Photo Frenzy 2: Consomme W Punch Red

Many foods and drinks in Japan are seasonal. For instance, now is a good time to find strawberry flavored foods. Others are limited time specials, such as Cassis Fanta, which disappeared a few years ago. So it's nice to know at least one of my favorite Japanese snacks is still on the shelves after all this time. In fact, it's gotten even better.

Calbee Consomme W Punch Red is delicious. Consomme is apparently a type of soup. I've never had it and for the life of me I can't remember why I first picked up these chips, but I'm very glad I did. Originally, these chips were simply called Consomme Punch, which you can still get. The addition of the "W" signifies that it has double the flavor of the original (anyone familiar with Kamen Rider W will know there is no distinction between the words W and double in Japanese). The moniker "Red"is new and means that it is spicy. As my students would say "Why don't you try?"