The Winter Solstice Approaches

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Tammy Cheng had the best snacks. Her dad owned a giant Asian market in the South Bay, which meant playdates at Tammy’s house were the highlight of the week. We’d cue up Speed on her family’s LaserDisc player—truly, the Chengs had it all—and help ourselves to a pantry stocked with sugary delights. The Chinese treats like milky White Rabbits and Haw Flakes were old familiar friends, but my favorites were the Japanese snacks: Pocky, fruit-flavored Kasugai gummy candies, Hi-Chews, those koalas and pandas with bloated bellies full of chocolate. I’d pack myself full of sugar until my pulse was speeding faster than a bomb-laden bus on an LA freeway.

Twenty-five years later, I don’t have a standing invitation to Tammy’s house, but I do have my monthly Bokksu box. Bokksu is a snack subscription service that brings the best sweet and savory Japanese goodies straight to my door. My first box had a "Seasons of Japan" theme and arrived with sixteen different varieties of artisanal snacks. There was a " white strawberry " that, through some type of benevolent sorcery, combined the taste and appearance of a lush strawberry with the texture and creaminess of white chocolate; several different varieties of umami senbei , or rice crackers, including these Dondon Yaki flavored with sharp-sweet tonkatsu sauce; and moist matcha cake flecked with chocolate chips, perfect for pairing with a mellow afternoon cup of green tea ( organic genmaicha sachets also included). I unboxed airy mochi puffs dusted with roasted soybean powder, yuzu sake hard candies , and doughnuts stuffed with red bean paste from Hokkaido like the lucky recipient of a care package curated by a thoughtful and snacky Japanese auntie.

Bokksu Japanese Snack Box

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Boxes ship monthly (purchase them individually, or sign up for a twelve-, six-, or three-month Bokksu subscription), and each is composed around a different theme that aims to illuminate a different aspect of Japanese culture and cuisine. Your shipment also includes a slick 'zine that tells you about the family businesses and craft snack makers behind each item, like the 100-year-old Kyoto confectionery Daimonji Ame Honpo responsible for these gorgeous translucent candies that, yes, I crushed. If you can't get enough of something in your monthly subscription box, Bokksu also operates a marketplace where you can buy premium Japanese snacks ( Alphonso mango Kit Kat !) as well as teas, pantry items, and housewares à la carte. If there's a child in your life, may I recommend this bamboo dining set shaped like the Catbus from Totoro?

I’ll still house a pack of Pocky any day of the week, but thanks to my Bokksu box, I now feel that I’m a more sophisticated Japanese snacker, attuned to regional specialities and heritage bakeries. My tastes have matured, but my appetite is still voracious (sorry, Mrs. Cheng, for repeatedly ransacking your pantry), and Bokksu has me covered.

Or you could always make your own Pocky:

Source : food