Mom stopped packing your lunch years ago, so why are you still eating the same tired old snacks? We love the tried and true faves too, but with all of the ethnic markets and restaurants in the city, it’s time to treat your taste buds to some new noshes.
Old-school: Little Debbie snack cakes
New cool: Pan Ducale’s Dolce Del Papa (Pope’s cake). $3.69 at Wally’s Market, 3256 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-736-1212.
The dish: It’s not just a snack, it’s absolution! This boxed chocolate-almond cake was inspired by a 1985 visit of His Holiness to Atri, Italy–which is also home to Pan Ducale’s headquarters. The box is graced by a photo of the pontiff himself greeting children who are presenting him with, what else, a basket filled with Dolce Del Papa. It’s not as moist and sweet than we expected, but we’ll take it over a communion wafer any day.
Old-school: Jell-O pudding cups
New cool: Jobi Lychee pudding cups. $1.99/six-pack at Mayflower Foods, 2014 S. Archer Ave. 312-326-7440.
The dish: This Malaysian treat may not be backed by the marketing might of Bill Cosby, but the clear, lychee-flavored pudding/Jell-O hybrid (jelly-like yet creamy) packaged in a sleek, minimalist plastic cup had us saying “Mmmmm.”
Old-school: Snowballs
New cool: Date coconut roll. $3.95 per pound at Middle East Bakery & Grocery, 1512 W. Foster Ave. 773-561-2224.
The dish: Satisfy your sweet tooth and still get your RDA of fruit with these Middle Eastern cookies. They’re made on-site from a mixture of top-of-the-line medjool dates blended with date syrup and rolled in coconut.
Old-school: Cheetos
New cool: Lorenz Snack World’s Curly. 79 cents at Wally’s Market, 3256 N. Milwaukee Ave. 773-736-1212.
The dish: We were a little leery of the “peanut and ketchup”-flavored variety of this Polish puffed-corn snack, but were pleasantly surprised to find that the mild undertones of both produce a result that’s sort of a Cheeto/Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch combo, minus the orange fingers.
Old-school: Kit Kat
New cool: Mikado. $2.29 at Devon Market, 1440 W. Devon Ave. 773-338-2572.
The dish: While this Croatian candy bar looks like a large Kit Kat, the subtle crunch comes from puffed rice (think breakfast cereal), which we guess explains the illustration of a Japanese landscape and field laborers on the label.
Old-school: Chocolate-covered pretzels
New cool: Pocky. $2.75 per box at Kawaii Na, 2532 N. Clark St. 773-880-9998.
The dish: These thin, Japanese biscuit sticks come in varieties like strawberry and banana, but we like the standard, chocolate-dipped variety.
Old-school: Corn nuts
New cool: Mi CosteZita Japones Enchilado (Japanese peanuts with chili). 99 cents at Supermercado y Taquerita Almita, 5957 N. Clark St. 773- 271-4340.
The dish: If you mixed barbecue-flavored corn nuts with peanut M&M’s minus the chocolate, you’d get this spicy, crunchy, candy-coated peanut snack. Despite the smiling senorita on the label, it’s packaged right here in the Windy City.
Old-school: Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins
New cool: Gulab Jamun. $5 per pound at Tahoora, 2326 W. Devon Ave. 773-743-7272.
The dish: Floating in a big glass syrup jar, these fried dough balls can look deceptively like some sort of pickled fruit. You’re sure to be buzzing if you order the variety that has added sugar–think Dunkin’ Donuts Munchkins soaked in heavy syrup. Sure, you can find ’em at just about any Indian buffet, but you can enjoy these babies at home now.
