Junk Fud on the Road - Tunisia

 Allison and Chris talk about their latest adventure (and it's kind of long term) in Tunisia. Check back later as there might even be a second part where they explore the many deserts in the dessert portions of the country.

Check Out Blue Orchid

 

Did you know that I'm writing and drawing a comic right now. It's called Blue Orchid and it's an awesome tale of a teenage South East Asian girl that fights lots of cool monsters.

You can pick each and every issue of Blue Orchid right now at bewarethecheese.com/blueorchid/ or on Amazon (just search "blue orchid comics").

Chicken Skin Paradox

 I have an odd paradox when it comes to eating chicken skin. I know a lot of people out there find that the skin of the chicken they eat is the best part. Honestly, when I eat chicken I'm known to peel the skin off an leave it to the side. When I go out for chicken I often get chicken sandwiches. The paradox however is that I'm actually a big fan of deep fried chicken skin, a treat I was introduced to while I was living in Yangon. So it's totally possible that I could go to a chicken place, peel the chicken skin off my chicken, then dip into a bowl of deep fried chicken skin. It's weird, I know.

Check out my latest chicken skin themed snack review.

Is Baristella Rocher Better Than Nutella?

 

One of the benefits of having a life that involves a great deal of travel and moving around the world is that you get to experience foods that might be similar to what you already know, but with a local twist. This has actually allowed me to sample many interesting treats, like several different version of the milk chocolate Kit Kat, as well as some variations on KFC. If you look back on this blog you'll also find that there has been a series of posts where I compare different spreads to Nutella. In fact you're reading one right now. 

My point is there are many different version of hazelnut spread out there. While Nutella is the name most people associate with this type of spread, it's not the only one. What I've learned while writing this series of posts is that there are many brands of hazelnut spread that are trying to do the same thing as Nutella, a simple chocolate and hazelnut spread. There are however many brands that are trying to do something different, pushing the boundaries of what a chocolate and hazelnut spread could be. This Baristella Rocher is exactly that kind of spread.

The interesting thing about this particular attempt, is it's not really original in its concept. Rocher chocolates are really just chocolate with crunchy bits (often rice crisps and sometimes nuts), filled with a hazelnut spread/cream. It's all flavours and textures we know work really well. So why is this the first time I've tasted a spread that's trying to copy that amazing, classic treat. You would have thought there would be hundreds of this variation out there, but nope, there is not.

Most importantly you'd think Nutella would have come up with something like this. Particularly since the brand that makes Nutella also makes Ferrero Rocher, probably the most popular rocher in the world. It actually made me think on this subject a little more, most notably, why is there not 100 different variations of Nutella out there? Is this choice because they wanted to keep their brand pure, or do they just not want to invest in research and development?

The main reason I ask this of the folks at Nutella is that while this Baristella Rocher is a creative idea, I'm not really a huge fan. There's something about the flavour of the chocolate that I just don't love. It could be the quality of the cocoa or the flavour of the hazelnuts, but something is a little off. The crunchy rice crisps are nice, but a few crunchy bits of hazelnut as well would have made this a lot better. As it stands it's a great idea with a slightly below average execution.

In Hindsight - Eatmore

 This is a very polarizing candy bar, but I'm wondering if I'll like it more the older I get.

Get Them Snack Facts!

 If you've ever wanted to learn more about the snacks you love, but in a fun way, pick up my book Snack Facts. Follow Barbara and Sir Francis Sweetums as they learn everything about your favourite snacks and treats.

You can pick up your own copy of Snack Facts right now at candycritic.org/snackfacts/ or on Amazon (just search "snack facts chris stewart")

Simple Flavours

When was the last time a simple, common flavour was trendy. I'm probably to blame for this as much as anyone else, but it seems like the only trending flavours for treats and candy are flavours that are unique and very often weird. No one is singing the praises of strawberry, vanilla, orange, grape or many of the other basic flavours anymore. I'm not saying it's a bad thing necessarily, it's just interesting. I guess I'm wondering if "boring" flavours will ever be trendy again.

Check out my latest simple/common flavoured lollipop review.