It's...Interesting!
Due to our illnesses this year, we were unable to get together with my husband's family to celebrate the holidays. We received a lovely package of gifts for the whole family yesterday, including a box of these:
These are traditional Korean cookies, apparently. The box said as much. I am not much of an adventurous eater, and I've never gained an appreciation for Korean spices, despite my husband's enthusiasm for the flavors of his birth country. I mean, my man loves dried, seasoned cuttlefish and fried cucumbers as much as he loves his mac-n-cheese with hot dogs cut up in it. And bulgogi? Fuggeddaboudit.
Anyway, I admired the box of cookies from afar, and poked at a cookie a bit. Asian sweets tend to be bland to the american palatte, and these seemed to be some sort of puffed rice thing coated with sesame seeds. Still, it's a cookie, right? I have to try it.
My husband and I each selected a different flavor. Or maybe the sesame seeds were just a different color. I'm sure there is a subtle flavor variance that my abused tastebuds can't detect. Anyway, we bit in at the same time.
"Mmmm." I said, testing the waters.
"Mmmm." He echoed, raising his eyebrows.
"It tastes...interesting." I offered, chewing slowly.
"Like those styrofoam packing peanuts, coated in bird seed!" He added.
We ate the whole box, kids joining in whole-heartedly. I mean, they said "Cookies" on the box, and even if they were sort of like flavorless cheetos that had been rolled in dirt, they were supposed to be a treat, and here at Three Kid Circus, we don't leave a treat unfinished. It's just not our way.
Comments
My husband's uncles from the Phillippines came one year and brought these little pastel pink and mint-green things made of some kind of slimy, gelatinous stuff. They had white stuff inside, which (of course I had to taste it, being the "new" wife) tasted like black licorice...WTF? Luckily I like most of the Filipino food.
Posted by: baseballmom | December 29, 2005 4:04 PM
woooo! More weird food gift ideas for next year, thank you!
I bought 5 boxes of Dragonbeard candy just because it was weird, the packaging was cool and there was a cool video I could burn to cd to give along with the candy. It tastes sort of not great but IT IS COOL! And WEIRD. AND not See's or Godiva or Whitmans or any of those other candies normal people give. I like weird. Even if it tastes funny!
I'm putting these Korean cookies in the list for next year.
Posted by: Denise | December 29, 2005 4:32 PM
Ha! I'm not a big fan of Korean sweets, although I love Korean food in general.
Posted by: lesbonstemps | December 29, 2005 7:30 PM
And they look SO darn pretty in the box too!
Posted by: Grace | December 29, 2005 8:42 PM
LMFAO - "styrofoam packing peanuts rolled in bird seed" -- OMG, I can't get that picture out of my head now!!!!
Posted by: Debby | December 29, 2005 8:48 PM
Ah! I think I am familiar with these styrofoam/ sesame seed cookies! ... And at least they aren't those weird styrofoam/ soy sauce/ frosting cookies that my (Japanese) ex-husband used to try to make me eat. Blech... Who's idea was THAT?
Posted by: Jennifer | December 29, 2005 9:54 PM
Oh, my husband was born in Korea and was adopted when he was 5 by Americans. He loves the cuttlefish, cucumbers and believe it or not the hotdogs in mac n cheese.LOL Our fridge always has Kim Chee in there too!
Posted by: confessionsofabusymom | December 30, 2005 9:12 AM
Okay, I'm so satisfied that I"m not the only one who does the hot dogs in the mac-n-cheese thing! My kids (and I confess, I) love it!
Posted by: gigem | December 30, 2005 10:12 AM
I did not know your husband is Korean! I did know, however, that those were Korean cookies the second I saw the box. I tried climbing through the screen to get to them, but no luck. Hubby and I spent over a year in Korea, and I miss the food in a big way. Living in the northern boondocks, I no longer have access to kimchee, dried cuttlefish, or anything tasty. I actually miss going to see a movie, and buying a beer and a cuttlefish for the snack. Nothing says "romantic movie night" like cuttlefish/beer breath.
Posted by: Tammy | December 30, 2005 2:27 PM
Was it payback for not attending the festivities?
Posted by: Candice | December 30, 2005 6:23 PM
I suppose this is some level of self hatred at work here, but I will not consume any Asian sweets. None. Especially from the land of my parents' birth, the Phillippines (yup, I hear you baseballmom! blech!).
You are a good wife for trying out the Korean goodies. Now go and toss 'em out.
Happy New Year to you and your Circus, wonderful Jenny.
I remain,
Your ardent fan,
And slave 4 life,
GraceD
Posted by: GraceD | December 30, 2005 9:58 PM
If I gave those as a gift to my chocoholic family members, I would be kicked out of the family. (Hey, is this such a bad thing, I wonder??)
My husband's father is Chinese and he brings over salted plums sometimes. Blech. I'm a milk chocolate kind of gal! I grew up on Snickers!
Posted by: Mary | December 31, 2005 1:44 PM