Birthday Journal #43 + Kaffre talks Candy #87

Greetings loyal journal-readers and welcome to my very latest Journal!

First, I'd like to apologize for missing September I just sort of kept procrastinating on it until it was October... Oops!

As it happens, however, not a lot happened that I didn't discuss - we managed to make it to Poutine Fest on the final day of the event. There didn't seem to be quite as many vendors as in previous years, but it was still a fun outing I decided to try the 'General Tso's Tofu Poutine' and wasn't sure I'd like it, but found the crisp yet chewy tofu in it's rich sweet and sour sauce to be an excellent counterpoint to the saltiness of the fries, gravy, and cheese.

We missed being able have Thanksgiving with family this year, but did finally, managed to wrangle my brother into going to Gem Storm! I bought: unpolished amber, sheet obsidian, coprolite, magnesite, biotite mica, and we visited the 'crack your own geode' stall where we got a truly lovely one this year - smokey quartz with calcite! Oh and my brother won a door prizes! Specifically, he received a 1 million year old fossil vertebra from a whale. He gave it to me to take care of for now...

Oh and I shouldn't forget my birthday present to myself: https://www.backerkit.com/c/project.....ef=bk-ec-44778 it's a super-deluxe edition so it's probably not worth going in for a physical copy unless you happen to be a huge fan of the franchise already, but even a $1 donation entitles you to steep discounts on the 5E pdf library so I thought it worth bringing up for those among my fans who might, theoretically be interested.

Well, that just about gets us up to date. I don't really have any plans for my birthday or Halloween, but will probably try getting a slightly fancier class of takeout next time I'm in the city. I also have a couple of pieces of Government ID that need renewing...

I guess that's it for now thanks for reading my journal, but be sure to finish before... *poofs into newborn kitten*

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Kaffre talks Candy #87


Name: 1/2 Moon (Candy Corn Flavour)
Manufacturer: Vachon
Size: 282 gram box containing 6 cakes.
Where Purchased: Dollarama
Description: 1/2 Moon consists of a round chocolate cake around 10cm in diameter the has been cut down the center then made into a sandwich with bright orange cream filling.
Opinion: A limited time item that I was a little nervous to try. Fortunately, however, the candy corn flavour, if present at all, was far too mild for me to detect any difference between this item and the more standard vanilla cream. I don't have the virulent hatred of candy corn that some do, I just don't feel it would pair well with chocolate cake... Overall I liked this product and would but it again, but at the same time wouldn't choose it over the regular snack cakes and I'm not even sure if I should recommend to fans of candy corn who would likely just be disappointed...

Name: Coca-Cola, Quebec Maple
Manufacturer: Cola-Cola
Size: 4-pack of 355mL bottles
Where Purchased: Metro
Description: Consists of a dark brown carbonated beverage naturally flavoured with maple.
Opinion: An item I bought over a year ago and sort of forgot about, but I checked and it is still available at some retailers. This product was one I was a little reluctant to try despite rather liking maple flavoured foofs because I wasn't really sure how it would pair with the taste of cola. As it happens, however, the maple is little more than an aftertaste that hits you as the fizziness starts to fade and is quite pleasant. Overall, I liked the product, but I'm not sure if I'd purchase it again or choose it over regular coca-cola...

Name: Doritos Late Night, Fully Loaded Nachos
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of tortilla chips with a slight orange colour with green-brown flecks from the flavourings used.
Opinion: A limited time offering, these chips have a tangy cheesy flavour reminiscent of quaeso and I can definitely taste jalapeno as well, but any other flavoursthat might be present are beyond my ability to isolate and frankly, I'm not sure what else to expect - tomato maybe? Overall, I did like this product and would consider buying it again, but at the same time, I'm not sure I like them better than the standard Nacho flavoured doritos...

Name: Doritos Spicy Garlic
Manufacturer: Frito-Lay
Size: 210 gram bag
Where Purchased: Food Basics
Description: Consists of tortilla chips with a very slight orange flavour from the colourings used.
Opinion: A limited time, Chinese-inspired flavour I grabbed up on a whim. I didn't really notice much garlic, but the chips were very near my threshhold for spiciness and while pleasant enough, I found these rather one-note and they had a 'dryness' to them as well as heat that I found frustrating as it didn't really feel like the flavour quite fit the medium. Overall, I liked these chips and might buy them again, but even as I acclimatized myself to the drying heat of the chips, I found their novelty wearing off...

Name: Eskimo Mints
Manufacturer: Valeo Foods
Size: 150 gram bag.
Where Purchased: British Isles Shoppe
Description: Consists of blue lozenge shaped mint hard candies individually 'bowtie' wrapped.
Opinion: A product produced in Italy for an Irish market, these mints despite the potentially offensive name, these mints offer up a fresh and refreshing mint flavour that's not too sweet or too bitter and is generally enjoyable. Overall, I thought this product was OK and would consider buying them again - they're good, but not really anything special and there are countless similar candies out there.