Kazoozles from Wonka

I’ve never really had a sweet tooth. As a child, I was brought up thinking cut up fruit with some chile powder sprinkled on top was a “treat”. Needless to say, my culture’s “Pico De Gallo“s trumped most candy that tried to be my mouth’s new mistress. That is, until about a few weeks ago…

The Holy Grail

We were in a Love’s Gas Station when I happened upon a whale of a deal: two new candies from Wonka for a buck. Now, as far as candy goes, Wonka’s got a good track record. These are the people who brought us Nerds. These are the fine folks that had us jacked up on Pixy Stix as children. Laffy Taffy? C’mon people. Aside from a good reputation, I ultimately decided to purchase them because I’m an American Hero. How so? Well, the economy is all kinds of messed up at the moment. I had two choices that night: I could be a hero and stimulate the economy with my hard-earned dollar, or I could walk out and not have bought anything.

I’m no terrorist. America, you can thank me later…

The texture of the confectionery creation is the first thing that took me by surprise. It’s a lot softer than most licorice. I

FACT: Kazoozles are tastier than highlighters.

imagine the protective outer licorice casing to be the lovechild of a Red Vine and a Gummy Bear. Like I said… weird texture. The interior of the candy limbo’ed from being an Airhead (which I hear are “outta control”) to almost a paste. It’s a bit tart. It’s very sweet. It’s an explosion of flavor, that’s for sure. I really can’t compare it to anything else on the market as I can’t remember the last time I was this pleased with a candy.

I’ve stocked up on the delightful concoctions just to give them to people. Almost as if I were running for office or something. Everyone that’s had one agrees: this is the best thing to happen to them since the day of my birth. All kidding aside, big kudos to the Wonka team for making such an amazing candy. I’m confident that this’ll be a big hit as more people pick them up.

I don’t even need WonkaVision to know that! Bam!

Soy Sauce Number Four from Orochon Ramen

Yum, son!

Ramen is something the average American isn’t too familar with. Sure, most of us grew up on the cup variation in college, but very few people have had an authentic bowl of Japanese ramen. You’re now probably staring at your case of Cup O’ Noodles sitting on top of your fridge and are pissed that you’ve been duped by your local grocer. You want ramen. The real deal. But where does one go for a truly authentic and amazing bowl of ramen?

In the heart of Little Tokyo, so you know it's good!

The Little Tokyo District of LA is a great start if you don’t have a ticket to Japan readily available. Founded around the beginning of the 20th century, Little Tokyo is a goldmine for authentic Japanese food and a frequent dinner spot for the LTT crew. We called for the first ever LTT Dinner Party last night and had a great turnout.

Let’s get down to business. Orochon Ramen has plenty of competition. What separates this ramen shop from the rest is the spiciness of their broth. They have a total of nine levels of spice, with the top two being suicidal. Out of the thousands of people that have tried the “Special 2″, the absolute hottest ramen they have to offer, only a few hundred have succeeded. They have a wall in their honor named the “Wall of Bravery” that’s worth a look at. You can see a picture of my idol while you’re there.

LTT didn’t go with a death wish. We just went for some delicious ramen. We had basic Orochon 4, a ramen with great

Pick a broth, then a spice level, & finally your extras.

broth and just the right amount of kick. For those that like their foods really spicy, we suggest kicking up to Impact Orochon 3. It would be spicy enough to give your tongue a workout, but not too spicy where you ditch the monstrosity. The option to add extras to your ramen is something that shouldn’t be overlooked, especially when it comes to the Cha-Shu Pork Slice. We added Cha-Shu, extra noodles, and a slab of butter to ours.

The broth is very complicated. There’s definitely some cayenne peppers in there, but subtle hints of other spices I still haven’t been able to place my finger on. Of course, if it were that easy, Orochon would have copycats everywhere. Maybe it’s a good thing it’s complicated.

Definitely worth a try, especially if you’re a ninja on your off-time or something.

Shrimp Scampi from Giovanni’s Shrimp Truck

Of course, the first time we try doing video here at LTT, the Wind Gods have to have an ass attack and ruin our precious audio. -.-

But I digress…

We were told about Giovanni’s during our most recent trip to Hawaii by one of the locals. He gave us some ridiculous driving directions to North Shore, saying that we will, at some point, feel as though we’re lost. We headed there uneasy, thinking we just got duped by a local.

If you don't feel lost, you've gone too far...

It is out in the middle of nowhere. You pass up all the primo surfing spots, a town or two, fruit stands, Turtle Bay Resort, and other general points of interest. You’ll know you’re going in the right direction, however, when you start seeing what look like little ponds in marshes. These ponds are shrimp farms and are the first key to some truly amazing food. Because it doesn’t get much more fresh than having the actual shrimp you’re cooking living in your backyard, doin’ little tumble turns in the water with his buddies.

You start seeing shrimp trucks dot the Kamehameha highway. Welcome to Kahuku, a town well known for its aquaculture, shrimp trucks, and failed Fox TV Series. Keep passing up all the trucks until you see what looks like a picnic area and a white truck that looks likeMarc Ecko got a hold of for a few minutes. Don’t expect waiter service, valet parking, or a Black-Tie affair. This place is simply a truck serving good eats and some picnic tables for you to eat said food. The menu is limited and is as follows:

• Shrimp Scampi
• Hot-N-Spicy Shrimp
• Lemon-N-Butter Shrimp

Regardless of what you pick, it’s twelve bucks a plate. That includes two scoops of rice and 12 jumbo shrimp cooked up in your choice of the aforementioned sauces and whatnot. The Scampi is their claim to fame, and if you’re a big garlic fan, this is one you don’t wanna miss. The shrimp are served with skin, so you’ll have to peel-and-eat them. But, man oh man, it’s worth putting in a little work for these scrumptious shrimp. They’re massive and tasty.

Refreshing!

The butter and garlic are a tag-team made in Heaven, and they’ll quickly go to work on your tastebuds. Slapping your tongue around, asking where their “money’s at”. The rice makes for great texture when paired with the shrimp. Drinks are limited, but I suggest pairing it with local favorite Hawaiian Sun Natural Green Tea with Ginseng. It compliments the food very well. Another thing that’s worth trying is Giovanni’s Garlic Dog, a huge hot dog cooked in the same magical substance the Shrimp Scampi is cooked in. We all had one after annihilating our shrimp plates.

Hawaii has amazing food and some amazing restaurants. This, I learned very quickly while on the island. Being back on the Mainland now and thinking about my trip, it’s amazing how the restaurants we visited (while being delicious) still didn’t hold a candle to Giovanni’s Truck. For being so simple, it was simply amazing.