McDonald' s Japan combos review

my take out McDonald's meal (notice it is all written in English :P)

Sorry for being MIA for the past few weeks... looking for a new place to move to has taken a toll on my health and I ended up getting a Cold... . For those who have noticed, I do update my Facebook quite often (because they require less energy and less time than full reviews like this one...) please follow/like me on Facebook! :)

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So, I just got back from a lovely experience in none other than, McDonald's! (Talk about trying to run away from America for a while *evil laughter).

While ordering, I noticed something quite different with their side menu choices... 

As you can see from the chart, there are 3 sections: 1. burger 2. Side Menu 3. Drink

You are probably asking me "what's so special?" Well... Take a look at the Side menu options... There are 4: 1. Fries; 2. Salad 3. Corn and 4. Chicken nuggets (5 pieces). YES you didn't read wrong... there is a Chicken Nuggets option with no extra charge!

welcome to my work table :P

Besides the side menu choices, I noticed that Japan McDonald's has healthier drink options, besides your usual softdrinks (coca cola) and your Asian soft drinks (Qoo and Fanta) You can also choose Cold Barley Tea, Lipton Tea and Vegetable juice!!

So there are no excuses when you are eating at McDonald's... you can still eat healthily... just make the right decisions!

chicken nuggets!

Since Chicken nuggets were less popular in Canada, I always opted for beef burgers... so I can't do a comparison between the 2. I'm just so impressed that Japan has Chicken Nuggets as a side order!!! :D

you can choose mustard or bbq sauce for your nuggets

I also noticed that the meat they use in their patties are different. Since beef is slightly more expensive, they usually have chicken or pork patties, and the more popular burger menu items are with teriyaki sauce.

on a side note: most McDonald's in Tokyo open 24 hours! (talk about being convenient :P)

Score: 10/10 (for healthy choices and a variety of menu options!)
Website: http://www.mcdonalds.co.jp/menu/set/index.html

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I finally decided to make use of my Facebook account! Please like me on Facebook and join me on my adventures in Tokyo! :) I would also be posting short reviews there, so remember to check them out! :)

snippets/screenshot of Facebook

Link is: https://www.facebook.com/simplemomentblog

See you there ~

Steph

Vinamit Jackfruit Chips review

Jackfruit Chips

During my trip back to Toronto I discovered these... since I am a huge Tropical Fruits fan, these Jackfruit chips attracted me... my thought were "how do jackfruits taste when they are dehydrated?".

story of Jackfruit Chips

Here is some background information:

The story began more than 20 years ago by a young man coming from a poor farmer family which has 9 sons and daughters. From his name Lam Vien, which means "forest and garden", and his zodiac animal, Ox, it is believed that his fate would be tied with agriculture.

Growing up in the 80's of last century, seeing plenty of fruits rotting because Vietnam did not have post-harvest processing technology at that time, the young man Lam Vien went far away and brought new technology from abroad, with a dream to enrich himself as well as his family and his country. In 1988, he was the first man to manufacture dried jackfruit, turn this kind of fruit from a rustic farm produce into valuable consumer goods. Their appealing tastes convinced not only domestic but also international consumers.

Since then, the first and largest factory in Southeast Asia was built, and familiar brand-names such as Vinamit, Duc Thanh, Jak, Vinatural, etc. has widespread from Vietnam to all over the world.

After more than 20 years, Mr. Lam Vien still leads Vinamit to accompany farmers and Vietnamese agriculture, with various fruits, even with rice and coffee, to add value for Vietnamese agricultural commodities.

back of package

a closer look at the ingredients

There aren't a lot of ingredients... and they seem safe... in case you missed it, there are only 2. Jackfruit and Canola Oil. The Nutrition Facts also produce an indication that these chips are safe to eat (if you are on a diet). For the WHOLE bag, it only contains 15.62g of sugar and 3.88g of fat! What a nice snack!

a look at the product

Impressions

Very crunch

Sweet

fried/baked jack fruit

lacking jackfruit taste

close up of product

While these Jackfruit chips were a wonderful novel experiment, I do miss the juiciness which makes Jackfruits... Jackfruits. These were crispy but I felt they were slightly too hard for my teeth (and that means a lot since I sometimes chew on ice!). Without the juiciness, I felt they were slightly too sweet.

Score: 5.8/10
Website: no website