Crabby Onion Ring

 I have never been so mesmerized, intrigued and grossed out watching any creature eat something more than this crab eating an onion ring.

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Gone... And Maybe Forgotten

 

As I've said here about a million times, I live in South East Asia. I live in a country that's having some hard times, and it's reflected in its airport. The airport is fairly modern, medium sized, with a fair amount of retail space. The thing is, the retail space is very empty. There are a few stores that are open, but I would guess that more than half are either closed or left abandon. Included in this empty collection are two abandon restaurants, a Burger King and Swensons.

It's not often that you're freely allowed to wander around abandon restaurants, particularly ones that are kept in such great condition. The other interesting thing about them is the fact that they're frozen in time, when they were shut down. Judging by the signs these restaurants closed down at or near the beginning of Covid. I say this because there are many signs imploring people to keep their distance. 

While the Swensons was fun to walk around, the Burger King was probably the most fascinating. The fascinating thing is that many of the offers advertised at this Burger King are no longer available. It's interesting to see all of this promotional material in perfect condition that's just been sitting for years. I will give the staff of both of these restaurants credit, they cleaned them up really well.

The other cool thing about these abandoned restaurants is the fact that no one was around to stop us from wandering behind the counters. We could unlock all the secrets that go into making awesome sundaes or flame broiled burgers. 

We could also take our time and enjoy some of the many details that might be difficult to see if the restaurants were busy.

It was a lot of fun exploring, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I'd probably rather have them open. As it stands this airport only has a couple of coffee shops open, so the food choices are very limited. I could have really gone for a big sundae before this flight.

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Eating Food From Swedish Chefs

 On this Episode of Junk Fud on the Road, Allison and Chris talk about meatballs, cinnamon buns, and all the other delights they discovered in Sweden.

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A New Review, Late Because of Christmas

There are two reasons this new review is a day late. The first is that I wasn't sure if I should post a new review right on Christmas day. It seemed a little wrong, and I wanted my Christmas candy review to stay on the top of the page for as long as possible. The other reason is because it's tradition at our house to lay around on Christmas day in your pajamas doing almost nothing. With the random reasons I put into my head, and my love of being lazy, it was easy to decide to push the review back a day.  Fortunately I think this review was well worth waiting for.

Check out this post Christmas review, that has nothing to do with Christmas.

Enjoy Some Treats and Beasts

 

Learn all about Nancy the narwhal and her love of nougat.

Pick up Treats and Beasts right now at bewarethecheese.com/treatsnbeasts/ or on Amazon

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A Tradition, and The Best Christmas Candy Commercial Ever

 I post this every year, and it has not yet been dethroned as the most iconic and perfect Christmas candy commercial ever.

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Hey Puddin'

Sometimes the concept behind a treat can overtake that actual treat itself. This is the perfect example, there's nothing on this dessert that tells me what flavour it might be, except for the word magic.

Check out all my videos as they come out on my YouTube Channel.

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Baby It's Candy Cane Outside

Hooked On Christmas
by candycritic

 Perfect for the sweet little one on Christmas!

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Japan Knows Milk and Cream

 

I don't really know the history of dairy in Japan, or the rest of Asia for that matter. All I know is there's a niche market in many Asian countries for high quality dairy products. While I don't think milk is hugely consumed in many Asian households, there is a special place for desserts that are creamy. Fujiya is one of the brands that seems to have been doing this kind of treat for a while, the good thing is that they also do it very well.

Check out my review of this creamy Asian treat.

Dr Pepper For Christmas

 I don't think I've ever seen this Dr Pepper commercial before, it's pretty fun.

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Wear Your Candy Cane Pride

Santa Cane T-Shirt
by candycritic

 If you love candy canes, and if you're visiting this site you probably do, then you'll love this t-shirt too.

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My Latest Thailand Discovery

 Over the last little while I've made a few stops in Thailand to enjoy some western delights (since I live in a country with very few western restaurants and shopping options) and to check out some great local Thai food too. I'm finding more and more that Thai food is having a similar identity crisis as Canadian food. While there are some sure fire Thai options out there, the food in Thailand (and in particular Bangkok) is starting to become more cosmopolitan. This basically means that I feel like in Bangkok you'll have an easier time finding something that isn't Thai than something that is. 

Even the local dishes in Bangkok are starting to get international twists. It's a tough argument as to weather or not this is a good or bad thing. If you love authenticity than it might be a bad thing, but if you love variety it's a good thing. Fortunately however, if you look hard enough you can really enjoy both. Since most of my travel to Bangkok is to enjoy some western treats, as well as the local favourites, for me it's perfect.

We can start this journey by looking at some of the imported places, and see how they're being handled in the Bangkok market. Some things appear to be pretty much exactly the same, but there might be an interesting twist. Take Taco Bell for example is fairly new to Bangkok, and most of the menu looks fairly similar to what you might find in North America. There is one difference however, every single Taco, Crunch Wrap Supreme, or quesadilla is spicy. It's not burn your mouth off spicy, but everything has a bit of a kick. This made it particularly challenging for me as I took an opportunity to have my first Crunch Wrap Supreme. I liked it, but it was a little spicy for my liking.

My beloved Tim Horton's, another new addition to Thailand, also has some twists on the classics. Recently I had a maple yuzu donut. Even stranger is the donut pictured above, and chocolate peanut butter donut. It's weird because I think this is an attempt to make a flavour of donut that appeals to foreigners, or at least what they feel foreigners would eat. The thing is, I've never seen a donut like this in Canada, so in fact it's not a donut we'd have. I'm not sure who these are made for, is it for locals who want to try a exotic flavour, or for expats that want a taste of home. Either way it's kind of inaccurate. 

They also have crazy custom boxes that I've never seen in Canada.

As well as overtly over Canadian merchandise.

One of the best examples of foods that have exploded in Thailand from other parts of the world is ice cream. I'm not sure how popular ice cream was before, but now I've seen lineups in malls just to get a soft serve ice cream cone. McDonalds ice cream is also really popular, but interestingly they've adapted some of the flavours for Thai tastes. Above is a mango, bubble tea flavoured sundae from McDonalds that's not only tasty but visually interesting.

Dairy Queen has also jumped in the crossover game with mango and durian sticky rice Blizzards. It's clever how they've managed to incorporate the rice on the top to make sure it keeps it's sticky texture.

Famous brands are even making special versions or packages to celebrate their Thai bonds. It's a little strange seeing a Nutella jar with a temple on it.

North America isn't the only place influencing Thai food culture. Other Asian countries are getting in on the act as well. Korea and Japan seem to be the heaviest influencers in Thai culture. K-Pop and J-Pop are everywhere, but so is the food. Overly decorated and super cute items are becoming the norm in Thailand, like these very realistic kitty cat ice creams wearing fruit helmets (thank you internet). While I can't confirm where these actually originated, it's a very Japanese idea to make something super cute and edible.

Street food is a really interesting place to see this crossover. After all, Thailand is famous for it, but it's even starting to get heavily influenced by outside sources.

This item was labelled as Cornyaki, a play on the Japanese Tayaki. Tayaki is a fish shaped cake filled with beans, cream, or chocolate. It's available all over Japan, and today it's available all over Thailand as well. This interesting version features a corn filling and a corn theme. It's another way that the Thai people have taken a twist on a foreign theme and made it their own.

The same night market also sold Tanghulu strawberries. This is a very popular Chinese street food that's also made its way to Thailand. If you're unfamiliar, it's fruit, covered in a candy coating that's super crunchy. As you can see from this video, when you bite into it, it crunches very loudly. Tasty and a good time for all.

I love visiting Bangkok, because it offers me so much. It offers me flavours and textures from all over the world, it offers me Thai flavours and textures, as well as hybrids of both. It's getting a little difficult to see what is authentically Thai and what's an import, but I kind of relate to that. As a Canadian, I come from a country made up of immigrants, people from all over the world. Each person, each culture and each tradition has place in my culture. Sometimes those traditions are changed to suit tastes and available ingredients and something else is born. Maybe this is why I like visiting Thailand so much. I can see things blending together, and cultures being enjoyed and celebrated in creative and beautiful ways.

Best of all, I can taste it all as well.

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Quelle bonne idée! Pick Up This T-shirt.

Quinn the Quail T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "Q", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Zoink! What an Awesome Shirt

Zack the Zebra T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "Z", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Cool Mint, Warm Feet

Sweet Candy Cane Socks
by candycritic

 If only these socks could make your feet smell like candy canes too.

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You Really Should Get This For Someone You Love

Yannick the Yak T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "Y", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Gummy Cars Should Be Fun

 There are a remarkable number of car shaped gummies, but few of them offer what people who like cars really want, variety. From memory, I can't think of any car themed gummy candies that came in a larger variety of shapes. I think 3 is the most shapes I've ever seen, and many like this week's new review offer just one. It's really odd because there are so many different shaped cars out there in the world, but no one seems to be taking advantage of that very fact.

Check out my latest gummy car candy review.

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X-actly What You Need for Christmas

Xavier the Xerus T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "X", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Totally Awesome Gift Idea

Tanya the Tortoise T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "T", this one will make the perfect gift.

Creepy Candy Cane Shirt

Creepy Candy Cane T-Shirt
by candycritic

 A fun festive and very weird shirt to wear on the holidays.

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The Best Chocolate Ever

 Those in the know are familiar with Guittard's chocolate. I've often told a story of meeting a chocolatier at a candy show several years back and the owner asked if I wanted to have the ultimate chocolate experience. That was Guittard's chocolate and to this day it stands as being the best chocolate experience I've ever had.

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Why Not Get This For Christmas

Wally the Walrus T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "W", this one will make the perfect gift.

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I Also Make Comic!

 I not only stuff my face with sweet treats, I also make comics. Check out my latest effort called Blue Orchid Right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid or pick up the first chapter on Amazon.

Visualize You or Someone You Love in This Shirt

Vincent the Vulture T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "V", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Some Pieces Missing From My Collection

 There are hundreds or even thousands of candies I've never tried, but here are 5 that I really want to try ASAP.

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Unlikely That Your Best Friend Wouldn't Love This Shirt

Ursula the Urchin T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "U", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Candy Cane Fun

Santa Cane T-Shirt
by candycritic

 The best way to celebrate Christmas, particularly if you happen to be someplace warm like me.

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Something Tells Me You Know Someone Who Would Love This

Stew the Snake T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "S", this one will make the perfect gift.

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An Interesting Themed Snack

Themed snacks are nothing new, but occasionally a themed snack will last longer than the thing it's representing. Most themed snacks are actually notorious for only being on the shelves for a very short time. It's something that can really disappoint me when I actually love the snack. These cheese sticks on the other hand have not only stayed around for a very long time, I believe they might have outlasted the comic strip that they're based on... I think. I'll be honest, it's been a few years since I've picked up a paper, so I could be wrong about Andy Capp being over, but at least his cheese fries will live forever apparently.

Check out these cheesy sticks based on a very peculiar comic strip.

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Remember All Your Friends on Christmas

Rachel the Raccoon T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "R", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Put on This T-shirt This Christmas

Pete the Penguin T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "P", this one will make the perfect gift.

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Obviously You'll Want This T-shirt For Christmas

Olga the Opossum T-Shirt
by candycritic

 I've got t-shirts for every letter of the alphabet featuring beasts and the treats they love. If you know someone who's name starts with "O", this one will make the perfect gift.

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과자 괴물

 Korean Cookie Monster is just as awesome as English Cookie Monster.

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