Yesterday was 'visit all the asian markets and get all the asian snacks while driving to visit my dad' day.
Some highlights include seeing stickers that are really cute but I couldn't justify spending money on them since I have stickers and well - what do you do with them besides stick them...
REMEMBER: Next time no more spam musubi. It's not as good as I recall.
I hope to remember or read these notes next time to avoid buying them yet again.
The novelty / snack store (Fukuya) next to H-mart had so many kawaii stuff like tons of keychains, unbelievable amounts of snacks - decision paralysis! I didn't buy any keychains but I did like glancing at them.
I got things I already know I like - lychee and strawberry gummies, and a new flavor (mango) mixed in with tried and true ones. They were way cheaper there ($2.99 a bag) than at H-mart next door ($5.49!).
I also got some dorayaki from Fukuya and when I asked a worker there, he said they were $2.99 (no price sticker). However they rung up at $5.49 instead - they were cheaper and on-sale next door at H-Mart. Lesson to learn : stick to products with price labels or be prepared for price shock.
At Kam man, I bought some dim sum. There were egg custard tarts next to Portuguese tarts. I got an egg one. Also got some sesame rice balls and a container of bean curd rolls. I thought the bean curd rolls were vegetarian but upon reading the ingredients at home, I see they are not - they include pork, shrimp, and possibly more stuff like beef. There was something that tasted like salty creamy cheese inside too...
LESSON TO LEARN : Avoid the bean curd rolls. I should stay away from any 'complicated' dim sum items, and maybe just stick to things that can stay room temp all day. Especially since I have a long drive home from the place of purchase. Even after I microwaved everything, it seemed risky in hindsight.
Next time I could just get the white plain buns, and skip the other stuff (definitely anything containing meat, heavy oils, sauce, etc.).
Kam man has the usual bakery stuff but now they also have tons of mooncakes. No idea which is the best brand. I'll have to ask my dad one day - he'd know.
Editing to add - I called my dad later to ask him about mooncakes. He said that the best ones are the ones made in USA (where we live) because they would be the freshest. For example, the ones made in Hong Kong or Taiwan were made months ago. Here in the US, they would be made closer to Moon Day. They're not available yet at this time of year. Made fresh to order closer to the holiday.
So I went to Costco and bought the only mooncake they sold. May as well grab the other asian snacks nearby since the Costcos closer to me probably won't have them. (The one near my parents obviously have more asian clientele.)
I'm saving the mooncakes (made in Taiwan) for next month, when it's actually Moon Day. The mung bean one, made in Malaysia, is very pretty with its flower design, but the taste is meh. It smells weird. I guess because of the mung bean. The castella cake is nice, and made in Japan.
EDIT: REMEMBER: Note to myself to not buy mooncakes anymore, because anyone I would gift them to would already have too many already. And the people I live with don't like them. This year only one person ate a quarter of a cake. I wound up attempting to eat parts of the rest and now my stomach feels sick. The egg yolk part is yuck - I ate around it. The lotus bean part was okay at first, but now it's just too much. There's still a whole cake left (expires February 2027 but who will eat it?). Even though it's tradition, it's okay to skip it for the sake of everyone's health and sanity. On the other hand, everyone did seem to enjoy the Aldi 7-up cake that I got as backup. (It's round, like the moon.)
And I also went to Trader Joe's - to get kimbap, mini taiyaki, and jumeokbap among other things. I miss having these stores closer so I really had to stock up a bit. Until next time. There was even another store I skipped (Ranch 99) - not enough time!