I read in Yahoo News that junk food addicts has the same brain activity as a drug addict. It seems unbelievable and maybe it was written just to create some controversy.  Quoting from the Yahoo News:

The Yale University study — published online this week and due to appear in the August issue of Archives of General Psychiatry — found that higher food addiction scores correlated with greater activation in certain areas of the brain — the same areas that light up among people with a substance dependence.

For more info you can read the details here.

It was January 23, 2009 when someone from Universal Robina Corporation (URC) sent me an email asking if they could sponsor my blog. That time I was thinking of creating another site called Job Philippines.  URC is the maker of our favorite snacks like Jack & Jill and I was a bit surprised why they are interested to sponsor my blog. To give you some proof here is her email (I didn’t include her contact info for her privacy):

Good day!

I’m Therinne Aquino from Universal Robina Corporation. May I know what your requirements are if we decide to sponsor your blog? Thank you! J

Therinne G. Aquino
URC Brand Marketing – Multigrain and Natural Potato Snacks Nova, Vcut, Potato Chips

So I immediately replied to her to tell more about it.

Hello Ma’m,

Thanks for your interest in sponsoring my blog. Actually I inserted a video from youtube of Jack and Jill commercial on the right side for you to see if it is feasible. Click this link to see it >> http://www.junkfoodie.com

And with regards to the requirement, it will depend on what kind of advertising you need either banner ads or video ads. If you have a flash movie/uploaded commercial in youtube or banner ads already made you can send it to me and I’ll put it in my blog for your approval.

Best regards,

Manny Montala

I expect that they will offer another suggestion but instead she asked for my rate card. Wikipedia defines rate card as a document containing prices and descriptions for the various ad placement options available from a media outlet. I just simply told her my ad placement and monthly rate for the ads. And this is the last email I got from her:

Okay, thank you. We’ll discuss this first internally. We’ll get in touch with you once we’ve decided. J

Therinne G. Aquino
URC Brand Marketing - Multigrain and Natural Potato SnacksNova, Vcut, Potato Chips

As of today I never got any email from her. Seems that their management doesn’t give importance to online advertising. This is what I observe in many local manufacturers unlike in the U.S. or Europe that are already aware of the importance of online advertising. Anyway I have websites and blogs on other niches and this blog is only for my passion and to help promote our product.

Better luck next time JunkFoodie!

A company was asking for me to feature their product and they are offering me a sample so I can feature them here. The only problem is the company is in the U.S. and I live in the Philippines. So it won’t be cost effective for them to send the items. Just for the info this is the email they sent me:

Hello, Manny,

I would like to propose a feature for JunkFoodie.com.

With many of your readers searching for indulgent junk-food snacks with a flavorful punch, perhaps they¹d enjoy learning about “Buffalo Peanuts.²

Jonny and Danny Levy, the Ben and Jerry of flavored nuts, have captured taste buds across the country with their Buffalo Peanuts ­ all-natural, dry-roasted peanuts with the perfect touch of sweetness and spice.
Handcrafted in small batches, Buffalo Peanuts have a crunchy sugar crust that packs the flavor of a long-held party food favorite: buffalo wings.

In addition to Buffalo Peanuts (the top seller), the Levys¹ other flavored peanut offerings include Margarita, Vanilla Rum, Habanero and Pina Colada. They also make cinnamon-roasted almonds and organic granola.

Delicious alone or as an ice cream and dessert topping, Buffalo Peanuts are part of a $26 billion a year “savory snack food” industry, as projected by the Snack Food Association. Nut snacks are leading this growth.

http://nutsaregood.com/

Can I send you samples of Buffalo Peanuts to review for JunkFoodie.com readers?

Best,
Thomas

And this is my reply:

Hello Thomas,

Thanks for writing. I saw your site and your  products. Looks tasty. Regarding the review, I don’t think it will be practical because I live in the Philippines and will cost you much on the shipping. But if alright with you just send me the item and I’ll blog about it.

Best regards,

Manny Montala
Junkfoodie.Com

Another cracker snack that catches my attention was this Oishi Tenta Squid Chips. The word TENTA was big colored blue in that red small packaging. So I thought what a creative name for a squid chips because what came into my mind was the word “tentacles”.  Also a tagalog word “tinta” which means ink in English might sound line “TENTA” also. Squid uses ink as a defense mechanism and in cooking squid dish, some dishes includes their ink for added flavor. Again so much for that, what really matters most is the taste because the most beautiful packaging is useless if it taste like crap.

When I was about to get that on our fridge (yes I store it there so our pet mice won’t chew them up) , it was already opened and half-empty. I thought I would never have a chance again to taste it. Anyway after some munching and chewing…. the taste was good with a salty sweet taste with a mild fishy squid flavor. Describing the texture and color, the little rectangular chips were dark pink and ribbed and not black as squid ink which I think will not be appetizing if you ask me.

Product Name: Oishi Tenta Squid Chips

Type of Product: Squid Cracker

Flavor: Squid Flavor.

Net Weight: 0.88 oz. (25g)

Ingredients: Wheat, Vegetable Oil, Tapioca Starch, Squid Powder, Corn Starch, Sugar, Potato Starch, Iodized Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Sauce Powder, Spices, Natural and Artificial Squid Flavor, Acesulfame Potassium, FD&C Yellow No.5, FD&C Yellow No.6, Red No. 40 and TBHQ.

Contains Wheat and Soy

Manufacturer: Liwayway Marketing Corporation – Km. 23 Aguinaldo Hi-way, Anabu 1, Imus, Cavite, Philippines

By the way, this is how the squid chips looks like outside the pack:

This is another food stuff that recently attracted my attention. With it’s gold, red and blue packaging and the word “Crispy Tilapia” on it, I was again curious about what is inside this or if it taste good or what. Since tilapia is very abundant here in the Philippines, it is often seen in wet market and fish section of supermarkets and not as chips or fish crackers. It’s not a very attractive fish but if you add value into it like the attractive packaging, well the perception of an ugly fish can be attractive.

But packaging is only the part of the story and we can see what a product really is by it’s taste. Since fresh tilapia does not have a fishy odor like salt water fishes, you can expect a fish cracker without a fishy taste and odor too. After opening the package and tasted it, you will not think that is a fish cracker because I can’t find any fishy taste. If you are looking for a fish cracker without the fishy taste well I bet this is one of the best choice but I didn’t say that I like it because I’m not fond of fish crackers anyway.

Product Name: Regent Crispy Tilapia Kropeck Snack
Type of Product: Kropeck Snack
Flavor: (Didn’t Specify- I guess it’s tilapia)
Net Weight: 30g  (1.06 oz)
Ingredients: Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Vegetable Oil (may contain coconut Oil and/or Palm Oil), Fish Flavor, Sugar, Iodized Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Food Color (Yellow #6)
Manufacturer: Regent Foods Corporation – 80 Eusco Road, Bo.Kalawaan Sur, Pasig City, Philippines

Looking at the inside of this packaging you will see this:

When I went to SaveMore Supermarket to buy some groceries, as usual it’s like strolling in a mall looking for things I have listed on a piece paper. A snack catch my attention named DORY. Well that fish is usually seen in the fish section in a form of fillet. Since it’s new I immediately bought it to blog it here. This is a fish cracker and the flavor was “original flavor”.  Also, another motivation why I want to experiment with the taste and blog about it is because it comes in small 28 gram pack and cheap.

So what will you expect with “original flavor” ?  fishy, salty and lots of mono sodium glutamate or MSG. But on the contrary, when I opened a pack of this fish cracker, well honestly at first I didn’t like the taste but after 4 pcs of munching it I came to realize how tasty it was compared to other fish crackers I’ve tasted. Very light, not too salty and the flavor is a little sweet and spicy with the light fish cracker taste.

Product Name: Oishi Dory Fish Cracker Original Flavor
Type of Product: Fish Cracker
Flavor: Original Flavor.

Net Weight: 0.99 oz. (28g)
Ingredients: Rice, Tapioca Starch, Vegetable Oil, Fish Sauce, Iodized Salt, Monosodium Glutamate, Sugar, Sodium Carbonate, Spices, Onion Powder, FD&C Yellow No.5, Hydrolized Soy Protein, Disodium Inosinate, FD&C Yellow No.6 and TBHQ.

Contains: Fish (Scad and or Pichard) and Soy.

Manufacturer: Liwayway Marketing Corporation – Km. 23 Aguinaldo Hi-way, Anabu 1, Imus, Cavite, Philippines

By the way, this is how the fish cracker looks like when you opened the pack:

Actually it’s not really hard to blog about junk food but the only hard part is when I purchased some so I can blog about it, my daughter or my wife already eaten the stuffs so I always ran out it. So I have to purchase another to taste it first but sometimes I was able to taste some of it.

Those companies making this junk food should be happy because I’m promoting their product for free and making a review out of it. Hope they advertise here someday. Anyway this snack is nothing very special, just an ordinary chips like those sold in the market. It is very similar to shrimp crackers and clover chips but the texture is smoother and more crispier. The taste is also very good. Not too salty and does not contain a lot of MSG.

Product Name: Oishi Crispy Patata – Baked Potato Flavor
Type of Product: Potato Snacks
Flavor: Baked Potato Flavor
Net Weight: 90 grams (3.17 oz)
Ingredients: Wheat, Dehydrated Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (may consists of Coconut oil and or Palm Olein), Potato Starch, Sugar, Corn, Iodized Salt (salt with Potassium Iodide), Monosodium Glutamate, (as Flavor Enhancer), Milk Powder, Baking Powder, Artificial Flavors, (Garlic & Mayonnaise, Butter, and Potato), Hydrolyzed Soy Protein, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Citric Acid, Vitamin A Palmitate, and TBHQ (added to retard rancidity).

Contains Wheat, Milk, and Soy

Manufacturer: Liwayway Marketing Corporation – Km. 23 Aguinaldo Hi-way, Anabu 1, Imus, Cavite, Philippines

It’s been a long time since I updated this blog because I can’t find enough time. I have other priorities because this niche of blogging about junk food is not as popular compared to other niches. For now I’ll just be doing it for passion.

This snack, Berrie Plunge, shouldn’t be called a junk food because it’s a healthy cereal snack. In fact it’s corn chips that are usually eaten at breakfast but this corn flakes is coated by sweet white chocolate and strawberry flavored which I think does not taste good if you pour it with milk if you plan to eat it at breakfast. So this can be categorized as snack and not as a breakfast cereal.

Product Name: Oishi Berrie Plunge – Strawberry Flavored Corn Flakes
Type of Product: Corn Chips
Flavor: Strawberry
Net Weight: 30 grams (1.06 oz)
Ingredients: Corn, Sugar, Palm Oil,Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Malt Extract, Iodized Salt (Sugar with Potassium Iodide), Soy Lechitin, Artificial Flavors( Strawberry and Vanilla), Citric acid, Nature Identical cream Flavor, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Iron, Vitamin A Palmitate, Vitamin B12, Vitamin B2, Vitamin D, Vitamin B6, vitamin B1, FD&C Red No. 3 and  Vitamin B9. Contains Milk and Soy.

Manufacturer: Liwayway Marketing Corporation – Km. 23 Aguinaldo Hi-way, Anabu 1, Imus, Cavite, Philippines

I think the news about the two assholes who contaminated the food being served at the Domino Pizza shop started in April 2009. One guy inserted a cheese strip inside his nose and placed it over a pizza dough and sneezed on it. Maybe it was not a pizza dough, it might be a sandwich. Whatever, I don’t want to eat food contaminated with booger or snot. Yes junk food is bad for our health but it will become worse if some stupid cook will put booger in it. They became a Youtube sensation alright and went straight to jail.

Just watch the video after this jump……..

I think this new flavor of Jack n Jill potato chips is only available in selected supermarkets. I can’t remember exactly,  maybe I bought this one in PureGold. Anyway, the taste of this potato chips is fishy….. but of course! It’s salmon sushi! Raw fish anyone? No, I can’t see any raw fish inside the package.

I can’t even think that the flavor is sushi because it’s hard to imitate raw food flavor to a fried potato chips. Maybe I was just attracted to the packaging because of it’s uniqueness.

Product Name: Jack n Jill Potato Chips International Cuisine
Type of Product: Potato Chips
Flavor: Salmon Sushi
Net Weight: 60 grams each
Ingredients: Potatoes, Vegetable Oil (May Countain Palm, Corn Or Coconut Oil), Seasoning ( Natural And Artificial Flavors, Seeweed Flakes, Fish Powder, Anticaking Agent, Soybean Oil, Mustard Powder, Natural And Artificial Colors [Contain FD & C Yellow #5, (Tartrazine), Maltodextrin, Monosodium Glutamate, Iodized Salt, Sugar Flavor Enhancer And Antioxidant
Manufacturer: UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORPORATION – 110 E. Rodriguez Jr. Ave., Libis, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines