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I received the March Jungle Stand – Tasting Bar (they call the box a “bar”) in the mail today and I wasn’t at all sure what to expect. All I really knew was that the BAR was $9.92/month and would “have bite-sized samples for you to taste…and most certainly…to EXPERIENCE”.
The Jungle Stand – Tasting Bar comes packaged in a plain white plastic envelope. And inside is this fun bright box! I was shocked at box big the box was. I expected a little Love With Food type box. Wrong. This was a great size and I was already pleased!
Everything was nicely packed and look like someone really took the time to make it look good. I always enjoy that kind of thing because it means the person packing the box really took their time with it and likes what they do.
The March Jungle Stand – Tasting Bar theme was “The Baker’s Trip Around the World” and is called The Globe Trotting Bar. The Globe Trotting Bar included 6 pastries from 6 different countries and is designed to open your eyes to how the rest of the world lives. The card says that while you “may NOT enjoy your 1st taste, but with an open mind, your 2nd one may be better. And who knows? You may fall in love by your 3rd”.
B’s class happened to get canceled tonight, so in between college basketball games, we decided to have a little tasting of everything. Here’s what was included and what we thought.
~Hopia (from the Philippines): Hmm. I had no idea what this was until I read the card. Turns out it’s a bean filled pastry. Sweet yellow beans in this case. I am not 100% sure how the saltines come into play, but I’ll GTS and see what I can come up with. Maybe they are to cleanse the pallet? B and I tried this and agreed it was okay. Not amazing. Not bad. Okay.
~Pineapple Cake (from Taiwan): Now this sounds delicious. It’s billed as the most popular pastry in Taiwan and it’s a cake with a buttery crust and a pineapple jam filling. I’m was unclear what could be wrong with this treat when I read about it and I totally thought the same after I tried it. It’s like a pineapple fig newton.
~Pastelitos de Mango (from Cuba): Pastelitos are pastries with fillings – mango in this case. The card says they are similar to American turnovers. I’m not overly found of turnovers but this was very good. We both tried a little and then B snatched up the rest!
~Macaroon (aka Glazed Anise Fingers) (from Lebanon): I’ve had these before and yeah, they are amazing. They are a described as a very indulgent dessert with a lot of sugar (which probably explains why I like them so much) and are glazed with honey. We have a large Middle Eastern population in the Metro Detroit area and every so often one of my clients or co-workers would bring in treats like these. The packaged ones aren’t as good as the fresh out of the bakery ones, but come on, what do you expect?
~Baklava (from Greece): I feel like most people know what Baklava is, but I’ll tell you anyway. It’s a pastry with light, flakey layers of crust and a sweet filling. I can’t tell you the last time I have had Baklava, so when I tasted it tonight I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it (as did B).
~Rice Cakes (from Vietnam): Man, these scared me. They are a chewy sponge cake made from rice flour, water & sugar. The taste offered two flavors, banana and pine-leaf and neither were as bad as, I thought they’d be. B thought they were horrid. Remind me never to take him on the Amazing Race or to anywhere we might be forced to eat weird local foods. The texture on these were off though. Sort of like a gummy bear.
I gotta tell you, I wasn’t so sure what I’d think about this box because everything sounded a little out of my comfort zone, but I’m in love. B and I had such a good time tasting everything and reading about the different tastes, etc. I could totally see us enjoying this box every month as a sort of stay-home date night. And for only $9.92/month? Come on. How can I not subscribe?
Do you subscribe to The Jungle Stand – Tasting Bar? What’d you think? If you are interested in subscribing or want to learn more, click here.
