dragon beard candy 龍鬚糖 cuz i like my candy wispy

i love awkward translations of things. especially the asian ones into english...or how about this one?! not asian, but still awkward, right??

it's a real disservice to the original language because the wording probably sounded pretty rad before its massacre into english (literally). take this 龍鬚糖 (lóng​ xū​ táng) or dragon beard/whisker candy. in chinese, the wording connotes images of strong, majestic dragons with long flowy beards....in candy form. so purty, so delicate. but in english, you just think, wtf?? candy whiskers?! candy beards?! what is this edible hair follicle that you speak of? can it even be tasty?

when i saw edythe's tweet about dragon whiskers/ beard candy at the hawaii supermarket in the sgv, i got so excited that i almost peed in my pants. my last taste of this unique chinese candy was about 20+ years ago and never once did i run across it again till now.

not only is this a tasty concoction, it is also steeped in ancient chinese traditions, a confection served only to the chinese emperor and his court back in the days. the fine hair-like strands are created by constant pulling, stretching, folding of a sugary "dough" made of maltose, sugar, corn syrup, or in this case, honey. i liken it to savory hand pulled noodles, but of course this is a more delicate, sweet version. normally, the strands harden after a day, but the addition of honey keeps this candy soft.

alex goh practiced the art of dragon beard/whiskers candy making for over 20+ years. he might even look familiar to you if went to that night market fiasco in pasadena not too long ago.

stretching.

twisting.

pulling.

the strands double up in minutes.

a sweet beard indeed.

then he pulled off sections of the dragon beard and filled each piece with loose chopped peanuts, sesame seeds, and/or toasted coconut.

he carefully folds the "beard" over its peanut innards.

a sweet, silky looking cocoon is the result of all that labor!

for $5, you get a box of 8. although they are on the "smaller" side and not as sweet as i remembered, i do appreciate rediscovering them again. it is just a unique candy with an interesting history and totally worth a try especially due to its rarity. if you want your fix of some sweet hair follicles, alex is at the hawaii supermarket in san gabriel during the weekends. thanks again edythe for the lead!

Alex Goh
Dragon Whiskers Candy
(919) 597-9325

Hawaii Supermarket
120 E. Valley Blvd.
San Gabriel, CA 91776
(626) 307-0062

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

hawai'i: the crack seed store supplies me with good crack

it was just a matter of time before this crack whore found herself in front of THE crack seed store in honolulu. yeah, it might have taken a 6 hour plane ride and flying over the pacific ocean to do so, but once she stood in front of the doors of this tiny temple that glorified all that was crack seed, it was GAME OVER. her slitty eyes immediately zoned in on the rows and rows of glass jars that housed the crack she had long been searching for.

she was overjoyed that the savory crack seeds were aplenty, the legal kind that can't be smoked, shot up the arms, nor snorted lest you want to deal with a big plum seed stuck uncomfortably in your left nostril. because dahlings, crack seed, for those of you unfamiliar with it, is a preserved asian "candy" a.k.a. preserved plum that is typified by salty, sweet, and sour flavor profiles. li hing mui would be the powdery form of crack seed and is utilized most commonly on fresh or dried fruits to provide a contrast to the said fruit's natural sweetness. once eaten and appreciated, these crack seeds are truly addictive, befitting of its name.

crack jars. lovely, lovely, crack jars.

before long, her eyes rested on this glorious green shelf laden with THE THINGS she flew so far for, li hing mui covered gummies. powdery li hing mui covered sour patch kids, green apple gummies, watermelon gummies, sour belts and the like...totally sweet, yet totally sour. loves.

her mouth puckered in anticipation, knowing that each piece of li hing mui covered gummy will taste even better than the last and with giddy anticipation, she ended up buying enough bags to put her over her carry-on limit.

this crack seed store is also known for their li hing mui icee which is a regular icee mixed with a spoonful of li hing mui juice. the salty flavors mixed well with the typically sweet icee flavors.

and how grand was it for her to find a little crack seed in the midst of this refreshing red sea? she was happy. this crack, ain't whack she says and with one hefty sip and a bag full of li hing mui gummies, she bade the crack seed store a fond farewell and swore to come back again. and she will.

The Crack Seed Store
1156 Koko Head Ave.
Honolulu, HI 96816
(808) 737-1022

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

willy wonking it

Robitaille's Fine Candies
900 Linden Ave
Carpinteria, CA 93013
(805) 684-9340

price: $
verdict: tasty, try it!

god cursed me with a big ass but luckily did not dole out a double whammy by making me diabetic as well. sweet baby jesus that would suck so much given how often my sweet tooth aches. seriously, i seek out sweets like a cougar seeks out her young, succulent baby skinned prey. every day, all the time baby.

while up in carpenteria (you know, the carpet making capital of the world), i found robitaille's fine candies. it is a sleepy town for sure and a jolt of sweetness was just what the doctor ordered! it is a cute space with tons of candy ranging from chocolatey to fruity to gummy to yummy. they also have a huge selection of sugar free candy but i didn't touch that shit. nothing but processed sugar for this sweet temple that is my body.

baskets of cavities. can ya feel me?!

i bought myself a few bags of goodies, enough to satiate the sugar beast that resided in my pork belly. besides, i have the bad habit of eating with my eyes and tend to overorder or overbuy when it comes to food because i really want to taste everything but am wise enough not to always stuff face if i can help it. i seriously need to befriend a fellow sugar junkie so i can split my poisons.

the "inaugural mints" you see in the back are pretty tasty. they remind me of the green /brown andes mints that you can get at a grocery store. they are not as minty, but still creamy and delicious. i saw this woman grab 10 boxes while i was there so i was persuaded on the spot. i would totally get a box again though i would go for the smaller size since they taste old pretty quick.

my favorite was the assortment of salt water taffy. i particularly liked the banana inspired ones and my inner monkey was impressed by the banana fragrance that greeted my tongue. the chocolate mint balls reminded me of rx at ucla so i had to grab a bag as well. nothing tops sweet candy memories! the worse of the bunch were these, stale old shoes masquerading as butter cashew brittle. how pissed was i when i bit into the brittle and found out it was a fucked up confectioner's nightmare.

i don't plan to find myself in carpenteria often, but when i do, i will probably drop by robitaille for some sweet, sweet loving. it is especially sweet because of the old lady that runs it.

casa nasty

Casa Carmelkorn
19 Fishermans Wharf
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 655-2331

price: $
verdict: hells no!

sometimes, i'm a victim of rash decisions. when it comes to hunger, it is pretty obvious that these types of decisions can get pretty gross. i don't care if i find a piece of hair on it, if there's a slight hint of mold, or a faint stench permeating from the said food. if i'm hungry, i'm going to eat whatever is dead and close by to satiate THE HUNGER. ahhh, my patronage at casa carmelkorn had a hint of desperation as well.

after eating dinner at passionfish, i went to the wharf to walk off my newly acquired big belly. since i didn't order dessert there, i had a gnarly sweet tooth and casa carmelkorn happened to be the closest thing to me at that time to satiate my sweet craving. i saw the huge pile of caramel corn displayed by their window and thought of cracker jacks... i was immediately lulled in.

ugh, why did i behave like such a desperate sugar junkie? i could have literally walked down a few more storefronts to carousel to get my carmel corn fix. instead, i bought the first sweet thing i saw at casa carmelkorn which turned out to be stale, hard, and teeny weeny. i ended up eating a handful of the carmel corn and fed the rest to a family of raccoons i saw begging by the rocks.

house of crazy soda dreams

Galco's Soda Pop Stop
5702 York Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90042
(323) 255-7115
www.sodapopstop.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

my 8 year hiatus from soda has officially ended today as i finished my second bottle of soda and burp out this review. i DECLARE that galco's is AWESOME. no, no, wait. it's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious yah hear?!

i finally got the opportunity to drive my butt to galco's. the hype from watching food networks spotlights, huel howser's visits, and my friend's regular shopping sprees there inspired me to check it out. i wasn't expecting to spend much there...after all, i've been soda abstinent for so long. boy was i wrong.

galco's is fun. be ready to feast your eyes upon aisles upon aisles of soda, ranging from the quirky to the commercial. i picked up a few:

-clearly canadian (a childhood favorite...until they switched it to zero calories with the artificial sweetner. tastes like crap now)
-moxie (as suggested, i am suppose to sip this, not gulp it)
-rose flavored soda
-henry weinhard's root beer (oh dang, you tasty!)
-cherry soda (it is so red it will stain your teeth)
-black cherry soda

the other half of the store is stocked with beers of all types that you can buy per bottle or pack. i got a pack of lowenbrau beer for pops (seriously taking it back old school with that one).

not to mention, galco's also houses a nice selection of old fashion sweets: zagnut, chick-o-stick, mallo-cup, and my ultimate childhood favorite THE CHEWING GUMS SHAPED LIKE A CIGARETTE THAT YOU TAP AND THEN BLOW POWDER SMOKE OUT OF. you remember those?! they look like a pack of smokes but totally kid friendly!

so basically, i'm never coming back here again. my teeth can't take all that sweetness....ok, maybe i'll just come back ONE more time...ok, maybe i'm coming back tomorrow...alright, i'm leaving NOW.

4 pack of teeth decay

toffee for the tummy

Littlejohn's English Toffee House
6333 W 3rd St
Park La Brea, CA 90036
(323) 936-5379
www.littlejohnscandies.com

price: $
verdict: omg, i love it!

if you don't mind going down the road of weight gain or diabetes, come to little john's!! they make THE BEST toffee in the world. one bite will get you hooked for life and pretty soon you will be snorting this stuff. if you haven't tried it, YOU MUST! the perfect balance of sweetness with the soft crunch (oxymoron it is not) of the almond toffee will set your taste buds ablazing...but your muffin top won't be too happy about this discovery. eat wisely and in moderation. lol.