Courtnee
11-03-2006, 05:05 PM
http://quickspice.com/scstore/images/pocky_lg.jpg
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/Japan/Images/Pocky.jpg
For anyone who hasn't tried it, you should. Well, first, you may be wondering what pocky is. Well, I'll tell you what pocky is.
Pocky is a Japanese snack food, consisting of a short, thin wheat cracker, dipped in a variety of various sauces, from mild chocolate to strawberry sauce. It is inexpensive, quite tasty, and often addictive. ^_^;
Has anyone here tried it? I can't get enough of the stuff.
BTW, you can get it at Walmart for less than a dollar. :)
Pocky (ポッキー, pokkii?) is a Japanese snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. "Pocky" is pronounced like "pokki" IPA: /pokːi/ however many English speakers pronounce it as written, to rhyme with "hockey". The classic form of Pocky was first sold in 1965, under the name Chocoteck, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant hit among Japanese teenagers, and brought in sales of 30 billion yen in its first two years. The name was changed to "Pocky", after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin (ポッキン). The original was followed by "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, green tea and coconut flavored coatings, and themed products such as "Decorer Pocky", with colorful decorative stripes in the coating, and "Men's Pocky", a dark (bittersweet) chocolate and "mature" version.
Pocky is very popular in Japan. In bars, it is sometimes served in a glass of ice water. It also has a significant presence in other East Asian countries such as China and Korea. In Europe, Pocky is renamed Mikado after the game Mikado. In the United States and Canada, Pocky can be found in Asian supermarkets and the international section of most large supermarkets, as well as Wal-Mart Supercenters and anime convention dealers' rooms. In Malaysia, Pocky was renamed by the Glico Company as Rocky, perhaps to avoid a vulgar word in Malay with similar pronunciation. Pocky has recently been marketed in America by LU, a company of the Danone Group.
Outside of Japan, Pocky is fairly popular among Japanophiles and otaku (anime fans). Its constant association with the Engrish phenomenon and the oddness of some of its versions (like the "Men's Pocky" bittersweet flavor), as well as the several Pocky parodies seen on many anime/manga series, contribute to the snack's reputation.
Pocky Flavors
Pocky can be found in dozens of varieties. The most popular flavors include chocolate, strawberry, and almond. Some of the more unusual flavors include the seasonal flavors of honey (spring) and kiwi mango (summer). There is also the bittersweet version of chocolate Pocky called Men's Pocky. There are also regional flavors of Pocky such as grape (Nagano), yubari melon (Hokkaido), giant mikan (lemony, sold in Kyushu), powdered tea azuki bean (Kyoto), Kobe wine (Kobe). There are also such flavors as banana, coffee, caramel, marble royal milk tea, melon, milk, cream cheese, berry, coconut, almond crush, pineapple, pumpkin and hazelnut.
Strawberry PockySome other unique Pocky flavors include kurogama (black sesame), kinako (soy bean flour), and green tea, which are popular Asian cuisine items cleverly incorporated into dessert flavours.
Special variations of Pocky include Decorer Pocky (which features extra decorative icing) and Mousse Pocky (which features extra thick, mousse-like icing).
A related product is Pretz, which is a savoury version of Pocky that features flavours like tomato and salad.
Pronunciation
In Japanese, Pocky is pronounced in a way that rhymes with the Japanese transliteration of "hockey" (Japanese hokkii, compare pokkii). Something like 'pokey' with the k slightly lengthened or rested upon. There is a geminate consonant between the po and the ky, which is indicated by a small 'tsu' kana.
http://sbarnhill.mvps.org/Japan/Images/Pocky.jpg
For anyone who hasn't tried it, you should. Well, first, you may be wondering what pocky is. Well, I'll tell you what pocky is.
Pocky is a Japanese snack food, consisting of a short, thin wheat cracker, dipped in a variety of various sauces, from mild chocolate to strawberry sauce. It is inexpensive, quite tasty, and often addictive. ^_^;
Has anyone here tried it? I can't get enough of the stuff.
BTW, you can get it at Walmart for less than a dollar. :)
Pocky (ポッキー, pokkii?) is a Japanese snack food produced by the Ezaki Glico Company of Japan. "Pocky" is pronounced like "pokki" IPA: /pokːi/ however many English speakers pronounce it as written, to rhyme with "hockey". The classic form of Pocky was first sold in 1965, under the name Chocoteck, and consists of a biscuit stick coated with chocolate. Pocky was an instant hit among Japanese teenagers, and brought in sales of 30 billion yen in its first two years. The name was changed to "Pocky", after the Japanese onomatopoetic word for the sound Pocky makes when bitten, pokkin (ポッキン). The original was followed by "Almond Pocky" in 1971, with an almond coating, and "Strawberry Pocky" in 1977. Today, the product line includes such variations as milk, mousse, green tea and coconut flavored coatings, and themed products such as "Decorer Pocky", with colorful decorative stripes in the coating, and "Men's Pocky", a dark (bittersweet) chocolate and "mature" version.
Pocky is very popular in Japan. In bars, it is sometimes served in a glass of ice water. It also has a significant presence in other East Asian countries such as China and Korea. In Europe, Pocky is renamed Mikado after the game Mikado. In the United States and Canada, Pocky can be found in Asian supermarkets and the international section of most large supermarkets, as well as Wal-Mart Supercenters and anime convention dealers' rooms. In Malaysia, Pocky was renamed by the Glico Company as Rocky, perhaps to avoid a vulgar word in Malay with similar pronunciation. Pocky has recently been marketed in America by LU, a company of the Danone Group.
Outside of Japan, Pocky is fairly popular among Japanophiles and otaku (anime fans). Its constant association with the Engrish phenomenon and the oddness of some of its versions (like the "Men's Pocky" bittersweet flavor), as well as the several Pocky parodies seen on many anime/manga series, contribute to the snack's reputation.
Pocky Flavors
Pocky can be found in dozens of varieties. The most popular flavors include chocolate, strawberry, and almond. Some of the more unusual flavors include the seasonal flavors of honey (spring) and kiwi mango (summer). There is also the bittersweet version of chocolate Pocky called Men's Pocky. There are also regional flavors of Pocky such as grape (Nagano), yubari melon (Hokkaido), giant mikan (lemony, sold in Kyushu), powdered tea azuki bean (Kyoto), Kobe wine (Kobe). There are also such flavors as banana, coffee, caramel, marble royal milk tea, melon, milk, cream cheese, berry, coconut, almond crush, pineapple, pumpkin and hazelnut.
Strawberry PockySome other unique Pocky flavors include kurogama (black sesame), kinako (soy bean flour), and green tea, which are popular Asian cuisine items cleverly incorporated into dessert flavours.
Special variations of Pocky include Decorer Pocky (which features extra decorative icing) and Mousse Pocky (which features extra thick, mousse-like icing).
A related product is Pretz, which is a savoury version of Pocky that features flavours like tomato and salad.
Pronunciation
In Japanese, Pocky is pronounced in a way that rhymes with the Japanese transliteration of "hockey" (Japanese hokkii, compare pokkii). Something like 'pokey' with the k slightly lengthened or rested upon. There is a geminate consonant between the po and the ky, which is indicated by a small 'tsu' kana.