First thought: Hmm, these kind of smell like sugar and feet.

Second thought: What? These taste like weed. Like, not just a little, a whole lot.

Third thought, a few seconds later: Oh my god! Dirt aftertaste! With the flavor accuracy you’d expect from Jelly-Belly!

So, basically, if you’ve ever left a bunch of pot in a bowl of sugar and rice, walked around outside for a while in Birkenstocks, then put your feet, shoes and all, into the bowl, and then you ate it and thought it was awesome, this is the snack for you!

I enjoy very few shopping experiences as much as shopping for cookware, and Broadway Panhandler is by far my favorite place for this. Between their massive selection and reasonable prices, all crammed into an intimate space, and demonstrations by chefs and product salespeople, it’s always an adventure coming in to find that perfect pan, gadget, or dish.

So, imagine my excitement to learn there’s a moving sale starting this weekend at their (soon to be previous) Soho location running through June 11th. It sounds from the description (”In The Yard”) that there may be an outdoor component to this, and they’re advertising free food and live music. Will they be using the sidewalk in front of the store? Is there another space nearby I can’t recall existing?

At any rate, they’re advertising sales of up to 75% off the manufacturer’s prices, so I’m planning on heading down on Monday to see what I can pick up. Maybe, if the sale’s good enough, that Le Creuset casserole I’ve had my eye on for years…

Back in April, based on an endorsement from Goto Reviews (née MetaEfficient), I purchased a hemp & cotton t-shirt from GoodHemp. My shirt (I chose the “sand” colored one) arrived in the mail a few days later, and after 6 months of wear, I can confidently claim it’s the most comfortable piece of clothing I own. I haven’t taken a flight in the last 6 months without wearing this wonderfully soft shirt.

It is a bit better in cold weather than warm, as the hemp and cotton blend holds in a comfortable amount of body heat. The fabric also holds up triumphantly through multiple washes, only getting softer with age.

My only complaint is that the shirt is larger than originally expected; I purchased a medium, and it felt bulky on me, who frequently wears large shirts. Fortunately, GoodHemp recognizes the flaw in the design, and they’re planning to introduce a new (more accurately) sized style of tee in the very near future.

There’s a load of socially conscious intent with this company as well, with organic cotton, eco-friendly dyes, and fair trade practices, which is an added bonus when buying an inexpensive, comfortable, high quality tee. Add in all the myriad benefits of hemp as a fabric, and this is a very nice — if not particularly hip — shirt for daily wear.

If all that weren’t enough to convince me to get another, today’s mail brings a promotion for 10% off the already affordable $9.95. It only runs for the next week or so, presumably to run down their older stock at the beginning of the X-Mas season.

Classic Ashoka, an Indian company, exports pre-cooked, easy to reheat pouches of Indian dishes. For dinner tonight, I microwaved up their Pav Bhaji (translated as “Bread & Vegetables”). The packet here obviously doesn’t actually include any bread, and I made this with rice instead. I’ve never noticed Pav Bhaji on a menu stateside, but this mix of tomato, potato, onion, peas, cauliflower, and spices, served with bread, has been described as the quintessential Mumbai street food.

The Ashoka Pav Bhaji turned out to be spicier than I expected (which was fine by me), but considering this was labelled as “medium hot”, I have to wonder what “hot” would be. I suspect the spice labels may not have been intended for an American audience.

As a surprisingly filling and spicy meal, this line of prepackaged curries has been mentioned as a good backpacking meal. I can see the appeal there, as the pouch is lightweight and can be cooked (well, reheated, really) in just a small pan of boiling water.

There are a number of good recipes online for Pav Bhaji, so I expect I’ll try making this myself sometime. On a lazy, too hot to use the stove day, though, the pre-packaged Ashoka Pav Bhaji makes a excellent quick dinner.

After finally investigating the confusing elevator-in-a-wall that is the entrance to Sunrise Mart, I was pleasantly surprised to discover, among many other wonderful items, the thick-slice, perfect for toasting bread I’d eaten (and loved) in Japan. As far as I can tell from the label, this is called Milk Bread, and claims to be baked on the premises, although I couldn’t see anywhere this could have happened (maybe there’s a small bakery in the back?).

When sliced thick, this bread toasts up better than anything I’ve ever used, staying soft on the inside, and studded with enough small air pockets to give the cut edges the roughness needed for a good butter spread. With a cup of a black tea, a thick, buttered slice or two is a very satisfying breakfast. Sliced thin, it’s a sturdy sandwich bread which holds up to whatever fixings may come.

The only real downside is the price; this single loaf (the entirety of which is pictured above) runs $2.50 at Sunrise, and only makes 5 or 6 slices.