Trader Ming's Cha Siu Bao Chinese Style Pork Buns

December 28, 2015
Oh no. Again. At this point, anything Trader Joe's that remotely resembles something I might order at dim sum makes A and I both excited and nervous. Excited because could my beloved TJ's have discovered something moderately game-changing? (That's mostly me) Nervous because too many old favorites have been recklessly changed by TJ's. Gotta lower the bar y'all. It looks like a smiley face! :D I steamed these according to package directions. They certainly look legitimate. Of course, since the Cantonese take credit for the cha siu bao, I let A eat 3 of the four buns! Not all at once! I was surprised. A said these were "decent" and that he's definitely had worse tasting frozen aisle cha siu baos. Whaaaat? Isn't that a little too optimistic? A said this cha siu bun actually has flavor, whereas he's had some very bland varieties. He's grading on a curve I suppose, and I'm grading according to the normal cha siu bao scale. The bao (bun) part passes with flying colors, but the cha siu meat lacks the signature barbecue flavor. Instead, it's just soy sauce and sugar. No vinegar, no hoisin sauce, no other notable flavors really. AND it's not even red-ish! At least I tried it? At least I know that TJ's cha siu baos are edible?

TL;DR: Trader Ming's Cha Siu Bao Chinese Style Pork Buns. It ain't cha siu but you can still eat it I suppose. Meh. No repurchase. 5 out of 10.

Appetizers Trader Joe's Trader Ming
Labels: Appetizers Trader Joe's Trader Ming

Trader Joe's Green Goddess Salad Dressing

February 17, 2018
I love watching the Olympics. But more than that, I LOVE watching Olympic figure skating, probably because it's one of those things I wish I could do but probably would never be able to do in a million years. This is the first year where I've been rather invested in all of the events, not just the ladies' competition (which is probably the least interesting competition IMO this year. Barring something catastrophic, it's going to be Russia #1 and #2 and everyone else fighting for a piece of the bronze). What I find fascinating is how these athletes deliver (or not!) given all the media hype leading up to the Games. Case in point - Nathan Chen. What a bittersweet journey of so so so much King Quad hype, two just awful performances, and a 6 quad redemption (yeah I know technically only landed five of them nicely..but you have to give him credit for going for it). Of course, you can't blame his performance ENTIRELY on media hype, but it definitely played a big part.

Trader Joe's Kimchi

This is one of those foods that elicits one of two distinct responses from most people. "YAAAAAAAS. LIFE." Or if you can't stand the fermentedness, the sourness, or the spice - it's a *stink face.* I'm trying not support the deterioration of English language to mere emojis, but c'mon. Stink face is pretty darn appropriate for some. And while yes I like to categorize people and things, I acknowledge that you could be indifferent. Or uninitiated. Either way, you can't deny its presence. This is the lifestuff stuff of an entire people.

Trader Joe's Sliced French Brioche

March 31, 2017
"THIS IS LIKE CRACK." No it's not (but it certainly could be), but A says that's how I tend to overhype stuff. The funny thing is that I know I overhype a lot of things, so I actually try not to overhype it. Because I don't want to proclaim, "THIS IS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER TASTED" about everything I try. But sometimes I can't help it, and the overhype spills out. Anyway, this is my meager attempt at NOT overhyping this bread (because it is pretty good actually and you should give it a try but I'm trying to restrain myself).
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