Starburst Tropical

Today I tried the Tropical Starburst for the first time in a very long time. Since I'm developing the habit of writing everything I think down somewhere, and since I have rambled on about Starburst in this blog before, I thought I may as well keep the tradition going.



Royal Berry Punch - At first, it felt a bit like I was eating a nicely sweet grape that tasted just a bit like not-grape. As I went on, I realized the reason it didn't taste like grape -- besides the fact that it wasn't supposed to -- was because I was tasting the unique character of whatever berry flavors were used, and just associated the juiciness with grapes.

Pina Colada - The coconut is very understated in this. Since Starburst are fruit chews, I suppose this makes sense, and the pineapple is pretty nice in its own right, but the almost earthy, 'dark' feel of the coconut -- maybe it's that I haven't had coconut in a while, but I found my tongue craving more of that than it got.

Mango Melon - I had a strange (but pleasant, don't get me wrong) thought of gari, the pickled ginger commonly found with sushi.  It's almost as though I found a sweet element from there in here -- either that, or it was the color of the chew, a light orange that reminds one of gari (though some of the latter can be more pinkish in hue). The tang of the mango had a tangy, sour twist -- the typical citrus -- that soured my enjoyment a bit. I expected this, though, not being a fan of citrus.

Strawberry Banana - This one was my favorite, by far and as expected. It's got that candy-sweet banana, like the little sugary Runts candies, and it has the sweet strawberry akin to those candies as well. At first it seemed the strawberry was there to completely dominate the banana with its berriness, but then the richness of the banana came through. Since I love strawberries, bananas, and strawberry banana things in general, I was not disappointed.

Starburst Sweet Fiesta

Because I need justification for candy. XD

Cherry Mango - I remember when I had my first of these, I was hard-pressed to figure out what made it different from how I remembered the normal cherry flavor being. Though it'd been a while, it had much the same taste -- the juice/darkness of cherry. Having a second one, though, I tasted a burst of mango-ish flavor in the juicy note, which then panned out to cherry.


Peach Guava - This is a strange one. It starts with a slight peachy burst and a flavor I find unfamiliar (guessing that'd be the guava) but quickly pans to something that tastes like a citrusy sour peach. I'm giving it a bad spin, but the peach was too much on the tangy/sour side, or the guava made it that way, I'm not sure.

Melon Berry - The smell of melon is apparent as soon as you open it. The berry tang is apparent once you bite down, but the melon and the berry don't mix too well. It's almost like eating a chewy watermelon Jolly Rancher -- that's what the melon part tastes like -- with a sour/bitter berry aftertaste. Watermelon Jolly Rancher is tolerable on its own, more or less, but the berry hurts more than helps it.

Strawberry Pineapple - I'm sure the pineapple gave a little boost/complement to the sweetness of the strawberry, but I didn't particularly notice it. This was definitely my favorite of the bunch, though. Unsurprising, since I'm a sucker for strawberry.

Fresh Mixers Creamy Tomato and Basil Penne

As a college student, backup plans for food -- cheap ones -- are always worth looking for. So, when I saw Healthy Choice's Creamy Tomato Basil Penne microwavable pasta, I decided to add it to my cache of Plan B food options.



I don't have to resort to Plan B too often, though, which might be the reason why I didn't really like this product when I finally tried it. I will admit, it was past the 'best by' date. Granted, only by about a month and a half, but still, that does give a plausible explanation for the taste.

The wheat pasta was fine -- I poured on all the sauce, so I didn't really taste it. The sauce, though, was nothing like I expected. By its color it was creamy and suggested tomato, and by texture I suppose it fit the bill as well. But I tasted no tomato. My mouth was overrun with basil (which isn't ENTIRELY a bad thing, I suppose) and the hot sting of pepper (which is not as pleasant as basil for me).

It wasn't inedible, I finished it, but my mouth still tingles from pepper several minutes later. This, for me, is not a particularly desired result.

If I remember it cost somewhere around five to seven dollars in the store I got it at (may have been Target or Wal-Mart). Given that price and how disappointed I was, I probably wouldn't run out and give it a second try using a freshly bought package. Although, for all I know, that makes all the difference.

Obligatory Yay Giants Post

YAY GIANTS!!! :D :D :D

New York team wins Super Bowl.

I am happy.

Yay. :D