Choco Baby
So…the gravel pit, the one I used to play in when I wasn’t harassing jellyfish, is no longer. It’s now something safer but much more boring, a gravel parking lot. The change is okay, though, because the gravel pit will live on in my memories, just as fun Japanese candies exist in my present.
Choco Baby! Um, baby.
This candy’s colors and cute font caught my eye, prompting me to pick it up at the Japanese supermarket.
After I held the candy in my hand, I realized it reminded me of an American item.
Tic Tac, anyone else?
Boy did I have fun shaking the Choco Baby container like I do with Tic Tacs, just to hear the rattle, rattle.
But have we all realized by now that things are not always how they first seem, when it comes to Japanese candies? Look closely at the photo…
Did you catch that, that, and that?
Star-imprints, oh dear.
And this smiley-face one? Well, finding it (not all of the chocolate tablets have imprints) made the candy rolling, inconsistent lighting, difficult angles, etc. worth it.
P.S. I may have photos to share with y’all of the Americanized Chinese food I mentioned in my previous post. I say may because I first need to figure out how to transfer it from the DSLR I used over the weekend. I know, me with a DSLR when I haven’t in any way mastered my usual digital camera?! It’s a very scary thing, indeed…
You got a smiley face?! I’ve never seen that before! I’ve only seen plain and star ones. Maybe you’ll win something
Wei-Wei
Ooh those look really neat! ‘Meiji’ always seems to make good candy. I love the Hello Panda, and the Yan Yan. What did they taste like? Were they chewy?
I’ve seen this candy before! I think I must have tried it too, but I’ve forgotten what it’s like. I think I was disappointed in its taste but it comes in such cute packaging/form (easily pursuaded). Also, AHHHH! OH my GOSH! The star! And the Smiley Face!! That makes it so so so much more fascinating! Maybe you do win a prize (Oh, if only someone could translate the writing on the back! It’s probably all ingredients, haha. Gives us hope though. That we can win imaginary contests with imaginary prizes.) I remember Tootsie Roll Pops (Tootsie Pops?) (You know, those lollipops with a Tootsie roll center. Btw, I loved the old Tootsie roll commercials. “Mr. Owl?”) Lost my train of thought for a bit. Oh! On the wrappers of the lollipops, if there are stars, supposedly, you can win a prize. I think, the more stars, the better. Maybe you won another lollipop. Anyway, a nice childhood memory. (That and buying ten cent peppermint sticks.)
By the way, when I saw the circled (or should I say squared?) chocolate pieces in the pictures above, I thought it was highlighting a screwdriver/nail head shaped design on the chocolate candy. I was going to joke about “A nail amongst your chocolates! A wolf in chocolate sheep’s clothing!”
Wei-Wei: Yeah, I got a few smiley faces and stars after a lot of shaking and shaking and shaking. And then I just had to eat the ones I’d poured out, ya know?
I think this candy is pretty charming.
P.S. I have yet to win the lottery, darn it!
Sarah Lynn: I like (a lot of) Meiji items, for sure, and also Kasugai. Choco Baby has a twinge of bitterness, so I want to say it’s made with a mix of dark and milk chocolates. Or maybe just a very weak dark chocolate.
Lian: I didn’t notice the stars and smiley faces until I got home, so after I’d bought the Choco Baby. The tiny imprints were a delightful surprise, made more so because most of the tablets don’t have them.
P.S. When I was little, I usually picked cereal based on its prize. Hmm…doesn’t/didn’t just about every kid?
awesome snack! thx for giving me one the other day!
That’s true! I used to get SO excited whenever there was a prize that came with the cereal. I also got ticked off when it was just one of those cardboard cutout things which you’d have to cut out and mail in order to get the prize. I’m an immediate gratification kind of gal!
Lian: My favorite cereal box prizes were those animal-shaped things that you could throw onto walls. And I like immediate gratification, too—it’s one of the best things about dim sum.
Animal-shaped things that you could throw onto the wall? Is it like those sticky hands? The stretchy ones?
Lian: Yeah, I think so. I’m sad they don’t have prizes in cereal boxes anymore…right? Or maybe I’ve been buying the wrong kinds (the ‘adult’ ones).
Wah! Choco baby! I like it very much but I wish they’d be chocolatier.
Erwinator: I wish a lot of things were more chocolate-y!