Hi, all,
I've been reading about these plums and I can't stand it anymore. Are these
the salty, practically dessicated prunes they sell in the Asian food store,
usually called "happy plum"? My girlfriend, who is Chinese (and slightly
sadistic, I suspect) once insisted that even though I detest salty foods, I
suck on one of these things until I got to the pit. The first taste was truly
nasty but, trusting soul that I am, I waited until the pit which, of course,
was sweet. 15 years later, I still buy the silly things when I'm at the Asian
market and my younger son likes them, too. Are these the infamous umeboshi
plums or are we talking about something entirely different?
BTW, I use one of these when I'm craving something sweet but I'm not really
hungry. The salty/sweet combination confuses my taste buds and, apparently,
my stomach as well. I just keep the pit in my mouth until all the sweetness
is gone - and by then my craving usually is, too. Sometimes I'll use Thai
tamarind candy the same way, only that combination is hot/sweet. They sell
that at the Indian market. Those you just chew up and savor, but you have to
watch out for the occasional pit in those!
------------------------------