There are a lot of efforts in Japan to simulate Christmas, but most of it comes off as simply copying images without any of the concurrent spirit. Strangely enough, the thing that really tastes like Christmas to me are chinsukou cookies. They smell like what mom was baking for the holidays when I was growing up and taste like heaven. There are many things that are like them made in other countries, but there is nothing quite like the sugary, crumbly, crispy texture of these cookies. They are a specialty of Okinawa and I've tried many varieties (coconut, chocolate chip, chocolate, pumpkin) and they never fail to delight, though the original ones are really the best.
I'll miss these chinsukou cookies and how they are both unique and reminiscent of home at the same time.
Posts
