Cap Lowo (brand) Pisan Salai ? On a bus to the city of Yogyaharta in Java, Indonesia, we stopped for our inclusive dinner. In the middle of nowhere we filed into a cafeteria for some sort of tofu soup & rice. Available for sale were strange looking packages with all sorts of sweet goodies inside - most of which were a mystery.  However, gelatinous rice seemed to be a main ingredient in most. I picked up this one because of the cool bat design on the front. Much to my surprise it contained nothing but delicious & nutritious dried bananas (or as they’re called by the natives, “banyuwangi”)

Garuda (brand) Kacang Atom ? These are peanuts covered with tapioca flour (a substance that seems to be  pretty popular in Asia) with added sugar, salt, and garlic. Someone should think about boosting the flavor in these things & packaging them for the American convenience store market. They’re pretty damn good. The hot ones are the best even though they aren’t really hot. They sorta taste like Peanut Butter Captain Crunch, which I always loved. The blow-up on the back exclaims: “Ini Kacangku!” Whatever that means.

NY NOKO (brand?) enting-enting jaheoleh-oleh khas tawangmangu ? I have little idea what this is, but once again my instincts served me well.  I picked this up at a big sweets stand in Yogyaharta, Java. The entire
conglomeration looks something like a pan flute. The prescence of ginger is overwhelming. After knawing on it for awhile my whole body seemed to buzz as the stuff flowed through my veins - nice effect. The blow-up on the back lets you know it’s “spesial” [sic].

Delfi (brand) Choki Choki ? Basically chocolate Betty Crocker-like frosting in little plastic straws.  Included in the package is a collector’s card featuring of knee-high skirted pre-teen in a cutsie pose. Flip it over to read all about her likes & dislikes. You can even write to her if you’re either really young or really creepy. Mine was named Leony Hartanti from Jakarta (the capital city of Indonesia). She likes pizza, studies biologi [sic], & prefers to dress casual. Contains five phallic tubes per pack.