Li Hing Powder

Look, Kitties (and Toms—male cats), I’m going to be straight with you because we’re all friends here: The way to my food-loving heart is to, um, feed me.

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Real-life friends and family know this, bless them, and so a member of the former bought me this Li Hing Powder while he was vacationing in Hawaii.

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I like to think that this friend (hey, Jesus!) was passing along this message, too.

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Prepared Wasabi in Tube, Fresh Wasabi Roots

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Oh, wasabi, how you make my nasal passages burn, but I wouldn’t have you any other way.

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Kewpie Mayonnaise, Chinese Celery, and Hot Pepper Tuna

I apologize for what I’m about to show you. Because it may scare you a little like it did me.

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You may be thinking, “What’s the big deal, Cindy? It’s just a plastic bottle of mayonnaise.” Oh yeah?

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What about this Kewpie doll image? If the doll could talk, can’t you imagine it saying something like, “Ma-ma, I want a hug. Hug me, ma-ma.”?

Once the packaging with the kind-of-creepy doll image is removed, you get a bottle that’s convenient to grip and squeeze. Out comes a thin strand of tangy, creamy, and rich mayonnaise quite different in taste than American-style ones.

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Or you can unscrew the cap to reveal the star-shaped inner opening, and have fun squirting the mayonnaise into different shapes, much like you would with a pastry bag and frosting.

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Like this shape.

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And this one.

Since it was only my second time trying this condiment, the first being on sandwich bread, I wanted to use it with something familiar again.

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Mango Pudding, Manila Mango, Evaporated Milk

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Hot summer sun. Open kitchen window. Sweet, juicy mango. Chilled Mango Pudding.

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King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, Kaya (Coconut Jam)

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I don’t think I’m tasting paradise when I’m eating King’s Hawaiian Sweet Rolls (some chocolate would probably be involved for that to happen), but they are delicious. They’re light and subtly sweet, and great eaten on their own.

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They can also be used in many different recipes (a warning before you click on that recipes link: If you’re as easily seduced by photos of tasty-looking food as I am, you’re about to fall into a trance staring at a photo of Strawberry French Toast) including Cinnamon Rolls, Kobe Beef Sliders, and S’mores. But I’m a simple girl so I’ll usually eat these rolls plain or topped with Kaya (Coconut Jam).

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