Look: Strange Japanese French Chocolate

"Japonisme" is a French term meaning the influence of Japanese art on the art of West. The term "strange Japanese French chocolate" refers to this strange strawberry-flavoured, French-dessert-inspired chocolate I bought at my local supermarket.(sic)

The box contained three pieces each of four flavours of chocolate: strawberry mousse, strawberry cheese, strawberry champagne dessert and strawberry mille feuilles. There was very little difference in taste but it was nice to be given at least the illusion of choice. Buy more. Stop thinking. Be happy.

Best Japanese Snacks

What are the best Japanese snacks that money can buy? This is a question that Snack Fan Japan will be asking, and answering in 2011. Are there any crazy Japanese snacks that you've heard of and would like to know more about? If so, just provide some details as a comment to this post, and the Snack Fan Japan team will do the rest.

Pepsi Shiso: Choice Of A Newer Generation?

Last summer Pepsi trialled a new drink: perilla-flavoured Pepsi. Perilla is also known as Japanese basil. In Japanese it's called Shiso.

The drink itself was pretty disgusting unlike Pepsi Hawaiian Blue which was the novelty Pepsi of 2008. Having said that, I hope Pepsi Shiso comes back in 2011 for the simple reason that it can be used to clean the contacts on smart cards.

Dave Green from NTK, SnackSpot and Shift Run Stop

My local newspaper(The Yomiuri Shimbun) ran a special feature on the British tech journalist Dave Green, who used to be an editor of Amiga Power magazine, and who also happens to be an expert on snacks. I asked a friend to translate it from Japanese for me and, in an effort to avoid copyright issues, I've rewritten it as a Dave Green FAQ.

What is Dave Green's day job?
He is a foreman in a two-way mirror factory.

Where did Dave Green come from?
The same place as everybody else.

What is Dave Green's favourite colour?
Green.

What did Dave Green do in the war?
He co-wrote a weekly email newsletter with Danny O'Brien called "Now That's Knowledge!".

What is Dave Green's favourite band?
The Clash.

Which food is Dave Green allergic to?
Red Lead.(AKA triplumbic tetroxide)

What is Dave Green's full name?
David Green.

How many Dave Greens does it take to operate a universal Turing machine?
Two: one to read, write and erase the symbols on the squares, and one to take care of any snack-related tasks.

What is the opposite of Dave Green?
David Green

Where does Dave Green live?
Dave Green divides his time between North London and Greenland.(maybe this is a tax dodge?)

What is Dave Green's favourite film?
THX-1138:4EB.

Who would win in a fight between Dave Green and Sarah Green?
Dave Green.

Who does Dave Green belong to?
The Internets.

What would Dave Green do in a fire?
Put it out and then walk away, shaking his head.

Which snack is Dave Green (wrongly) credited with creating?
Rainbow pretzel drops.

What does Dave Green collect?
Dave Green collects other people's collections.

Which celebrity does Dave Green most resemble?
Himself.

What is remarkable about Dave Green's brother, Simon Green?
He is made entirely from chocolate.

How can one contact Dave Green?
Direct contact is impossible, but several Twitter hashtags can be used to contact him indirectly. Unfortunately, none of them is reproducible here.

What is Dave Green's favourite spice?
The spice of life.

The Future Is Here: Cake In Choco

Throughout the history of humankind, scientists have tried to push back the boundaries of human existence, squeezing "impossible" into an increasingly small bottle. Just a few years ago it was impossible to teleport, read minds, buy Krusty Cream donuts in Tokyo or speak French. All these things are now possible, thanks to science.

Cake In Choco is likely to change the way we eat on the most fundamental of levels. It is the future, and it refuses to be described with the metaphors of the past. We simply don't have a language that is powerful enough to discuss it with. If you've ever written a list of impossible things, at the very least you'll need to cross out the item: "put cake into a piece of chocolate".

Cake In Choco is, like many Japanese snacks, surprisingly good. It shouldn't work, but it does. You get all of the benefit of eating cake, chocolate and chocolate cake, without the crumbs. My advice is: don't delay, buy Cake In Choco today!