Universal Yums - Holiday 2018

The kids & I have been obsessed with the idea of Universal Yums for over a year now, (is there *anything* more ME than international + food?!?! :-D) so we were THRILLED BEYOND when Grandma & Grandpa Blake gifted us with a subscription for Christmas! It’s a monthly box of several international snacks, with each box coming from a different country, except for Dec which is a box of holiday specialties from all around the world.

The holiday box is our first! We read through the whole booklet that explains the origins & traditions surrounding each item & country, as we slowly made our way through each tasting:

Surprises: I was surprised how much I loved the Chinese New Year candy (not usually a strong sesame fan) - it tasted like the inside of a gourmet Butterfinger. I also wasn’t sure about the mustard potato chips from the Czech Republic - I can’t stop eating them! (Annelise didn’t like; Will thought they were fine.) I knew how much *I* would love the Polish gingerbread with mint icing glaze...but I didn’t think the kids - esp. Will! - would fight over every last morsel. :-D We’re very familiar with dark chocolate-covered marzipan from Germany: Annelise & I love; Will likes almond, but thinks pure marzipan is a bit strong. The prickly pear yugwa candy from South Korea was my biggest disappointment: it’s very labor-intensive to make & incredibly rare outside Korea - very special...but it was bland, virtually tasteless. :’( A tiny hint of fruit was lovely, but barely there. We wanted more bang! The Spanish chocolate nougat with crisped rice was delish, but not really unique - it tasted like a thick Crunch bar. The only thumbs down was Taiwanese egg yolk popcorn - if you’ve ever had cheesy popcorn out of a vending machine bag or popcorn tin (not gross, but softer than fresh would be from the thick layer of cheese flavor coating) that’s this.

This box was such a fun family adventure!!! (JB’s not being left out - he’s reveling in his own personal Keto snack box subscription!) The next box comes mid-January, and we can’t wait to keep exploring!

Comments

  1. I love this gift idea!!! Look forward to hearing more about these food adventures!

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    Replies
    1. They just announced January’s box will be Germany = slightly anti-climatic for me, but will also certainly fuel crazy nostalgia!!!

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