A while back, Santos from The Scent of Green Bananas wrote a post about ice candy bags. Her ice pops looked so beautiful that I was tempted to make my own. I had no clue where to find the cute plastic bags, so Santos offered to send me some, which then turned into a “let’s send each other a goodie package”. Then a month later, a package arrived from Guam.
In the package were two packages of the coveted ice candy bags. I’ve yet to use them as the weather in Seattle has been so dreary that just the thought of opening the freezer makes my bones cold. I’m saving them for the summer time.
Santos also included some curried macadamia nuts, a tin of hot & spicy spam (specially formulated for Guam), a hot pepper paste made from Guam peppers (Guam likes it hot!) and a jar of really delicious jerk seasoning.
The last two items were a little more random.
The box of Korean Chicken Snacks looked scary, but after my bout with bacon spray, I figured I was ready to take on anything. The Chicken Snacks reminded me of Munchos (remember Munchos?)—except that they were shaped disturbingly like chicken drumsticks and tasted like stale chicken bullion.
Lastly, Santos sent me a bag of maxi-pads.
This seemed a little too personal. But then I found her note telling me that no, she wasn’t sending me maxi-pads, but rather, clever little pads that are used to soak up and dispose of cooking oil. So when you’re done deep-frying your chicken, French fries, or what have you, you toss in this pad (which has crazy absorbent properties) and it swells up and consumes all the oil. Then you put the whole thing in the trash. It’s all very handy and clever. Although, I wish they were shaped more like… well, anything other than a maxi-pad.
Thank you Santos!
you are very welcome, miss megwoo!
Ha Ha this was a funny photo. Yes Guam likes it hot. I was eating spicy pickled papaya and green mangoes from a very young age. For s super spicy treat, take a small ziplock bag, fill it partway with dried sweet and sour plums, douse with Tabasco, let soak and eat. Warning; Do not rub your eyes after eating these.
Ouch! I eat a similar sounding Chinese preserved plum that’s sweet, sour and salty, but the addition of soaking them in Tabasco sounds way too hot for me—but if I grew up on spicy pickled foods, then I’m sure I’d be all over that!
hello… i am a former guamanian. and since leaving my beautiful island home i hav been craving pickled papaya!!! i love it!! the more pika(spicy) the better!!! does anyone know where i can get a good recipe???
Mmmm. Pickled papaya sounds great. I don’t have a recipe, but I’ll let you know if I come across one!
I will look for a recipe and I will send it to you. I like papaya too. It’s very tasty.
i just want to find rocku mango from guam and some good pickled papaya
Born and raised on Guam but now living in California, I missed eating all the pickled snacks of Guam: pickled papaya, pickled mango, picked daikon radish and pickled “iba” (I think this is how it’s spelled). You can make picked mango and papaya but it is really hard to find green mangos and papayas in California!!
i was about 10 years old when i lived on guam and i’ve been craving the spicy pickled papya if you have a recipe please e-mail me
thanks
jill
Born and raised on Guam, myself. I’m going nuts for daiko and real chorizo (the kind you used to munch on coming home from school. Anyone know where to get daiko in the States? I’m now in Washington. I remember picking mangoes (green, of course, and doing the green mango quickstep every summer), iba and “pickles” (God knows what they really were) with my pals as a kid while we played in the boondocks.
Very nice information…the World needs more Bacon info! Thanks for this :)
I lived in Guam when I was 4-8 (’71-’76) I still remember pickled papaya. I have been searching for a recipe for about 2 years now. I know that the recipe our cook used had Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco, green papaya and that’s where I’m stuck. If anyone knows of a something that sounds like this, please let me know. You can tweet me at keriannegunz@hotmail.com Here’s hoping there was a another Navy brat that loved pickled papaya as much as I did. = P