Nov 8, 2024 Metro Eats
Kia ora,
For multiple reasons, it’s been one of those weeks — weird, tense, gloomy — the latest in a parade of weird, tense, gloomy weeks that seems to stretch on with relentless energy. Ordinarily, when significant current events come up as they have this week, the kind that’s on everybody’s minds, I wrack my brain for ways to connect them to this food newsletter, because, as is often on loop in the back of my mind: Food is political! Everything is political!
In a week like this, it feels strange to write without acknowledging the weight in the air, but sometimes, there just isn’t a way to neatly distill the news of the day into some food-adjacent topic (nor is it necessarily helpful). This is one of those weeks. Besides, there’s plenty of good stuff to read, and you don’t need another take on elections and parliamentary bills (read THIS or THIS instead) and so on from a food writer.
So, instead, I’m introducing a new occasional edition of this newsletter that I hope will become a semi-regular feature in your inboxes: a newsletter instalment dedicated entirely to snacks. I eat a lot of snacks and also get a lot of snack PR, so this is a way for me to turn that into something useful. I’ll aim for a monthly (maybe less often, who knows!) round-up of new snacks, revisited snacks, hits, misses, and everything in between. Consider this newsletter as a trial run — a chance to fine-tune the format as I figure out the best way to report on the snack landscape. For now, I’m defining ‘snack’ as something packaged, ready to eat, with no prep required.
Snacks perhaps act as a reminder that there are times where you just have to find those small comforts, those tiny nooks of solace wherever you can to avoid leaning into despair — whether it’s trying a fun new drink, finally opening that saved packet of biscuits, or disassociating in the chip aisle at the supermarket. It may sound like hollow relief, but sometimes you need that tiny moment of care — self-care and community care both matter. And even more, snacks, in their way, remind us of the importance to stay curious, to look beyond ourselves, and right now, that’s something that feels especially vital.
Hei konā mai,
Charlotte
What’s new?
My ideal chip is a classic, robust salt-and-vinegar from the supermarket, so I’m always a bit wary of anything that seems overly ‘sophisticated’ or complex. Enter the new Superbon Chips de Madrid that Farro started carrying last month ($5.99, or $6.99 for the truffle flavour). They’re most definitely at the higher end of what I’d ordinarily consider paying for chips, but these come with credentials — they’re crafted by a chef (Philippe Emanuelli), made with all-natural ingredients, and housed in some of the most beautiful chip packaging I’ve ever encountered. I’ve since given into temptation and have tried both the pimento chilli pepper and yellow paprika flavours: they’re subtle, almost boring, at first, not overly salty, with (in the case of these two flavours) a faint smoky note and a gentle floral hum, but they’re also very, very good. If you’re in the mood to splurge, these are worth a try.
Two new beverages have made their way into the world of late. First up is Picky, a fresh line of juices and smoothies that you might have noticed in your supermarket’s fridge section. From what I gather, Picky is a new creation from the folks behind Boring Oat Milk, and it’s essentially a rebranding of The Apple Press juice brand, now with a refreshed line-up. Our office fridge is currently stocked with six juices and four smoothies (courtesy of a very generous Picky delivery — thank you!), and my favourite of the lot is the apple and blueberry blend (the idea of blueberry juice sounds very luxe to me). Fans of The Apple Press’s jazz apple juice will be glad to know that it’s still around, just with a new label and name — however, I’m not entirely sure if their other apple varieties have survived the rebranding. Then there’s Uplift, the latest product from “brain drink” brand Ārepa. This sparkling peach and ginger drink (with curious-sounding ingredients like L-theanine and American ginseng, plus 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamins B5 and B6) is a bit of a shift from their previous, Ribena-esque juices, and is pitched as a drink to combat “the afternoon slump”.
Three good snacks.
Earl Grey Chocolate & Feuilletine Coated Strawberries, (unsure of price) from Muji: These are a lesson in eating today the snack you’ve been saving for some indeterminate special occasion in the future. I bought these almost a year ago in Tokyo and only allowed myself to crack into them this week (and yes, they were past the best-before date). Regrets for not letting myself eat them sooner aside, these were lovely: a freeze-dried strawberry in a cocoon of crunchy feuilletine (essentially a crushed crispy crepe) and Earl Grey-spiked chocolate. Just perfect.
Walkers Shortbread, $3.69 from Woolworths: Amidst its glitzy chocolate-coated, marshmallow-filled, hundreds-and-thousands-covered neighbours in the biscuit aisle, supermarket shortbread is an understated gem — often overlooked, even, admittedly, by me. The pack I picked up still bore the “By Appointment to Her Majesty the Queen” stamp, hinting that it might’ve been around for a while, but I had exactly zero complaints: buttery, simple, flawless. And the tartan packaging? Surprisingly chic!
Calbee Grill A Corn Hot & Spicy Flavour, $3.60 from Japan Mart: As mentioned above, my relationship with international chips is fraught. I’m always dubious about whether they’ll actually taste good, but I’m also quite drawn to them. So, while I bought these with the lowest of expectations, I found that they were everything a good chip of this kind should be. Crispy, actually hot and spicy as the label promises (though very little suggestion of any discernible corn flavour), with a good smack of umami and just enough sweetness to round out the whole experience. As is the sign of a good bag of chips in my household, once they were opened, they didn’t even make it back to the pantry.
Three not-so-good snacks.
Arigato Cuttlefish Crackers, $3 (I think) from RuayThai Mart: Too sweet!
Swizzels Drumstick Squashies Rhubarb & Custard Flavour, $3.90 from British Food Imports: While ducking into a Wellington shop to escape the wind recently, I spotted a bag of these rhubarb and custard lollies. Being a big rhubarb and custard fan, I thought they’d be an easy win. Unfortunately, they were not. Really, really not. For some reason they tasted overwhelming of clove, which left me baffled. On the bright side, the texture was spot on! I also picked up a few other rhubarb and custard lollies from the same shop, fingers crossed they’ll be redeeming.
Sabritones Puffed Wheat Snack Chili & Lime, $3 from US2U: A truly terrible chip experience. What I assume it’s like to eat a piece of cardboard that’s been given a squeeze of lime and a sprinkle of chilli.
–
Pot Luck delivers free to the finest inboxes of Auckland every week(ish)!
Sign up to get it here
