Tofu McNuggets and Tomato Doughnut

I haven't written about unusual foods in a long time, so here!

Tofu McNuggets
I happened to see a story in Tokyo Weekender about tofu McNuggets (apparently as a response to a tainted chicken scandal), for a brief moment I was really excited about it. Then I read the rest of the article where they mention the ingredients, including fish.

Photo from here.

The fish is disappointing, but since I'm pescatarian while I'm in Japan, may as well try it.

I really wanted to like them, but it wasn't great. The breading was crispy enough and not terribly greasy, and the texture of the nugget was fine, but the taste was like beige with a fishy aftertaste.

The ginger sauce smelled like ginger, but tasted more like ginger-flavored melted plastic.

Once was enough, I'll get them again if they ever leave the fish out and add any kind of spices. Salt or pepper, at least.


Tomato Doughnut
Weirdly enough, there is Krispy Kreme in Japan.
And, being Japan, seasonal items are all the rage (and usually very good).

This summer,  Krispy Kreme's seasonal flavors are green tea cookie, bergamot and lemon tea, and Earl Gray milk tea. I may go back for these.

But the one that caught my eye was the Spicy Tomato Deli.

It's delicious.
Hear me out.

Normally you think of doughnuts as being unbelievably sweet and sugary, but this isn't. The doughnut part was very mild, not really sweet at all, and the filling was very much like pizza sauce*. Not spicy, despite the name, but the flavor powder on top is savory enough to lend it some credibility, too. Plus that little bit of olive and dried tomato on top.

So don't think "tomato-filled doughnut," think "the softest, fluffiest calzone ever made."

I probably won't get it again because I so rarely eat doughnuts, and I'd like to try something new the next time I do, but I do recommend it. It's a good set of flavors and doesn't make you feel like you just ate a wheel of sugar.

*Ironically, I've had a lot of disappointing pizzas that use ketchup instead of pizza sauce. Sometimes it takes a doughnut to get it right.