Pringles Smoky Mesquite BBQ

I never noticed how wild Pringles can art is. This one has baco, a kabob on a grill, and someone painting sauce on a chip. Is that how this flavor tastes? Answer: no. Like all BBQ pringles, this tastes like a bowling alley. Smokey and a little BBQy. Also, Pringlesy, much to my dismay. But I do like BBQy, so that's something. It's a tomato-heavy flavor and not very "spicy" or "vinegary". A little lime for unknown reasons. A little bit Arby's roast beef + Arby's sauce vibe (I miss you, Arby)!

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 6/10 

Hershey's Salted Caramel Ice Cream Flavored Candy Bar

What's new at Hershey's, I asked myself recently. More "white creme" bars (like cookies 'n creme) and less chocolate bars, it turns out. A turn for the worse, but at least it's not an IP tie in, so let's give 'em a shot. First up: caramel flavored ice cream bar (crucially, not ice cream, just bar). Some confounds: it's 8mil degrees and rat city, so I kept this in my fridge. It's not melted but that's probably not how it was meant to be stored. And this is made in Malaysia, which I haven't been to and know nothing about, so the allergy protocol is a little more Question Mark which is sure to put me off a little.

Anyway, this is cute in appearance. Little ice-cream-cone shape pieces. And it's 200 calos of essentially pure sugar with light milk, so that's what it is and it's not pretending to be otherwise. But despite containing no coconut, it tastes to me like definitely coconut. Like the inside of a mounds bar. That is not what caramel tastes like. I guess I can get the "melting ice cream" + "cone" notes if I mouth-squint, but it's not obvious if they don't tell you. Caramel sauce, sure, okay. But not a GOOD caramel sauce, more like a Hershey's caramel syrup (lol). Texture-wise there are little firm toffee pieces (more sugar I assume), which is fun-adjacent. I didn't really like this. Maybe on a colder day I will feel differently. 

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 5/10 

Green Giant Simply Steam Cheesy Riced Cauliflower & Broccoli

Lol, I didn't realise this was riced cauliflower when I bought it (and not riced rice). That's actually an upgrade because it tastes better and is a bonus veg. But it's way fewer calories, which is actually bad because I'm so hungry all the time. It's also not very cost effective to eat 80 calos (both servings in the box) for like, 3 bucks. I was in a dark place when I bought this (the grocery store). Anyway, there's shockingly little cheese goo or brocco included (thus the 80 calos I guess), but it tasted way more balanced/better than it looked. A great product if you are rich. (Well, OK, maybe not rich. Slightly richer and/or different food priorities-er than me!)

Overall
Cost: 5/10 [2-3$]
Taste: 7/10  

Birds Eye Steamfresh Seasoned Chicken Flavored Rice

Birds Eye ain't what it used to be... but neither am I! This has only milk as an allergen (although some random reviewer online who is allergic to "only cranberries and oysters" had a reaction, for whatever that's worth, lol), and as I'm always in search of new veg landscapes, I had to check it out. It is easy to cook, I'll give 'em that, although it smells a lot like canned chicken soup (no doubt due to the combo of chicken fat, corn protein, carrot, and onion). No soy though!! They promised!! The onions are really to its detriment, at least on first nibble/smell. The rice and seasoning and carrot/brocco is fine, but the onion flavor is overpowering. However, maybe it's the MSG talking, but this was pretty tasty. I wished there was more. I'm a fool... a fool for seasoned chicken flavored rice.

Overall
Cost: 5/10
Taste: 7/10 

7-Layer Dip Pringles

What even IS 7-layer dip? I've never had it, so I assume one layer is Bean. And then like..meat? Tomato? Cheese? Sour Cream? Guac? Lettuce? This can shows chip (but I assume that's for dipping and not dip) and olive (ew), and as far as I can tell, no bean. So although the ingredos don't have Bean, there IS "natural flavors" which could ostensibly be bean, which would kill me. But surely if there were bean, they wouldn't hide it, they'd be proud to declare essence of Bean. Some neurotics are born, others are made (by food allergy). Anyway, I ate 'em, so I can decree: no bean. 

The flavor notes are very: tortilla chip (unexpected!), paprika, cumin, taco seasoning in general, mild cheddar cheese dust, mild sour cream, possible lettuce vibe (weird). Pretty accurate flavor match, in other words. You can almost not notice the powerful pringle undertone, which is always my goal with pringles. But it is still there, a little. This flavor isn't listed on the Pringles Website, so perhaps it is discontinued (or otherwise secret). There is a slight olive afternote. Ew (impressed). Also a slight mealiness which I associate with my assumptions about pinto bean paste, although that is also a feature of many potato-forward pringles, too. I guess that's a value add(??). 

Not my favorite flavor, mostly due to bean fears and related anxieties, but pretty impressive/unique/I like the green can. 

Overall
Cost: 7/10
Taste: 6/10 

my mochi - Barbie cotton candy

Is this any different than the Non-Barbie cotton candy flavor? Probably not (except it is purple). But my store only carries Barbie flavors and Dubai Chocolate, apparently. Anyway, a new flavor's a new flavor. I wish I liked these as much as I want to, but I still think a mochi is a lower-tier ice cream treat. Still, the company is so good (and the packaging is very cute), so I will continue to support. They also do a great job with flavors that sound terrible. This tastes nothing like cotton candy, which is a huge compliment. It's like generic grape-lavender vanilla. Cloud flavored, maybe. Subtle fruit-adjacent sweetness. The dough bit is actually sweeter than the filling, which is maybe not surprising for a mochi but is surprising for an ice cream. Good little treat. And a nut free logo on the back of this one! Thanks Barbie!

Overall
Cost: 3/10 [8$, a bit insane]
Taste: 7/10 

Haribo Sour Sodas

New Haribo?! Very exciting. I'm a big fan of soda flavored candy (OK, I'm a big fan of bottle caps), so let's see. 

Well, the texture is freakin' weird. They are soft like the unicorn gummies, but not bite-through-able. Also, they don't taste anything like soda. But they are sour. They also melted and fused together a lot. 

Cherry-cola: I'm getting cherry, I'm getting Haribo gummy, I'm not getting cola. Ehhh. Wait, but another one tastes only of cola, no cherry. Are they unevenly created?! Intriguing. 6/10? 

Peach-blue raspberry: This just tastes like a peach gummy but sour. I like sour but I don't love peach gummy, even in frog or bottle form. Ehhh. 5/10 

Lemon-strawberry: This one tastes like french fries. What the hell is going on here. 5/10

Overall
Cost: 6/10
Taste: 5/10 (except the one cola-flavored one )