Corn Chips 콘칲 (Crown)

Corn Chips 콘칲 from Crown. Considering the sunflower in the package, sunflower oil must have been used to make it...lol. 군옥수수맛 (according to my Oppa walking and talking dictionary) translates to "Barbecue Corn Flavor" but Google translate says that it's "Military Corn"...^o^ I trust the former.

They're thin, crisp, and light chips that isn't heavily seasoned with flavored powder, which is good!

A look inside the bag... which is almost, always... 50 percent air. ^o^

Product Name: Corn Chips 콘칲 .. that's it.. flat out. These are Corn Chips! 

Hole in the Pocket: Got it for free, but it wouldn't be more than Php 40, I guess..^^;;

First Impression: Made me say, "This will probably taste bland, but I don't like strong flavors at the moment...so it might be good."

Taste Buds Say: I was right... it was good! It's nice to munch on and there's no chemical-like after taste that you get after eating BBQ snacks or something like that. The light flavor and thinness of the chips didn't make me feel too guilty but it seemed like I only ate a little. So, if you're hungry, you'll probably need three bags of this chips..^^

Reminds me of: Original / Natural flavored Kornets.

K-rating: 4/5... slightly sweet, not salty, light and crispy.

Acacia Chewing Gum 아카시아 츄잉껌

Acacia Chewing Gum 아카시아 츄잉껌 (Haitai 해태  ) 

Acacia Floral Chewing Gum... How girly is that? ^^*

This pack of gum has 7 sticks, each with a unique illustration, design and message (too lazy to try and translate! Besides, I'm not that good ^^;;)

I love the effort that goes with this gum. I mean, it's my first time to hold a pack of gum that has unique individual wrappers, which matches the product's theme...floral...~

Here's a stick... I'm not sure, but wouldn't a guy feel kinda shy to be holding or eating this oh-so-dainty gum?

Product Name: Acacia Chewing Gum 아카시아 츄잉껌... 'coz it's made of 아카시아 꿀 (Acacia kul). 꿀 means "honey" in Korean but I think it can also mean "sap" or some kind of gum arabic since several species of Acacia produce gum.

Hole in the Pocket:  Php 25.00 per pack at Prince Mart

First Impression: With it's black and purple package, I first thought it was nicotine gum or the kind of gum sold in night clubs or bars... I dunno, but I just thought that. But upon opening the package, it seemed like a sophisticated woman's gum. 

Taste Buds say: I've always had mint or fruit flavored gum... but Acacia floral gum? This first time is a winner. Some people may not appreciate the taste of flowers in their candy, but this gum made me feel like I'm eating sweet-smelling flowers (minus the bitter taste that one can easily associate with..well..uh...eating flowers). And if I were to take inspiration from the illustrations and use a little bit of imagination - I'm a nature goddess chewing on flowers. It's not to sweet nor overwhelming in flavor. It's enough to freshen your mouth after a meal and leave it flowery fresh. ;)

Reminds me of: The scent of Jasmine or the local Sampaguita.

K-rating: 5/5... as flowery as floral can be...~

Bungeo Samanco Gold Label 붕어 싸만코 골드 라벨

Bungeo Samanco Gold Label 붕어 싸만코 골드 라벨's mainly red package.
Notice the label stamped on the upper right "자일로스 설탕" (Xylose Sugar).

Back of the Pack... Gold Label (Premium Style).

The wafer design and size still looks the same.

Every food judgment starts with a bite.

After taking a bite and savoring it, the difference between Bungeo Samanco Gold Label  붕어 싸만코 골드 라벨 and regular Bungeo Samanco 싸만코  became apparent. See the pic below for the visual difference.

As you can see, the bean paste 팥 in Samanco Gold Label (left) is more refined and pasty. However, plain Samanco's bean paste 팥 is syrupy and contains soft whole beans. 

Before anything else, for the sake of comparison, I already made a review of the plain Bungeo Samanco 붕어 싸만코 here.


Product Name: Bungeo Samanco Gold Label 붕어 싸만코 골드 라벨... just with an additional 골드 라벨 (Gold Label) Premium Style making it sound more superior.


Hole in the Pocket: PhP 50.00 in Mashitta (Korean Restaurant)


First Impression: Because I adore the regular Bungeo Samanco, I think another version in "gold label" would still be good. The only difference in the package is the color. Gold Label is red/red orange whereas regular Samanco is cream-colored/off-white.


Taste buds say:  It's still a delicious overload, but the new consistency of the bean paste somehow improves the eating experience because there'd be less bean skins/pulp getting caught in your teeth and less roughness, thereby making the whole eating experience smooth and richer in flavor. Bungeo Samanco Gold Label (붕어 싸만코 골드 라벨) also uses Xylose Sugar 자일로스 설탕 which is a healthier alternative to ordinary sugar because it's not readily absorbed by the body which means less carbohydrates stored as fat.


Reminds me of: Bungeo Samanco 붕어 싸만 before it became Gold Label 골드 라벨...;)


K-rating: 5/5 ... perfect made better.

Goraebap 고래밥

Here's the front and back of Goraebap 고래밥's box.

Of course, I wouldn't pass on the opportunity to show my English prowess. The matching activity doesn't only help in teaching English names of animals, but also introduces you to 4 of the sea creatures that you'll meet inside. It also has a website: www.goraebab.com, but I can't open it. I wonder why... must be my settings or something.

I like how most Korean snacks have this kind of packaging / box where it opens in the middle (like a box of Kleenex). Look! Cute drawings inside too! Must be an activity, but I'm too lazy to try and translate. ^^;;

~ Funky Sea Creatures ~

I tried to "catch them all", but I missed three: turtle, octopus, and shrimp.  I'll update this as soon as I open my second box. *pinky promise*

Product Name: Goraebap 고래밥...  고래 is Korean for "whale" and 밥 can mean "rice", "meal", or "food" depending on how you use it in a sentence. Most blogs and info in the net translates Goraebap 고래밥 as "whale food", of course it doesn't literally mean that you're a "whale" if you eat it. I think its name goes with the whole theme of marine animals. By the way, typing 고래 밥 in google translate gave me "Bob whale" and was a quick laugh. Kkk...good thing I don't have a fat friend whose name is Bob cause I'd be tempted to you know..secretly call him 고래밥 behind his back. >_<;


Hole in the Pocket: This was from ♥. Surely it's not more than Php 70 in your friendly neighborhood Korean store.


First Impression: How cute is that 3D whale with a bump on its head? Although whale food in reality is mainly krill and plankton, they might actually snack on fish or squid every now and then. I doubt they eat turtles, dolphins or octopus though. The package gives me an impression that the whale is thinking about its food and is quite happy about it.  


Taste buds say: The box says 볶음양념 맛 ("stir-fried in sauce flavor")... and it tastes like a generic "vegetable" flavored snack with a little more zing. Still delicious though and much closer to "chicken barbecue" in flavor if you ask me. It's crunchy and you'll actually feel like a whale devouring small sea creatures for pleasure. I find it more satisfying to throw 5-6 pieces (sometimes even more) into my mouth and chomping away.


Reminds me of: Vegetable snacks (e.g. Regent's Snacku Rice Crackers).


K-rating: 4/5 ... 'coz I'm tired of categorizing animal crackers.

Bungeo Samanco 붕어 싸만코

Bungeo Samanco  붕어 싸만코 since 1991.

The fish pops out! What you see is what you get.

Bite into a fin without worries of dripping all over the place. Bungeo Samanco  붕어 싸만코 is compact and creamy.

3 Layers of Yummy Goodness: crisp wafer, sweet red bean paste (팥), and soft vanilla ice cream. 

Product Name: Bungeo Samanco  붕어 싸만코... 붕어 is a fish (Carp) and 싸만코.... hmmm.... 싸만코.... if I use my limited Korean language skills, I'd say it means cheap (싸) only (만) nose (코), but that is WRONG. According to a my boyfriend who did a search online ('coz he also had no idea), a guy asked the Binggrae company what 싸만코 meant, he said that 싸만코 was like an "ice cream in a sandwich" or "sandwich type of ice cream." If anybody knows the exact meaning... share the knowledge! ;)

Hole in the Pocket: Php 40 - 60 (prices vary in each store)

First Impression: If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was "fish flavored ice cream" (as most people think too whenever I introduce it to them). But why would a fish flavored ice cream last for many years, right? So it's not fish flavored, but rather it's like the ice cream version of 붕어빵, a fish-shaped Korean pastry.

Taste buds say: Delicious overload! One of the best ice creams I've ever had (one of the cutest too)! Biting into the wafer and savoring the bean paste with the vanilla ice cream is oh so heavenly...~

Reminds me of: Nothing I've ever had before.

K-rating: 5/5... It's worth the raves!