Refreshing Detox Water for Warm Weather

The weather has taken a delightful turn; the sun is shining, the grass is green, the temperature is toasty, perfect days to sit outside on a blanket and get some work done. When the we reach this point of the year, I'm in constant need of hydration. I try hard to drink enough water to keep me sated, but honestly, who doesn't get bored with water every so often. It's also times like these that I yearn to sit on the porch and sip some sweet tea while I watch my dog bound through the yard. Though tea is refreshing and delicious, it's the opposite of hydrating, and even after drinking three glasses I still find myself parched.

This is where "detox" waters come in. Now, I put the detox in quotations because, while it's called detox water, I don't actually care about the "amazing weight loss abilities" or whatever Pinterest users write to sell thier recipes to viewers, I only care about the flavor the fruits and herbs add to ice cold water (is that bad?). With the hotter weather and the increase in assignments and studying, what better recipe to make than the simple yet delicious detox waters I found scrolling through Pinterest?

Recipe 1: Lemon with Mint

First I decided to start with a classic, Lemon and Mint. Now I think we all know that lemon goes well in water, so I took the liberty of squeezing a few of the slices to aid in the flavor. I also froze the lemons for about half an hour to serve as pseudo-ice cubes, although it was rather cold today. This recipe was very addicting, and I found myself having drank half of my 1000mL bottle in around fifteen minutes, what with the light lemon flavor and the refreshing mint as a side note.

Recipe 2: Pineapple with Mint

This recipe was... iffy at first. I was intrigued at the thought of pineapple, which is abnormal for me, since I'm not typically a fan of the overly sour flavor of pineapple. But I took a leap for this recipe, and suffered through carrying the sticky, juice-covered package as I tried desperately to remember what else I needed from McLanahan's. And at first I was rather disappointed. The mint hadn't soaked in yet, and the pineapple they sold at McLanahan's left something to be desired (I could tell by the pale yellow color before I even bought it). I tried really hard to like it, but after several sips I gave up on it. I didn't touch it for maybe half an hour, then decided to give it a second chance and, bam, I'm sold. The pineapple flavor still wasn't as prominent as I would have liked, but I'm attributing that to the low quality of the fruit to begin with. The mint had soaked long enough to seep into the water, and that really did the trick. Add some ice to cool down, and a nice breeze, and this drink was everything I hoped for.

Korean Snack Review

This week has been one hectic swarm of assignments and studying, followed by a sudden realization that I have yet to make anything for my blog this week. I had very little time to actually attempt to cook in my dorm room, let alone the will and determination that is required to microwave pasta for over ten minutes for mediocre results. But what I do have is Korean friends that bring me snacks. So here we are:

Korean snack review will start here.

In case you've ever walked through downtown and wondered what those fun looking snacks are in the windows, hopefully this will give you some courage to stop in and try some.

 First snack: "Onion Flavored Rings"

Okay, so, it doesn't necessarily sound like the best, but trust me. These things taste like real onion rings (hence the "onion flavored"). At first I just thought, "wow thanks for bringing me Funyuns, gross," but these are addicting. Out of all the snacks I got, I reached for these the most. I will warn you, though, you'll be smelling onion for awhile, so wash you hands and brush your teeth after eating these.

Second snack: Corn Cho: Hazelnut Choco

These are another under dog for me. As someone who has travelled to Germany, eaten the food, and fully enjoys the culture, when I saw hazelnut, I was immediately intrigued. But once I read the "corn," I was confused. Corn? With Chocolate? It didn't seem like an appetizing combination. I couldn't shake my initial interest and, boy, was I surprised when I tried it. The puff is the same consistency of a Cheeto Puff with a light corn flavor that oddly compliments the sweet chocolate coating. Compared to the multitude of hazelnut candies I've consumed in Germany the flavor on the puffs is rather weak, but I'm not mad at it. These are quite possibly my new favorite snack, second only to the onion flavored rings that I can't stop eating.

Third snack: Cookie and Cream Pepero

If you went through that anime phase in middle school, or you're just a snack enthusiast, then you're probably familiar with Pocky, the Japanese chocolate covered biscuit sticks. Pepero are basically the Korean version of Pocky (sorry, nobody kill me). These ones are dipped in white chocolate and coated with cookie crumbles, and taste about as delicious as you expect anything cookies and cream flavored to taste. They taste rather delicious, but I don't reach for them as often as I do the onion rings.

Last snack: Choco Pies

These are a fairly popular snack that I've seen my friends eat on a few occasions. A choco pie is marshmallow sandwiched in two soft cookies and dipped in chocolate. Honestly, I probably won't buy these again. They aren't the worst, but they didn't blow my mind. Choco pies are also very crumbly, and as someone who fully enjoys eating in bed, the crumbs are somewhat of an inconvenience. My grandpa is fond of Mallo Cups and the like, so these made me think of him.

Overall, my advice to you is go get some Korean snacks. They might seem a little strange at first, but the weirdest ones are the snacks I like best. Also pro tip: if you like to collect bags of snack and never finish them, but you don't have any bag clips, or you've simply collected so many snacks, use binder clips to close your bags! Nothing's worse than opening a bag of chips only to find they've gone stale from sitting out.