crazy about beard papa!
I had my first ever Beard Papa in its birth place of Osaka, Japan. Oohh was it good. I was estatic when they finally opened one in SF, but now there’s one in Redwood City just 10 minutes away from me! It’s probably bad for my figure, but that creamy vanilla custard just oozes out of the crispy shell and I’m in cream puff heaven.
Beard Papa Cream Puff flavors
Vanilla: Still the best one! Smooth, creamy vanilla bean custard that oozes out as you take a bite. Delish! (always on the menu)
Chocolate: Almost equally good as the Vanilla. Not too sweet, and still light in flavor. The custard on this one is not quite as runny, which makes it slightly less messy. (always on the menu)
Green Tea: One of the best green tea cream puffs I’ve had! Excellent green tea flavor that is not too strong.
Pumpkin: It’s like a pumpkin pie..but way creamier and light. I actually liked this one a lot, but not at the top of my list.
Strawberry: Probably my least favorite thus far. It just didn’t have enough strawberry flavor that I was looking for. Still a good treat of course.
Eclairs: They are just creme puffs dipped in chocolate, and honestly the thick milk chocolate shell was just too much for me. It kind of ruined the lightness of the cream puff. Maybe if they try bittersweet chocolate instead, and a thinner layer of chocolate?
The best part about the Redwood City store is that there is no wait! Maybe people just don’t know about it yet, but I’m glad I can just walk in there anytime to enjoy pure bliss. My only complaint is the amount of time you have to wait AFTER you order… if you place a large order, be prepared to wait. Their process isn’t quite that streamlined, so ordering a couple dozen will hold up the line. But after you bite into that cream puff, the wait is long forgetten! I think I need to drive over to beard papa right about now…
don’t burn your popcorn
How hard can it be to microwave popcorn? Apparently it’s pretty hard, because quite often the burning smell of popcorn fills the air and it really isn’t pleasant. Just push the popcorn button on the microwave people!
So what does Homestead do to remedy burning popcorn odors? Buy a fancy popcorn machine! We’re talking about a heavy duty metal popcorn machine on wheels. It even has a lamp to keep the popcorn warm. And don’t forget to flavor your popcorn! You even get to drizzle that movie theater artificial butter oil stuff all over it to get that true popcorn experience….mmmmm. The special popcorn container make the experience extra special, and what exactly is flavacol anyways? I do like the popcorn and have to admit the extra flavoring is tasty. My only concern is left over stale popcorn and the cleanliness of the machine…
What’s next? If we burn hotdogs in the kitchen will Homestead get a hotdog steamer? I personally would love a cotton candy machine.
POM tea
john: I’m addicted to POM tea, I’ve been dying to go buy more all day
tenshi: aren’t they expensive?
john: they are, but it doesn’t matter – I’d pay $1000
So I thought white tea was the latest craze, but apparently not! It’s POM tea! Thanks to greghaspants, we’ve been introduced to a wonderfuly delightful beverage that comes with a nice glass that you can keep.
So far, I’ve tried the Pomegranate Lychee Green Tea and Pomegranate Peach Passion White Tea. The Lychee Green Tea is pretty light in flavor and the subtle lychee taste makes it unique. The Peach Passion White Tea has a stronger flavor compared to the Snapple White Tea in Nectarine, and you can really taste the Tea in it. Both flavors are really great, and I can’t wait to try the rest! The best part is the container. After you’re done, just wash it out and use it as a regular drinking glass! So hip!
I might actually like this more than Snapple White Tea…but these run for about $3, and I like being cheap.
hot cocoa tops red wine and tea in antioxidants
In Spain, hot chocolate and churros was the traditional working-man’s breakfast.
Now that sounds like a fabulous breakfast! Also a very unhealthy one… Fortunately scientists have proven that hot cocoa has 2 times the antioxidants of wine, and 2-3 times of green tea. So for all you hot cocoa lovers out there, at least you can say you are being semi-healthy 
Of course green tea has no sugar, so I still think it’s better than hot cocoa in general.
So we finally have hot cocoa in the new Starbucks Interactive Cup Brewer! 5pm in the afternoon is not exactly prime time to drink hot cocoa when it’s 80 degrees outside, but I must try the latest and greatest. Unfortunately… it’s just ok. It pretty much tastes like any instant hot cocoa. The positive? It’s HOT! It burns my tongue… just the way I like it. But flavor wise, it’s not that chocolately, and I’ve definitely had better.
If you want real hot cocoa, you must go to Bittersweet Cafe located in SF and Oakland. They have around 8 different types of hot cocoa and all are fantabulous! Rich and creamy, a true chocolate lover’s delight! And the best part is you have the option of adding a giant home made marshallow. mmmmm.. They also have a wall of high end, fancy chocolate bars that you just can’t resist buying. So if you’re ever in the Fillmore area in SF, definitely stop by and grab yourself a cup of hot cocoa. The bittersweet is perfect if you’re a dark chocolate lover (a true chocolate lover prefers dark chocolate – 70~80% is optimal). If you want a little kick, go for the Spicy! And if you just want to enjoy a good cup of hot cocoa, go for the classic. I’m telling you, if you like chocolate, you will love this place!
white tea is a baby tea leaf
and while it still has a naturally light flavor, we pluck it.
that’s it?
that’s it.
So don’t fly all the way to Asia just to find out what white tea is. It’s light in flavor, high in anti-oxidants, and the asian guy on Snapple’s commercial is awesome. It comes in 3 flavors: Green Apple, Nectarine and Raspberry. I’ve tried the Apple and Nectarine so far, and my personal favorite is the Nectarine flavor. I officially declare this my new favorite drink! Everytime i see it on sale at Safeway, I buy massive quantities of it.
Snapple also launched a new line of green tea beverages as well, that come in 2 flavors: Asian Pear and Mango. I tried the Asian Pear, and it’s pretty good. Hard to find in stores though. I’ve only seen it on the shelves once.
Jones Soda Company also has their own line of teas. “Jones Organics” comes in 6 different flavors: Cherry White Tea, Strawberry White Tea, Peach Red Tea, Tropical Red Tea, Mandarin Green Tea, and Berry Green Tea. The Strawberry white tea is good, but personally I don’t like Strawberry flavored drinks that much. The Peach Red Tea was just ok.
Conclusion: I still like Snapple’s White Tea in Nectarine the best, but mostly because of the Asian dude
tanner and mika
Barbie has a new best friend! Tanner the dog can be fed little brown plastic, which he then poops out so that Barbie can scoop them with her new, magnetic pooper-scooper. Don’t believe it? Check out the ad on YouTube. Ok, giving Barbie a pet dog is understandable…but does it really have to poo? And even more gross is that you recycle the poo and feed them to the dog as “biscuits” again… who came up with this idea???
So I’m thinking, I wonder if Barbie is going to get a pet cat. Then Barbie can learn to scoop the litter box. And guess what… they already do! Mika the cat can be fed water with a little bottle, and when you squeeze its tummy, you can make it pee in the litter box! The litter clumps up, and Theresa (not Barbie) can scoop it with her litter scooper. The only good thing about Mika is that she does not eat the litter
Barbie and Tanner, Theresa and Mika, both are sold for $14.99 at Target.
cooking mama!
How hard can it be to cook Fried Octopus Dumplings (aka Tako Yaki)??? Slice octopus, mix ingredients, mix batter, pour batter into pan, cook. I only score 50 points according to Mama 
It’s crazy enough that Japan made a game where you slice and dice, and test your frying skills, all so Mama can rate your cooking ability. But what’s really odd to me is that they released the English version, but with all the same Japanese dishes. And the titles of the dishes are weird… The game itself is really not that exciting. It’s like playing a bunch of mini games, and Mama gives you a score. And if you make a mistake, Mama gets mad and flames come out of her eyes! Pretending to cook is really not that fun, especially when you don’t get to eat it.
Don’t waste too much of your time playing the game, and definitely don’t go buy it. I’m really not a bad cook! I finally got 93 on Fried Pancake, which I assume to be Okonomiyaki. So Mama is finally happy with my cooking skills.
Believe it or not, there’s going to be a Cooking Mama 2 for Wii….
I like my coffee black
I don’t even drink coffee! But we just got this crazy Starbucks Interactive Cup Brewer at work that brews fresh coffee for you on the spot. I really haven’t had a cup of coffee in years, but it’s new, it’s facinating, and I have to try it right?
So here’s what I think about it:
- It’s cool that you can choose the cup size, and then just leave your cup there. That way you can just chat with someone while waiting for your coffee.
- I also like the finite progress bar. It takes some time to get your coffee, but at least you know how much longer you have.
- The coffee is nice and hot! And I love scorching hot!!! So if it burns my mouth, then it’s just right.
- So if the coffee is close to scorching hot, I assume the hot water option is the same temperature. That makes me happy because my green tea is not tasty luke warm.
- As for the taste… honestly I don’t drink coffee enough to know the difference in flavor. I guess it tastes….. like coffee? It’s not spectacular, nor bad.
My wish list:
- I wish it would make green tea
- And green tea lattes… mmmm
- Where’s the hot cocoa?
- Frappuccinos! But good thing it doesnt make Fraps…because that just would not be good for me at all.
Can’t get enough of Green Tea
Green tea is good for you! In hopes of preventing cancer, I drink at least 3 to 4 cups of Japanese green tea every day. I’m not sure if you can be addicted to tea…but I am! But hey, it’s good for me right? So what about other “green tea” flavored stuff? Green tea ice cream, green tea toast, green tea pocky, green tea soda… somehow they all make you want to have it because you think green tea = healthy.
So I recently tried Hansen’s new “Natural Green Tea Soda”. It comes in 4 flavors: Lemon Mint, Ginger, Pomegranate, and Tangerine. I tried Ginger and Pomegranate (separately of course), and I’d have to say they are very tasty. The light flavor and carbonation really quenches your thirst. So silly me, thinking that it’s healthier than Coke, I actually compared the nutritional facts. And guess what…there really is no difference! Damnit… and there isn’t an ounce of green tea flavor. But who cares, it tastes good anyways!
