Since I was running out of time for a new food in February, I decided to try some sweet things out of the British section of Wegman's.

The first thing I got was a Lion Bar. On first reading the description, it sounded quite a bit like a 100 Grand bar; however, the addition of the wafer makes it lighter and less cloying. I would snack on one of these again, given opportunity.

The second candy I picked up was Rowntree's Fruit Pastilles. I had no idea what to expect with these; they're packaged like Mentos, so I wasn't sure if I was getting a soft candy or something more Lifesaver-like. Turns out they're chewy -- not as soft as Jelly Babies, but not unpleasant either. The flavors (flavours?) were lemon, lime, strawberry, orange, and black currant. For some reason, this package was a little heavy on the black currant. Not bad, but not my first choice in fruit tastes.

My final choice was Spotted Dick.

(OK, I'll wait until you stop tittering over the name.)

(And now I'm still waiting while you're laughing over the combination of tittering and Spotted Dick.)

(Are you done now? Good.)

I've heard about this through various British shows and novels, but never had opportunity to sample it. It's spongy and cake-like with currants and a definite brown-sugar taste. My problem with it? It's kinda dry and the version I got didn't have anything to make it more entertaining. After digging up the link for this, I now see that it needed to be served in custard. I did like the taste overall, so I'd like to try a less-processed version in the future.

I have picked up the February new cheese, but I haven't tried it yet. That might be tomorrow. :)

Got any suggestions for new foods? Post up some responses.

It was good that we could all come together as a nation yesterday to celebrate that which is our common thread: Elvis.

I did get sucked into the whole Inauguration hoohah, much to the chagrin of the Moose who was hoping for a day filled with Noggin and its preschool-y goodness. It was quite a spectacle, but by 6 PM, I had drunk my fill and it was time to move on.

So, instead of the same statements that everyone and their dogs have made, I will talk about one of my New Year's goals: trying one new food every month. January's choice: OATFEE!

(No, I don't think the uppercase and exclamation mark are truly necessary, but it does lend a little style to it.)

Oatfee is much as it seems: oatmeal made with coffee. In this case, it was oatmeal made with a Kona/Arabica blend. The verdict?

Meh.

It took a lot to sweeten it and it had a distinctive burned aftertaste. :P If I were to make this again, I would make the following changes:

1) I would use a lighter roast to eradicate the aftertaste.
2) I would make the coffee into a latte first, then use that liquid to make the oatfee.

So, anyone got any thoughts on what next month's food choice should be? Heck, if you give a good suggestion and you're at Katsucon, we could do some sort of video blog about it. :)

Stay warm, folks -- winter's not over yet.