Yummy Yummy Snacky Time!

One of the guys at work has gone to Japan a few times for work-and he brought in snacks from Japan today. (I've been trading green tea samples with him lately.) Here's the low-down on the "treats" they like over there:

• First, I tried the dried soybeans. I liked them quite a bit, if I could find them in the grocery store here, I'd buy them. They were a bit like wasabi peas, minus the wasabi.
• Next up was candied kelp. They have a strange idea of candy there...and this was Not Good. I couldn't chew it up-it was salty and gross and extra kelpy.
• After that I decided to branch out into the fish variaty. I took a small bit of something that looked like little squid. It wasn't bad. Kinda like fish leather. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat more, but I didn't spit it out.
• There were also some sort of deep fried looking centipedes. I wouldn't try it, after seeing the look on the face of someone who did. (Though another guy said it was better than the kelp.)
• Along with were some little dried minnows. I didn't try one of those either. Though I heard they didn't really taste like much of anything.
• Next on the tasting plate...dried fish pieces, with what appeared to be sesame seeds on it. Very fishy and salty. Not a bad flavor...but the aftertaste wasn't so great.
• After that, I bravely tried a little taste of what was being called "fruit rollup". Granted, the packaging made it look like a fruit rollup. It wasn't. In fact, it was nasty-fishy and something else. We decided it was their version of a meal replacement bar.
• Then to clear out my mouth I ate some wasabi peas I had in my desk drawer. I couldn't even taste the wasabi on them. All I could taste was "fish rollup".
• After that, I took a piece of clear hard candy. I know what you're all thinking...that it would taste like fish. But you'd be wrong. It tasted like nothing. I could taste some sweet, but it did get rid of the fish taste. Maybe their version of a tic tac?
• I have a wrapped up piece of some jelly candy to try later-I heard its supposed to be some sort of ginger candy, but mostly tastes like nothing.
• No one would try the kelp gum. Craig (the guy who brought the stuff in) said it was the most disgusting thing ever.

And that's been my adventure in food today!