More Surprises!

Earlier this afternoon, I made my way over to the post office to collect my mail.  To my surprise, there was a notice in my box about a package at the front counter.  When I presented the slip to the clerk, he walked to the back, and gave me this!

My first thought was, "Awwww, it was opened by border patrol.  Hope they didn't take anything for themselves!"  My next thought was, "Who could have sent such a thing wrapped in such bright and colorful wrapping paper?"  Well, after looking at the mailing label, I discovered it was from Clare at eat stuff.

A couple of weeks back, I did an IMBB? post on sorbets.  Well, Clare had never heard of, nor tried, li hing mui before.  So I offered to send her some.  She received the package just a couple days after they were sent and offered to send me something from Australia in return.  At first I felt like I didn't want to trouble her.  But after some coaxing....

I immediately thought of dark chocolate Tim Tams which are not available here in Hawaii.  Then Clare told me about the limited edition ones which looked really yummy.  I couldn't decide, or was I really just unwilling to make such a difficult decision?  I left the decision making in her competent hands and this is what arrived today -- a package of Classic Dark Tim Tams, a package of Black Forest Fantasy Tim Tams, a package of Chilli Choc Fling Tim Tams, and a package of sour fish!  Wow!  What a treat!  Thanks Clare!

Well, if that weren't enough.  On my way home from dinner, I picked up these goodies -- homemade Nyonya chang and homemade sambal belacan carried all the way from Singapore!  The gift giver has asked me to keep her identity a secret, but I'd still like to say thanks anyway!  Wasn't that thoughtful of her?  I'll be having the Nyonya chang for breakfast tomorrow!

What a wonderful day this was.  Thanks everyone!

Comments

[clare eats]

Yay,
they arrived!
are ou happy? I thought the birthday fishes wrapping paper would be good as a belated blog b'day present :)

[sasha]

hmm...i reckon those are goodies from australia! tim tams are classified as one of our basic food groups. lucky you reid!!! :-)

[umami]

What dinner? Fish and timtams are food no?

[gwenda]

wow reid you're one lucky fella! argh i miss nonya bakchang...
and have you tried a tim-tam-slam?

[Reid]

Hi Clare,

YAY!!! They arrived, and yes, I'm so happy! You sent so many things I just don't know which to try first. Awwww....and thanks! =)

Presents really aren't necessary, especially at my age, but they definitely are appreciated!

Thanks again! I look forward to eating them all.

Hi Sasha,

Thank you for visiting 'Ono Kine Grindz!

Yes, these definitely are from Australia, courtesy of Clare. I know these are favorites of Aussies and non-Aussies alike. I'm looking forward to eating them all.

Hi Umami,

Well, at first I thought so, but then my conscience got the better of me! =)

I had some Vietnamese food tonight for dinner so these will probably end up as a snack tomorrow.

Hi Gwenda,

Thanks for visiting!

I miss Nyonya chang too and these are good! I've had them before and I can't wait to eat them.

I'm going to try to do a Tim Tam slam. I think someone already gave me instructions! Wish me luck!

[MrsT]

Awww.. so nice.. !! so email me your addy .. :)

[clare eats]

Hi Reid,
I am sooo glad that you liked them :) I haven't tried the blackforest ones yet... though I did try the chilli ones they aren't bad at all, there is a suprising kick to the filling(not really hot but more heat than I was expecting). I left a message with how to do a tim tam slam .. when you last received tim tams I think.

[Cheryl]

REID! You're so lucky. mannn i would so love to taste those limited edition tim tams... spicy choc? sounds dangerously delicious indeed. I really miss those Tim Tams. I was totally addicted to them when i was living in brisbane for 2 months during an internship. Arnott's was my daily staple. Too bad here, they don't have that much variety and somehow the tim tams don't taste the same here! some are manufactured in indonesia.. and taste very inferior.....

nonya dumplings...yummmm.. i'm very hungry now. and it's 1am here. you do have very thoughtful friends. haha you don't even need to be in singapore to try the food here! =)

PS. do let us know how the limited edition tim tams taste. well i'm dying to know!

[keona]

I was told I cant carry meat stuff to Hawaii so I had to leave my bak kwa in Toronto

[keona]

Is the bak chang the one with the chestnuts,pork belly,dried shrimp or the sweetish saltish vegetarian one???

[Jo Rutherford]

Hey Clare! What the heck is a Tim Tam? I'd ask Reid but I imagine he's to busy munching on your fabulous package to type! ;o)

[clare eats]

Hi Jo,
a tim tam is two chocolate biscuits with a filling and the whole lot is dipped in chocolate. They used to only come in milk chocolate, but now they come in lots of flavours.

They are made with high quality ingrediants, I think this helps them be so yummy and addictive."

[pinkcocoa]

wahhh Reid
you are one lucky man!! I miss nyonya bakchang so so much...>.< Oh and another thing, what's a tim tam slam? Shame that I do not know this even though I've been in Oz for so long!

[AugustusGloop]

Lucky you Reid! Presents from all over the world!

Enjoy the Tim Tams. And warning, slams are very addictive. Before you know it, you've eaten half a packet.

[Pinkcocoa - a tim tim slam* is when you bite the end off opposite corners of a tim tam, and then suck your coffee/tea/hot chocolate through like a straw. As soon as you have sucked through liquid and feel it on your tongue you shove the whole biscuit in your mouth, close your eyes, and experience momentary chocolate explosion.

*Also known as tim tam suck, or a chocolate orgasm]

[Jo Rutherford]

OH MY GOSH! I'm blessed with my own personal, in house barista. Clare, AG, is there ANYTHING American you are willing to trade for Tim Tams? I checked out their website. The store has been closed. =o( My husband is a beekeeper so we have wild local honey, wax, candles, and wax blocks for household purposes. I also have access to Callebaut chocolate (my personal favorite for cooking & ice cream making).

PLEASE! I MUST have a Tim Tam espresso slam! ::whimpers pathetically::

Black Forest & Hazelnut Praline!! ACK

[rae]

major score! love tim tams, haven't had the pleasure of the those yummy sounding flavors!

[Reid]

Hi MrsT,

Will do. =)

Hi Clare,

I think you did, but I see someone else gave me some pointers as well. I'm sure this is going to be good, especially with the Chilli Choc Fling Tim Tams! Can't wait.

Thanks again!

Hi Cheryl,

I will definitely let you know how the limited edition Tim Tams taste. In fact, I'm going to have one right now. I just had the Chilli Choc Fling. It's nice and chocolatey, and as the chocolate flavor starts to disappear from your tongue, you feel a burst of spiciness! YUMMY!

Hi Keona,

Yes, meat products as well as fruits and vegetables are not allowed to be brought in. I did bring in a packet of bak kwa when I returned from Singapore earlier this year. I thought the sniffing beagle was going to catch it! Whew!

The Nyonya chang had sweet pork and mushrooms in it. It was wrapped in pandan leaves. Yummy!

Hi Jo,

A Tim Tam is a couple of cookies with filling in the middle all covered in chocolate. They are so delicious! =) And no, I wasn't munching away. I actually excersized some restraint. I didn't open any of the packages until today. =P

Hi Clare,

Thanks! =) Love 'em!

Hi pink_cocoa,

The Nyonya chang was filled with sweet pork and a few mushrooms. It was wonderfully fragrant since it was wrapped in pandan leaves. I've eaten these exact same homemade ones before, given to me by the same person last year. Mmmmm.

I'm not exactly sure what a Tim Tam slam is yet, I have to re-read everyone's comments on this. =(

Hi AG,

I'm definitely lucky! I have something in mind regarding this very same thing. It's being discussed and the plan should be unveiled in about 2 weeks time.

BTW...thanks for the explanation of the Tim Tam slam. I'm going to try this tomorrow night.

Hi Jo,

If you're really, really must have these, you can visit this website:

http://www.aussieproducts.com/products.asp?dept=55

They sell Tim Tams, and their warehouse is in Santa Clara. I contemplated ordering from them before, but haven't done so yet. It's not too far from SF. =)

In fact, it's practically in your back yard! Good luck!

[Niki]

Hiya - I actually posted photos and instructions of how to do a Tim Tam slam just last week on my blog - as well as reviewing the chocolate chili ones! Divine coincidence??
Enjoy them, I know I do!

[Niki]

Here you go: :-)
http://esurientes.blogspot.com/2005/05/chocolate-chilli-tim-tams.html

[Jo Rutherford]

ACK! Lost my comments! ::sigh::

Yep Reid, you are SO right about them being close. Within 5 miles give or take. Here's a pat on the back ::pat pat pat:: for your restraint on not having inhaled those yummy looking things already. I'm VERY impressed. I've emailed the folks at Aussie Products to see if they do "real" people as well as virtual shoppers.

Niki, the link you put up gave me a 504. Might just be me. I did find your page, and found the review! mmmmmmmmmmm ::rolling eyes::

[Jo Rutherford]

Yep, SO close to us Reid. We spent 46 & change on Tim Tams, biscuits, Cadbury syrups... They had a 2fer deal on some Arnott's products so we had some to take to Lisa. She & Jeff came over later and we made ice cream sundaes with the Cadbury Hot Fudge & Carmello sauces. Sorry but I make MUCH better sauce.

HOWEVER, I'm counting the hours till I do the slam tomorrow morning! We even purchased fresh Arabian Mocha-Java for the experience. Question, should the Tim Tams have "pimples"? They are covered with tiny bumplets as though the chocolate was not properly tempered or maybe they went through a "heat" during transport. Doesn't affect the flavor, but they look rather interesting.

Well, it's bed time here and the boys are tormenting each other.

[Reid]

Hi Niki,

Thanks for posting the details. I felt the same way about those chocolate chilli Tim Tams as well. Love 'em! BTW...I had to fix your link.

http://esurientes.blogspot.com/2005/05/chocolate-chilli-tim-tams.html

Hi Jo,

Ooooh! I'm glad you were able to find the place and I am so happy you got your Tim Tams as well. Let me know how you like the slam. I wasn't able to do mine this evening. Maybe tomorrow.

[Jo Rutherford]

Yep, did the slam yesterday. Physically it worked perfectly. I didn't have the proper beverage however. I asked Mike for a straight shot and it was a little to cold and a lot to sharp for my taste. I want to do it over with a "cafe con leche". Nice & hot but completely flat. Double shot... ::happy sigh:: It really is lovely to own a good quality espresso machine AND a husband who knows how to use it to its best advantage!

[Reid]

Hi Jo,

You beat me to the "slam". I haven't done mine yet. What did you think of the Tim Tam? I just love 'em. =)

[Jo Rutherford]

They are terrific! However, when I was a kid, about 9 to 12 years old, we had a catering truck that came to our school at lunchtime. That truck sold "Cadbury Shortbread" or maybe it was "Shortcake". I really can't remember which. Regardless, the packet contained 6 cookie squares coated with Cadbury chocolate. The TimTam's put me right back into that time and place! ::laughing:: HELP! I'M AGING AND I CAN'T GET UP!