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Feeling Snacky…. Latvian Edition

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#snackingallday, discover riga, Food in Riga, Liden and Denz Internship, Mark Kennedy, snacks

15 July 2016

One of the most popular questions you get coming back from a foreign country is: what weird stuff did you eat? Well, to all my fellow candy consumers, chip chompers, donut downers and chocolate chums, I present……

LATVIAN SNACKING 101

One of the first things I do when I get to a new place is I go buy food. And generally the amount of food I buy is proportional to the amount of disorientation I feel in the new country I’m visiting. Like having lived in Germany before, if I traveled there I’d probably get a decent amount of groceries my first day. Put me somewhere like Japan, though, and I would get enough snacks and candy to contract diabetes.

Don’t get me wrong, real meals are the real deal. Eating at least three times a day is a must. But if you’re like me, you like something to eat in between those meals to keep your stomach from going hangry beast on you and trying to devour anything in sight. That or you need something sweet before you go to bed (ice cream, cookies, candy, etc.), which would also make you a lot like me.

What follows is a short list of some snacks I will try for your benefit. This list is in no ways the best of the best, but more like a smorgasbord of options(: (Ratings are from 1-10, 10 being the best of the best)
Chocolate Glazed Marshmallows: Rating 4 out of 10. Basically just a firm marshmallow inside a chocolate glaze. If you’ve had regular marshmallows, these are probably a little thicker but gooier than you’re used to. Not much to them, but if you’re a marshmallow person, go for it.

Estrella Chips (Spring Onion & Cheese): Rating 7 out of 10. Comparable to Lays, but
from Lithuania. The cheese flavor comes through the onion overtones well. Pretty good.

Tagad Chocolate Bar: Chocolate with Popcorn: Rating 8 out of 10. To be honest, I bought this purely because it looked funny(: But if you’re ever had Chocolate covered popcorn, just think of the chocolate melting and the popcorn being broken into smaller pieces, and you’ve got this bar of chocolate. Just enough salty and sweet ratio to make it memorable, but not annoying.

Milka/Oreo Chocolate Bar: Rating 6 out of 10: I love Oreos as much as the next guy, but I was disappointed with this one. It’s kind of like when you’re watching basketball, and all the guys playing look normal sized until you realize one of them is 6’7” and everybody else is within an inch of that measurement. There were two powerhouses, and both of them tried to be the star. Still good, but not what I expected it to be.

Kalev Klassika (White Chocolate with Blueberries): Rating: 9 out of 10: Definitely the hero of the day. Rich aroma and taste of blueberries, with a think, creamy white chocolate background, and some crunchy bits to add texture. I was told I had to try these, and I see why. Definitely a stand out in the Latvian chocolate world

Hope this helped! Now to look for some more…

Mark Kennedy, currently studying Russian at Liden & Denz Riga

Posted by Mark Kennedy

Всем Привет! My name is Mark Kennedy, and I’m currently studying Russian at the Liden and Denz Language Center in Riga, Latvia! To say I’m excited to be here is a severe understatement. Currently I'm going into my fourth year at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where I'm enrolled as a dual-degree candidate, earning two degrees in Russian Language and Literature, and French Horn Performance. I started my study of Russian during a two-year mission for my church in St. Petersburg, Russia. Probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! My language learning started off as kind of a trial by fire: with only 12 weeks of training beforehand, I was thrown into Russia and expected (to attempt, at least) to hold full on conversations with people. In the beginning it wasn’t pretty, but the sink or swim mentality of it all forced me to work hard from the start, and motivated me to really overcome any issues I had quickly. Combined with a personally guided plan of language study and some study materials, I came to love the language and the Russian people a TON! Two years later and I’m still studying it… Outside of Russian language, my French Horn degree keeps me busy. Favorite composer is probably Richard Strauss, and my favorite symphonic work is The Rite of Spring Suite by Stravinsky. (Debussy Piano pieces are my favorite non-symphonic works). I’m also into basically anything arts related: singing, dancing, listening to Maroon 5, drawing Sharpie art, going to art exhibits, going to orchestra concerts, etc. In terms of sports, I was a collegiate rower for the University of Michigan in 2011-2012, when we won the National Champions Team Trophy, and I play Ultimate Frisbee. I’m excited for this opportunity to write for Liden & Denz, and to share my enthusiasm and excitement about Riga and the Russian language!