#864: Unif Tung-I Instant Bean Vermicelli Chinese Spices Tong Tsai Flavor (Bean Thread)

I have absolutely no idea about this one. First off, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a Unif Tung-I pack. Second, I usually don’t like bean thread. Third, Tong Tsai? What’s that? Well, I’m not sure.

Here’s the back of the packaging. Click to enlarge.

Here’s the block of bean thread.

Powdered seasoning.

Looks like there are bits in there. Upon a little taste I get sweet, salty, onion? Garlic?

Seasoned oil packet.

Looks good and weird. I have somewhat high hopes of this being an interesting one.

Finished. Look rather art-like with the curves toward the top and little bubbles towards the bottom. The noodles are thin and funky as bean thread usually is. It is also really long and hard to break off with your lips. I went the kitchen scissor route and cut them. Much easier to eat that way! The broth is salty and kind of greasy with hints of garlic, onion, maybe shallots too. I am surprised; I liked this one and actually ate all of it! 3.5 out of 5.0 stars – fascinating! UPC bar code 073217060228 – get it here.

If my kid did this, they’d be grounded. Period. Also, it’s ramen – rah-men.

2011 Asia Series Game 6 KBO Samsung Lions vs. CPBL Uni-President 7 ELEVEn Lions
Uni-President 7 ELEVEn Lions fans was singing the cheer song after PH Chun-Yu Kuo’s 2 RBI home run tied Samsung 3-3 Uni-President 7 ELEVEn in 6th inning.

2011 亞洲職棒大賽預賽韓國三星獅vs.台灣統一獅，六局下統一獅郭俊佑代打全壘打追平後，全場合唱戰歌吞霸歌。

2011년 아시아 시리즈
삼성 라이온즈 (2011년 한국 프로 야구 우승) vs. 통이 세븐일레븐 라이온즈 (2011년 중화 직업 봉구 우승)
통이 세븐일레븐 라이온즈 응원 곡

2011 アジアシリーズ
韓国 – 三星ライオンズ（2011年韓国シリーズ 優勝）
vs. 台湾 – 統一セブンイレブン・ライオンズ（2011年台湾シリーズ 優勝）
6回裏 統一セブンイレブン・ライオンズ の応援曲

#860: Baijia Artificial Pickled Cabbage Fish Flavor Instant Sweet Potato Thread

In the past reviews of Baijia products, I haven’t been really stoked. I have been told by those keen on Sichuan cuisine that this is good stuff, but I think I’m not one of those who are keen on Sichuan cuisine. Regardless, I shall try this with an open mind. Let’s have a go at this one.

Here’s the back of the package – click to enlarge.

The sweet potato thread.

The powder seasoning.

Interesting.

Liquid base.

These usually look gross but are very good.

The veggie packet.

Lots of these little bean-like bits.

Finished. The noodles soaked up most of the liquid and really I must say there is a huge amount of them. The noodles are a little hard to eat; maybe using scissors to cut them before the meal would be helpful as in the way naengmyon is served in Korea. The noodles are thin and don’t separate very well. They aren’t slimy but have a gelatinous texture. They are easily broken by pursing the lips. The broth (what was left after the engorging by the noodles) was interesting,. First, very spicy and has a black pepper taste. Also has an almost vinegary acidity that almost acts like a component of the spiciness. The veggies are disappointing as they don’t really re-hydrate as one would expect. I must say this is a lot better than I expected, but I still definitely cannot eat the the whole thing by any stretch of the imagination. It’s very salty and very heavy. I would say that one of these packs could easily feed two people – kind of has that ‘stick to your ribsy’ kind of way to it like rice and beans in its fillingness. So far, probably the best Baijia I’ve had. 2.75 out of 5.0 stars. UPC bar code 6926410321396 – get it here.

Chinese Tom & Jerry

7 year old Michael Jackson impersonator

#634: Baijia Sichuan Hot Pot Flavor Instant Sweet Potato Thread

This one was sent by Michelle L. of New York! Unfortunately, for this one I have exceedingly low expectations. Every Baijia product I’ve tried has been just plain gross in my opinion.

The side panels.

Hey – a fork!

Thick liquid seasoning starting on left, powder seasoning in the middle and finally beans on the right.

Otis Pug and Daisy Pug are out cold…

So they cannot be held responsible for that vile looking thing.

Finished. While this was pretty horrible, it wasn’t as horrible as I expected. First, the noodles were not too bad themselves; they weren’t as clumpy as usual. The broth was all but gone and the bean things were as funky and odd as always. The problem as with all of the Baijia products I’ve tried thus far was the flavor. First, it’s spicy – nothing wrong with that, but it’s like a ridiculously strong black pepper kind of spicy. Also, it’s very salty  too. All in all, I felt a little funky after eating a couple of bites – I deem this non-palatable. 0.5 out of 5.0 stars. UPC barcode 6926410321341 – get the pack version here.

That’s more like it!

Yeah that’s a lot of saice!

#579: Baijia Sichuan Pickled Flavor Instant Sweet Potato Thread

Baijia has been a brand I loathe thus far. Let’s see what we have in this one.

Two packets – liquid base on left and powdered base on right.

Here’s the backside.

I can’t read Chinese, but from what I got, you put everything in a bowl, add boiling water and cover for 5-6 minutes. So that’s what I did.

Finished. The noodles are very weird; they’re thin and hard to eat to be honest. I think this is standard for sweet potato thread. The broth? Greasy. The flavor? Probably the best s far for a Baijia product that I’ve tried. Still in all, not anything enjoyable in my book. At least it’s slightly spicy. 1.75 out of 5.0 stars.

What I found when I looked up Sweet Potato on Youtube – a full length movie called ‘Sweet Potato!’

#432: Ve Wong Instant Bean Thread Seafood Flavor (Bowl)

So here’s one of the noodles I reviewed during my interview with Rachel Belle at KIRO 97.3FM. I didn’t take a lot of pictures at all, but here’s a video of the making and eating of this one- it’s ghe larger of the two being tested.

So the bean thread wasn’t too bad. I didn’t like how thin the broth was though; it was kind of lackluster. 2.5 out of 5.0 stars.