Rhys’ New Foods List – October

October was a BIG month for new foods!

10/4 Pork Fillet w/ French Mustard – I’ve had pork before, of course, but it was here that I began to truly appreciate mustard.

10/5 Khmer Amok – An odd dish in a bowl made out of leaves. It had all sorts of vegetables and small meaty bits (origins unknown) and though I didn’t really care for it overall it was a unique experience.

10/7 Lok Lak – This is Cambodian for Meat Only. Of course, I enjoyed it. I think it was Khmer Beef in some kind of satay/curry sauce.

10/9 Lychee Soda – Terrible stuff. Tastes like flat grape soda.

10/10 Bean Spouts, Noodle-Sausage Atrocity – Bean sprouts weren’t bad, not really an individual flavor but a crunchy texture. The Noodle-Sausage Atrocity was a very basic noodle dish in some unknown sauce with little red sausages. Since I never got the name of it, I named it myself. Guess how I liked it.

10/13 Pomegranate – Surprisingly good! They look evil but taste very nice.

10/14 Pistachio, Persimmon – How had I never had a pistachio before? Very tasty. The persimmon gave me all the texture problems I have with pears but with a slightly more agreeable flavor.

10/17 Pineapple Flambe – Pineapple seared on a grill. Still don’t like pineapple.

10/18 Apple Chip, Kidney Beans, Textured Soy Protein, Rambutan, Coconut Milk Rice – Busy day! The Apple Chip was unremarkable, as I only seem to like apple fresh out of the fridge. Kidney beans were okay, but I still have a heckuva texture issue with beans overall; the soy protein was in the same chili mix and, had I not been told, I’d have never realized what it was. Good on me, I suppose. Rambutan is this WEIRD fruit, similar to a lychee, that reminded me of an eyeball. Probably the same texture, too. The coconut milk rice messed with my head, as rice (in my mind) isn’t supposed to be sweet. Tasted good, though.

10/21 Gyoza, Kara’age – Gyoza is very similar to the pork dumplings you’d get at a Chinese restaurant, which I’m not a huge fan of; in Japan, however, I’m not sure if it’s the ingredients or how it’s prepared but I like them much better. Richer flavor and tasty dipping sauce! Kara’age is the Japanese version of boneless fried chicken. Naturally, an instant hit.

10/23 Chaashuu Pork, Melon Soda – Chaashuu is sliced pork served with bean sprouts and a wonderful sauce. I’ve eaten it many times since and enjoyed every bite. Melon Soda is a bright-green carbonated beverage that tastes vaguely of watermelon. Indi’s favorite, I thought it was O.K.

10/24 Nikuman – Japanese giant meat-filled doughy dumpling. Think of it as a mega Gyoza. It’s in all the convenience stores in place of hot dogs or steak-and-cheese pies. Popular, but not quite my cup of tea.

10/25 Ginger Ale Kit-Kat, Nagima Yakitori, Yakisoba, Chocolate Covered Potato Sticks – The Kit-Kat flavor is WEIRD, and oddly accurate. A little rich for me, though, so only one at a time. The Yakitori is grilled chicken-on-a-stick. It’s amazing!! I gotta get information on their flavoring sauces. I also enjoyed the charred giant green onion pieces on the skewers. The Yakisoba is a likewise tasty wheat noodle dish with a variety of meats and veggies in a thick, meaty sauce. Great on cold days! The potato sticks may sound terrible, but believe me, they’re addictive. Kinda like chocolate covered pretzels, only a bit different.

10/27 Authentic Japanese Ramen(tm) – Not so big on this. Though the noodles were familiar, the restaurant-prepared dish had a lot of miscellaneous ingredients that I didn’t care for, and the broth was bland.

10/28 Melon Bread, Tonkatsu – Melonpan is the greatest bread ever. Why don’t they have this at home! As you may have guessed, it tastes slightly of melon. Tonkatsu is a breaded pork dish with served with a gravy in rice. Nothing there I don’t like.

10/30 Rousu Yakiniku, Wasabi Mustard – Rousu is Beef, and it was also on a stick with tasty giant green onion bits. The Wasabi, however, was a bit spicy for my tastes as of yet. Maybe in tiny doses I’ll fare better.