Mochi

I love a good bargain and I'm a sucker for any and all unique Hawaiian foods (not involving meat or seafood, of course). So when I saw a glistening red box of mochi treats for 99 cents at the commissary a few weeks ago, I immediately snatched them up.

"Mochi" -- defined as white rice smashed into a paste and sweetened -- is pretty popular here. I selected the chocolate-coated coffee flavor.

I had no idea what to expect, this being my first actual encounter with mochi, but a bunch of individually-wrapped thin candies about the size of Oreos was not what I had in mind. The mochi "rice cake" was hardly a cake -- it was more like a really thick, gelatinous, chewy marshmallow. And the coffee flavoring was a tan paste in the center of the whole thing.

At first my tastebuds were confused by this completely new set of flavors, but after a few bites it really grew on me. I'm not sure I would choose these over another sweet snack, but they were certainly interesting while they lasted.