H-Mart food court

Today I visited my dad and decided to stop by the H-Mart nearby.  The traffic there is bonkers.  Even more so because the highway on the way back was in the process of being repaved.  Lots of stop and go in the 100+ degree heat.

Here are some photos of the food court menus because it's good to be prepared with the orders beforehand, if I ever return.

I just realized that each storefront has their own lamp style, different than the others. Very interesting.  Anyhow, after returning home, I noticed that sauce had soaked through the bottom of the paper bag.  Something to be careful of next time.  I tried some of the chicken teriyaki box, and it was okay.  The kimchi in the small container smelled really spicy so I skipped that.  The dumplings were good - I think they're vegetable.  There's enough food for 2 people / meals.

book art

I've been slowly decluttering books.  A book's artwork is a main draw for me.  Here's a collage, from a book, "I like vegetables" by Lorena Siminovich.  If you zoom into the page, it's as if you're in the other world.

solicitor handout

Usually I dislike solicitors, but this time they left a cute goody bag!  It included a patriotic pen, candies, and a sticker.

paper creations

I find it difficult to let go of things like this.  Random things made by little hands long ago.  For some reason, looking at them saddens me.  I wonder if it's because I'm depressed or if it's also a common phenomenon for other people who are "normal".

Kasia market - visit #2

I have to say, a very nice thing about the local Kasia is that it's hardly ever crowded, especially compared to the closest H-Mart.  Even on a Sunday, like today, there was plenty of parking and no wait at the registers.

This time I got take out at the food court for the family.  Everything tasted fine.  Bibimbap ($12.99) with sweet/sour chicken (+$3), and two chicken lunch boxes ($10.99 each).  

There were also some boxed desserts on display at the food court.  I had to ask what was inside the shiny rice cake balls.  They said there was white bean inside.  Maybe next time.

Instead, I bought some Japanese desserts from the main market area - dorayaki ($5.66 - $6.49) and castella cake ($8.99).  Typing out the prices, I realize they seem rather expensive.  Anyhow, I've tried the chestnut dorayaki and it's ok, not bad.

In the housewares aisle were some cute house slippers, but I have no idea what the sizing system is.  

I just looked it up now and 290 mm is equivalent to US women size 12?  Well, good thing I didn't buy that one then.  Wonder if these are even comfortable.  Maybe I'll find my size next time.

Kasia market

Last week I went to Kasia Market for the first time.  I ordered bibimbap (rice bowl), which had 9 vegetables (sooo much), a fried egg, and an optional choice of protein.  I chose tofu, but if I were to ever get it again, I'd probably choose chicken.

Other than checking out the food court, the main reason to visit Kasia was to check out the snacks.  I had an idea of mochis, but didn't find too many of them.  There was a bit of decision paralysis on what to buy when faced with an aisle of snacks that I've never tried before.

There was a google review photo of refrigerated mochi but I couldn't find them at the store.  I even asked a store associate for help.  She couldn't locate them either, but she did recommend another item when we passed by the frozen section.  She said to defrost them for about 1.5 hours before eating.

I had to later use Google Translate to understand what the packaging said, since everything was in Korean.  It was a bag of honey rice cakes, and they tasted pretty good.  The inside filling tasted like sweet peanut or sesame.  Another nice thing is that there are individually sealed bags of 4 mini cakes inside.  I like them warmer than cold, so I heated them up in the microwave for a few seconds after removing them from the pouch.

Below is the translation of the packaging.

The other snacks that I chose myself from the store did not taste good.  The non-refrigerated, packaged strawberry mochi from Taiwan were rubbery and when I squished them, they made strange popping noises that creeped me out.  The inner filling was encased in some yellow layer that looked plastic.  The box of almond mochi cake was meh and harder than expected.  I didn't quite like the Jaffa Napolitanke wafers either.

Below is a close-up of the yucky alien mochi.

walk

 A piece of solitude in the neighborhood.

taste test: strawberry cakes

It's a taste test with Trader Joe's Strawberries & Cream Cloud Cake versus Wegmans Strawberry Shortcake.  A slice of the Wegmans cake is $6 around here.  The Trader Joe's frozen cake is sold for $6.49 in the same town.

Instructions for the Trader Joe's cake say to defrost in the fridge for 24 hours.  Well I bought it this morning, kept it in the fridge for a few hours, and then cut a small piece to sit out for a few minutes until the whipped cream was soft.  Maybe it'd taste better if it defrosted longer.  There's still a lot left, so I'll update this post if I try it again later and it's significantly tastier.

To start, the Wegmans yellow cake is soft, with sweet cream and fresh strawberries that are a bit tart.  It's good.

The Trader Joe's white cake is drier and thinner, almost like an airy biscuit with many holes.  The whipped cream is thin - almost liquid, with a milky aftertaste.  The yellow custard layer in the middle tasted like nothing.  The strawberries tasted like jam or preserves, a mix of sweet and tart.

Above is a close-up of the Trader Joe cake.  The photo on the box is accurate.  My fellow taste tester only had about a forkful of the Trader Joe's cake before quitting.  I didn't finish it either.  

Trader Joe's has cute packaging and all, and for some reason many people online think it's so great.  BUT according to us, Wegmans is the clear winner.  It tastes way better.

UPDATE: I tried a piece of the Trader Joe's cake after it defrosted in the fridge for over 24 hours and yes, it is significantly better than the day before.  The cake turned soft, as if it absorbed the moisture from the surrounding cream and custard.  It's a mushy soft dessert now, and the strawberry part is a nice compliment to it.  I would not buy it again though.

Wegmans is still better.