Japanese Snacks: February's Top Finds

A few weeks ago I bemoaned my inability to knit and read simultaneously. Today, as the shortest month of the year gallops toward the finish line, I'm celebrating the fact that I can snack and read at the same time. A glass half empty is also a glass half full. It's all a matter of perspective and mine is pretty sweet these days.

My reading challenge for 2011 is to read 108 books, nine a month. The brevity of February makes it the biggest hurdle of the year but this time I sailed over that hurdle two days early. A number of factors contributed to my success, but most of the credit goes to the Meiji Corporation, Beard Papa's, and Weather Explorer. They provided a steady supply of sweet treats and all I had to do was pop a cookie or cream puff in my mouth whenever I turned a page.

Weather found these apple-flavored mushroom-shaped cookies when she was looking for snow monkeys last week. (I seem to be the only American in Japan not keen on chasing after these critters.) We found smaller packages of this flavor when we went to Mito. I cleared out an entire convenience store shelf, ripped a few open on the bullet train ride home, and made the interesting discovery that the apple taste is authentic enough to give you the same sort of bellyache you get from eating too many green apples.

I promptly mailed all the excess cookies to my children. What a nice mom.

Earlier in the month Weather went on a ski trip and found these Almond and Macadamia mushroom-shaped cookies. This was shortly before the Ancient Mariner deployed. He was quite concerned that he would have to ship out before tasting this flavor. "Are you planning to open those cookies?" "Boy, those cookies sure look good!" I finally broke down and let him try one of each flavor the night before he sailed and then took this picture for you before hiding the cookies in the laundry room so they wouldn't 'accidentally' wind up in his sea bag.

I wonder what other flavors are scattered across Japan. Maybe it's time to schedule a road trip.

Beard Papa's cream puffs this month were marbled chocolate shells packed with chocolate cream. Tiny little chocolate chips were scatter in the cream. What flavor do you suppose they'll introduce in March? My heart is set on plum but I'm flexible.

Here's the embarrassing part, which is why I've buried it at the bottom of the post. Meiji's Galbo cookies captured my taste buds this month but I was so preoccupied with scarfing them down I didn't pause to take a picture. You'll have to click here if you want to see what they look like.  They were introduced in August 2009 so I'm 18 months behind the curve.  Don't worry, though, as I'm doing my level best to catch up.

P.S.  I'm counting Takano Fruit Parfaits as a major food group rather than a snack.  In case you wondered.