Most of the time, I love this gig. But damn -- not so much today. I just bit into a "coconut crisp ball" made in Malaysia, and I'm still cringing. It's not that the little thing tasted badly. Actually, it didn't have much taste at all. But it's this film it left in my mouth, which is like a layer of coconut ball cellophane has made its home.
In my quest for unusual eats, I picked this snack up at an Asian market in Sunrise. The brand name was Ego, which gave me a kick, and the contents seemed appetizing enough: glutinous rice flour, coconut, vegetable oil (palm oil), sugar, glucose, salt and yam. Hmm. Yam and coconut? Those crazy Malaysians.
In the product's defense, the bag was
imprinted with "Best Before /" and a slew
of Asian characters that
probably translate to mean "1999." Each of the little critters was
individually
packaged, so what's the probability that they'd all be bad? Well, every
little crispy, coconut coated, beige sphere has a scent that's a mix of
coconut and something unappetizing, like
crayons.
One thing's for sure -- they're
definitely crispy. No false advertising there. The little
snowball-looking things crumble to bits, so it's best to just shove them
whole in your mouth. Then chase it with a bottle of Jack.
Who should eat these? Anyone who wants a more socially acceptable way to eat a snack of crayons.