Asian Snack: Eishindo Mini Cup Jelly ("Kuiso Jelly") 

Manufacturer: Distributed by Nishin Trading

Country of Origin: Product of Japan

Pre-Consumption Expectations: Sometime in the 90s, jelly cups (also known as "konjac candy") were huge. And then came the jelly cup choking scare: apparently, the little suckers were of a shape, size and consistency that they caused a number of unfortunate choking deaths. I didn't know this until doing research for this post, but they were even banned in the EU. Manufacturers subsequently changed the shape, size and so forth to reduce the hazard, but please do consume (and chew) at your own risk! In any case, we were already familiar with the candies, and spied them in the grocery store, surprised that they were still around. 

Texture: softer, more silky than jello, with water. They're waterier than I remember ... that might have to do with the agar agar.

Taste: Frankly I can’t quite tell which flavor I’m tasting. The yellow jelly is so yellow, I think I must be eating pineapple, but there's just a hint of that fruit's flavor. It's more ... just ... SWEET, 100% artificial flavor. If you haven't had one of these before, think Jell-O, except tougher tasting. We actually enjoy these better in frozen form (pictured above), which apparently is also a choking hazard. Frozen, they resemble mini popsicles that hold their shape. 

Quotes from the Snack Panel: "Don't forget to chew them!" 

Stars: 2 out of 5. These things just don't appeal to our adult sensibilities

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