Jasmine Chia: May 2009

Friends - Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Gift from London

Last year, I came across a projection clock at my company’s Christmas dinner. That time I thought it would be cool to have one and have alwa...

My earlier post, I mentioned something about a dessert that comes in a yellow box. In it, it's 6 individually wrapped soft biscuit / cake, whatever way you prefer to call it. One thing about the Japanese, they are very particular about packaging. This box packaging is probably the standard packaging that one can find. When it comes to packaging, the Japanese can be very elaborate but that normally will also translates to a higher price tag.

Anyway, I had initially wanted to save this box of dessert for my mum but I was curious what's inside the box. The packaging does not give me any clue about the content other than knowing it's some nice dessert, from what my friend said. So I googled it and I think that was a mistake because after that I opened up and ate 2 of it and that's all happening at 10:30pm, way past my no food after 7pm rule!

Hakata Torimon!

The words on the packaging is written:

The spirit of OKASHI. It is what gives a peaceful and pleasant mind to the human race. All the time, man seeks romance in the OKASHI. We have been working hard and carefully, and work on. To weave the romance and fancy into each OKASHI. This, at last, we have made up "The HAKATA SEIYO-WAGASHI." If you taste the feeling and the spirit of the OKASHI which value tradition and living in the times, there is no pleasure better than it.

Honestly, I have no idea what they are trying to say. To me, the Japs are better known for their "amusingly" incorrect English. Perhaps some kind soul out there can enlighten me on this. Note the sentence, "there is no pleasure better than it", that sounds a little deluded.

The content inside the box

This is a box of very delicious dessert. The filling consist of some yummy white bean jam and has a velvety texture. The skin and the filling are both soft and luscious. Thinking about it now, I think I still have the taste lingering around my taste bud. So back to why I think this thing fascinating to me? What makes me break the 7pm rule?

Hokkairo

The individually wrapped biscuit has an air activated self heating function in it. You will find a small little white packet sticking on the inner side of the plastic packaging. It is called hokkairo, it's a small pouch containing iron, water, cellulose, vermiculite, activated carbon and salt. When the plastic wrap is open, the pouch will be exposed to oxygen in the air. The oxygen and the iron will form Iron Oxide (rust, eeks!) but as the rusting process takes quite a while to take place, so salt is added to act as catalyst to fasten the process. More information about this can be found here - Link

I took the liberty to open up the pouch to check the content. The heat generated is not v hot, it is just warm but not warm enough to make the whole dessert warm. Perhaps it's just a feeling thing, holding a packet of warm dessert on hand. So, the conclusion is even though the dessert is good but the one that fascinated me more is this self heating pouch than dessert. In the end, without realising it, I am only left with one now in the box.

The creamy and velvety dessert

From my googled result, I also learnt that this dessert has won numerous of awards. Although I am not sure what are the awards about but I guess it must be something good. There is also an online website where you can purchase this, sadly everything is in Japanese words and my limited Japanese words recognition can’t get me very far to buy it online. So, if anyone that is going to Kyushu again, this is definitely one thing that I will advice you guys to buy.

Note: Thanks (again) KK!