My Popsicles, Let Me Show You Them
- By Robyn Lee
- Jun 20, 2007
- Comments
- chocs
This is another rambling non-food review entry. SORRY I MAKE KITTEH CRY WITH MY DILIGENT NON-BLOGGING.
I took the above photo for Ed's Serious Eats post about this tasty chocolate bar. In case you didn't know (because I don't think I made any kind of official announcement) I now happily work at Serious Eats, not as an intern but as a...real human! Yes, 'tis true. Many of you already knew that. But to fend off any questions of "What are you doing after graduation?" there is your short answer. :)
Actually, there's a shorter answer. It goes something like, "I don't know." In the long run, I would like to live on my own at some point. For now, I'm perfectly happy living with my mum in NJ where I don't have to pay for lodging or food. Saving money is rather important right now, which is why I hope no one thinks I'm ignoring them if I don't invite them to eat out with me. I'm trying to not eat out as much for reasons pertaining to my increasing girth and my decreasing wallet contents. Of course, there are other ways to past the time with friends. ...Like...um...I'll get back to you on that.
Oh, for instance you could go to a play! There's a food performance going on right now, Cooking Con Karimi (con Castro), at Abingdon Theater (tickets). It's only playing until Thursday, but if you have the time it sounds worthwhile:
Using the recipes as points of departure to talk about cultural collisions and complex political events occurring around the world, Cooking Con Karimi (Con Castro) is a humorous, audience interactive cooking show that challenges conventional notions of how we approach food, culture, and politics... AND! the audience gets to eat free food that's prepared live by chefs Mero Cocinero Karimi and Comrade Cocinero Castro.
YOU GET FOOD! Of some sort.
I'm afraid I'm not going, not for any good reason besides that I'm lazy and don't like to come home late unless I feel it is necessary, Friday nights being an exception. I got home at 11 PM tonight (Penn Station power outage, awesome), which is why I'm writing this at 2 AM. What have I done for the past three hours? Oh, ye know...stuff.
On that note, if anyone goes to the show let me know how it was!
And for more food-related randomness, here is a pretty popsicle. We blogged it at Serious Eats and it was submitted to Boing Boing as an example of skilled popsicle craftsmanship. So I wonder, DEAR READERS OF THE WORLD, do you have any cool examples of popsicles from your area? Maybe I can write a post about them. I sure don't have anything! Oh ho ho!
Actually, I rarely eat popsicles. Maybe there are cool things over here that I don't know about. If I had to choose a favorite popsicle, I would go with a red bean ice cream one, or one of those red bean slushy things with a custard filling. Such a thing exists, right? It's not a phantom dessert that only exists in the deep depths of my brain goo? I think my first encounter with the slushy custardy red bean popsicle was at a Family Mart in Taipei; one of my friends bought one and being the mindless follower that I am, I got one too. Woo!
SHO ME UR POPSIKULS! Pwease? Thank you.
Lastly, I'll be in Bologna from September 11th to 27th. o(^__^)o (<--That is a happy face with two nubbin fists happily lifted in the air, in case it's not clear. This is what all happy Chinese people look like. I mean, if you're looking at them from far away while squinting. Really! My eyes turn into pointy punctuation all the time. Pinky swear.) Now it should make more sense why I have to spend less money this summer (which I'm not doing diligently, but...well)—it's so I can give it to as many Italian gelaterias as possible. This trip will be more exciting (or less scary) once I find freakin' accommodations.
Comments
Holy crap! That is some serious popsicle skillz...and I mean it because I put a "z" at the end of skillz.
Also, congrats on the Serious Eats gig.
Hey, congrats on your employment at Serious Eats! That's so cool. Serious Eats sounds like a fun place to work in. Man, I'm sooo envious. I would give anything be to work in such a fun, cool place. I'm starting my new job in about 2 weeks time and I know, it's not gonna be as much fun. Nor as cool. Sigh.
I had red bean popsicles when I was in Taiwan! The first one was a surprise and a bit of a shock. After that, I sought them out.
I'm going to be in NYC for just one day (July 5) and I have to catch a late train to dc. I LOVE your blog and was hoping you could maybe tell me some wonderful places to eat?
Price is really whatever. I don't want to spend a fortune, but I'll do anything for good food.
Where would you recommend for lunch/snacks/early dinner?
I really want to try GOOD unique food.
Thanks!
Yay! You got a job much faster than pretty much anyone I know. ;-) Nice work.
And thats a very beautiful popsicle.
wow. did you negotiate stock options so that you can be a bajillionaire when SE goes public?
Marvo: Omg guess wut I FOUND THE POPSICLE TODAY! In the flesh. Or the ice. I will have to post it later.
Thanks for the congrats!
Eunice: Thanks! It is quite fun. Like when you're asked, "Hey, you wanna post about chocolate? Which means you have to eat it?" Well...sure, ok!
Can you eventually make you way back to the happy land o Germany? END THE STREAK OF POOPY JOBS?!
Ranjit: Woohoo, it's not just me! They are magically delicious. ...Wait that's Lucky Charms.
Stephanie: Oh my, I think I need more information than that. :| You can't eat much in one day. However, if you can bring food back home and you like cookies, I would suggest grabbing some from City Bakery and Levain Bakery. As for food-food, depends on what you're into. I don't think I know much about unique food, but perhaps good versions of regular food? :\
Susannah: Ah, I know people who got jobs before they graduated...they were snatched up real fast. .__. But I'm quite happy with my job finding rate, considering I didn't have to do anything. Which means I still don't have a real resume...
Steamy Kitchen: Did I do a what-what?
(There's your answer!)
Mm, bajillion...
The weirdest popsicle I've had has to be the durian popsicle. I'm not sure how easily available it is, but got mine from Kam Man, a famous Chinese Supermarket Chain on Rt 1 in NJ. (I know there's also a Chinatown branch).
Red bean popsicles! Love them! They are called potong ice cream in Singapore. And these potong ice creams have many flavours, including durian, sweet corn, cendol, yam etc. Red bean is the only one I take. And there is some yummy Black sesame popsicles in my fridge now. I'm not sure if they are chinese or japanese though, but they taste good.
ahh red bean popsicles are da shizz man! i remember they had like green bean popsicles too. those were cool.
and my nanny used to made these popsicles with red bean soup + whole milk mixed with sweetened condensed milk. those were soooo goooood :0
conGRATZ on the job!!!!!!! you're great at it! :-)
i went to the show last night and it was soooooooooo much fun. plus they do give u some food...and the performers are very friendly and personable. go go go! =P
Penn Station and NJ Transit would be so much more enjoyable... if they had free popsicles.
I like kulfi which isn't always a popsicle but that's how my friend makes it at home. things on sticks=more fun! except people on sticks!
Oh man that chocolate bar! I went onto their website right after reading your post, everything looks so good...am very tempted to order a few bar! gah. cavites. its okay, we only live once right?
I'm all with you for the saving money. Right after I graduated, it was like, okay, i need to buckle down now and save up to pay for rent in the village this fall!! gah. i'll live on dumplings and $2 falafels :)
favorite popsicles = korean melon bars
mmmm so creamy. so cold. so honeydew melon-ey.
Eric: Durian popsicle...intriguing...but I have an idea of what durian tastes like and that does not make a happy popsicle for me. :)
mj: BLACK SESAME WUUH?! I NEED THAT.
jodie: OHH condensed milk..that must be the "custard" I'm thinking about. Damn that sounds good. I want a nanny who makes popsicles.
Wendy: Thanks! I can add this job to the short list of things I'm proud of!
Ohh dear, I totally didn't go. Instead I went home and ate dinner with my mum. And I am so sleepy right now. :[ Thanks for letting me know though!
janet: Everything would be better with FREE POPSICLES.
Oo I had a kulfi popsicle once! From Patel Brothers. I think it was a dollar...or something really cheap that made me think, "Well, I can't NOT buy that!"
People on sticks = not cool. You are so right.
Kathy: We only live once, but you wanna make that life last a while. :D I'M TRYIINNN!
Living on dumplings doesn't sound sooo bad. How about living on LOAVES OF BREAD! Mm.
Michelle: I'll keep my eyes open for those. Sounds tasty!
Hee, when I lived in Bavaria I found these amazing/ridiculous popsicles at the grocery store. They had three flavors in one popsicle; I believe it was passionfruit, mango, and strawberry, layered. Then, the tip of the popsicle was dipped in a hard white-chocolate-like substance, but green, which was supposedly cactus-fruit flavored. And THEN, best of all, the chocolatey part was dipped in pop rocks! Those were the most amusing popsicles I've ever eaten. It's not like they were a regional specialty or anything, but I've definitely never seen anything like them in the States.
Congrats on your first job outta school!
I have to say, I love the Korean Melona bars the best - esp the strawberry and honeydew flavors. And man, Nestle has some good popsicle and ice cream concoctions in Thailand...they were like 6 Baht apiece (~$0.16)!
Well, they're not spectacular or unusual like the popsicles in the pictures, but Minute Maid's cherry and lime push-up-in-the-paper-cone-thingies are deeelicious.
I know you didn't ask about baked goods, but I have to rave about this to someone. If you're ever in the appropriate area of CT (don't know why you would be, though, since it's just suburbia), there's a bakery called Ovens of France in Woodbury that made me, previously indifferent to croissants, a pain au chocolat addict.
Well, they're not spectacular or unusual like the popsicles in the pictures, but Minute Maid's cherry and lime push-up-in-the-paper-cone-thingies are deeelicious.
I know you didn't ask about baked goods, but I have to rave about this to someone. If you're ever in the appropriate area of CT (don't know why you would be, though, since it's just suburbia), there's a bakery called Ovens of France in Woodbury that made me, previously indifferent to croissants, a pain au chocolat addict.
Honey!! Okay, calling you "honey" might me a bit of a stretch since we don't know each other personally - but I'm an avid Robin'sfantasticblogaboutallthingsheavenly reader so I sometimes feel like I know you! Plus, you're so sweet that the honey-calling seems appropriate!
Argh - long intro. Sorry! I just wanted to tell you that Bologna is great for fooding: mortadella is delicious (it's like a prosciutto but made of pork sausage, with pistachios and the likes), you'll have the best tagliatelle with Bolognese sauce and tortellini in broth, and great rice pudding cakes and panna cotta. And so much more!! Gosh - now I'm hungry.
Cheers!
Yeah, I wrote "Robin" instead of "Robyn" - go me.
Amy: THREE IN ONE POPSICLE?! With pop rocks? What the hell! Why are Americans denied such awesomeness?
manda: Thanks!
16 cent popsicles...yet another reason why I have to go to Thailand. Besides all the other delicious food. Garr!
Hannah: I welcome all recommendations about baked goods. :) Especially when a place is called OVENS OF FRANCE. That's a great name. And I suppose it lives up to it? :)
Gj: (People who know me well sometimes spell my name wrong; it's cool! And calling me honey is fine too. Mm..honey..)
I'm sure Morten will force feed mortadella to me. Well, not FORCE...I'll wanna eat it, but he will make sure that I do. And what the hell, RICE PUDDING CAKE? It comes in a cake?! I want this cake. And panna cotta. Yes. My trip is still a bit far away, I don't wanna get too hungry yet!
Congrats on your job! So rare one's passion and day job collides. As for popsicles, my grandpa in china used to make green bean popsicles when i was little. It was yums.
Okay that chocolate bar is so seriously beautiful. How did it taste? And love the popsicle shot - so clever:-)
dana: Thanks!
I've never heard of green bean popsicles before! Ooh...yum.
Maryam: It tasted really good, although not life changingly so. ;) I would've liked more nuts, but the nuts that were in there were especially flavorful.
Huge congrats on your new gig! I wonder where I would be now if, upon graduation, I'd been able to snag a cool, food-related job like yours instead of working in an, um, lawyer's office.
Thanks, Robyn! (...I feel like I'm talking to myself.)
You're doing pretty well for yerself, I think. ADORED BY THE WORLD FOR WONDEROUS FOOD WRITING! Yes, that is good. :)
I ain't gonna force feed ya nothin' darlin'. Not that I wouldn't if I needed to :p
Awww, thanks Robyn (it *is* like talking to yourself, isn't it?) - but I've got a couple decades on you. And one must wonder ... when does it start paying? :-0
Hi Robyn! I found your site via your shout-out to Japanese Candy Friday on Serious Eats. Thanks! I just wanted to let you know this post inspired me to try out a popsicle I've had my eye on -- and it was SO good. So thanks also for the popsicle push!
Uji-kintoki popsicle
I love your blog and I love ice cream (and popsicles!) I have made it my goal in life to taste new ice cream/ice lollies whenever I get the chance to travel, heh, you might be interested in the following ice lollies from China:
http://aphazia.livejournal.com/225444.html
I tasted that watermelon popsicle too, found it in a Korean grocery here in Manila:
http://aphazia.livejournal.com/260254.html
Yey cold nommy things!