gifts, and food for sale to celebrate the holiday. Although I’m not an ox, that didn’t stop me from buying this item at a Japanese supermarket. It may be the start of a collection; one animal down, eleven to go. Uh, maybe I’d better rethink that collection.

I say Pocky, you say Poki. I’ve heard from some Japanese friends that this snack is pronounced Poki (po-kee) in Japan. See, I’ve been calling it Pocky (paw-kee). And I’m going to continue doing that. (I’m a rebel. Not really.)

Along with its fun name, Pocky is also quite fun to eat, at least for me. My amusement beings when, after taking a few deep chocolate-scented sniffs from a freshly opened pack, I grasp one of the sticks on its biscuit end, and bite into its chocolate-covered end. I chew quickly, because it’s just that good, and move onto the next stick. And the next one. And the next one. I dare you to stop at only one stick. But I rarely finish the pack, preferring to save some chocolate-and-biscuit goodness for another day. (Okay, sometimes my willpower doesn’t last that long.) Have fun.

Sticky and sweet and good to eat. (I can’t promise that I won’t write another rhyming sentence on this site, but I can promise that you won’t read another one in this post. You’re welcome.) This Singaporean pork jerky is a convenient snack to nibble on.

While I was viewing the third photo on my computer screen after transferring it from my camera, I noticed something on the plate besides the pork jerky pieces. Look again…can you see it, too?

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