Gari Gari Kun strikes again, Ice Coffee, Sour Peach and Green Apple Yogurt!!! My lunch with friends and another potato update...

Gari Gari Kun popsicles are one of the cool things about living in Japan! They're so good. While Noah and I were at the Besia/Cainz grocery store stocking up on cheap jasmine teas and cheap store brand ziplock type freezer gallon bags, we picked up some ice cream and popsicles to take home, this was when his class was closed for that week, the date on this was May 23rd. Spotted some new flavors. Ice coffee looks nice, I bet, Noboru will try this one at least once!

You know, I was sorta thinking this one was also out last year too. Either way, it says sour and I bet in the hotter weather this will be so good!

Green apple yogurt flavor and inside there is yogurt flavor and ramune type round things inside. I didn't buy any of these 3 Gari Gari flavors up above, but I'm thinking about it. I usually pick up ice cream/popsicles  once a week at Besia/Cainz (in summer) and that's only because of the price. Price of most ice creams at Besia, single serving size are about 36-38 yen each. Where as say 7-11 they're about 120-130 yen a piece! Huge price difference, which is why I prefer buy them at Besia. : ) I can get more for my money...when buying ice cream and popsicles at Besia.

These are what I picked up that week. The choco banana ice cream ones are *so* good! The kids and I love those and they are 36-38 yen a piece! And I already know Noboru prefers 1 simple vanilla..pictured top upper left and the one next to it, the Shirokuma one is his other fave. : ) And Calpis jelly's get tossed in the freezer and any other good tasting jelly's too, because perfect size when either Branden or Noah come home from school melting hot and need just an instant cool down, and the size they can just pop it in their mouth. Same for weekends, when they come inside melting hot needing a refill on their thermos, these frozen jelly's are a nice thing in the warmer weather and they can bring one out to their friend too/share one. : ) 

Monday, I went out to lunch with 2 of my really good girlfriends. We went to Coco's for lunch. Coco's is currently having some limited time only specials. Mexico, Peru and Brazil. Mexico was a taco salad, one of my friends had that, it looked really good! : ) I meanwhile debated getting my regular thing I usually order at Coco's, or the half chicken from Peru. It was a bit pricier than my regular lunch pick here, but I did order the chicken. #1, I love roasted chicken, #2, it's limited time, so why not. I am so glad I tried it because it was delicious!

You get the whole chicken leg quarter (drum and thigh) and huge chicken breast and wing. It was cooked 100% and crispy skin and the seasoning on this was delicous! The chicken was also so juicy, it was cooked perfectly! It came with a teeny tiny amount of fries/potato wedges, wish the amount on the fries was bigger then what it was, considering it was 1200 or 1400 yen! The amount of chicken was plenty! But yeah they shouldn't have scrimped so much on the potato wedges. 

The sauces for dipping, 1 was olive oil or oil, wasn't sure if it was infused with flavors or not, but I skipped the oil. I did however enjoy the flavored salt and the chili on the bottom was *amazing*...it was pure fire and had such a kick, but it was so flavorful and good! My girlfriends kept laughing because they kept saying it looked like miso paste. lol! It wasn't though at all....and it was an amazing delicious chili. I would like to go back here before it is taken off the menu. It was THAT good! : ) 

Look how big the potatoes have gotten! They have grown by leaps and bounds since the last picture! 8 plants have survived total. The only thing is, some plants are big and normal size, but some look like teeny tiny in size. Hmmm. 

See, 1 big plant in the center and 1 shrunken mini one on the left and one small one in front of the big one. I am not sure if these potatoes will catch up to each other in size or if it will affect the potatoes underneath at all. Who knows...we will find out when it comes time to harvest them. : ) Alrighty, that's it for me for today. 

Gari Gari-kun spaghetti flavored popsicle and cream stew flavored popsicle

Gari-Gari-kun is the name of a brand of popsicle sold here in Japan. You will usually see this guys face on the popsicle wrapper. The brand is pretty popular here. Our family loves Gari-Gari-kun popsicles.  For one, depending on where you buy them, they can run  40 yen each (usually at Besia/Cainz), to 60 yen each, around there. Just depends where you buy them. They usually have chunky chopped ice inside and smooth on the outside. The usual one is blue (soda), and they make them in all sorts of yummy flavors, like, pear (nashi), cola, chocolate, white peach, kiwi fruit (this one was so good), lemon, just many many flavors. And for kids. they sell school supplies, like pencils with the Gari Gari-kun logo, Noah's pencil a few posts below he had a few Gari-Gari-kun popsicle pencils. They sell a Gari Gari eraser (that my 2 kiddos have owned before), glue, tissues. And lately...they have been selling "interesting" flavors. The first, we personally saw, was the Corn Potage one, think along the lines of corn chowder or corn soup, Noboru tried it and didn't care for it. : ) And then, about 3 weeks ago, I saw these being sold at my regular grocery store and have since seen them all over the place too. :  ) This one says, Gari Gari-kun Rich Neapolitan flavor. Spaghetti flavor basically and with tomato jelly inside.  I did not buy it.: )

This one is, Rich Cream Stew, with potatoes inside. I think I'll, just stick with the fruit flavors, chocolate or soda flavors. : ) But interesting though, right. : )