Day 155

Sweet Melon Cake: Apparently I decided this week would be melon-themed without even trying, right? I found this pastry while shopping at the BHFM a couple days ago. I've tried different varieties from the Oriental Bakery before - they usually have several different types of pastries for sale on a small rack near the Asian hot/prepared foods section of the market. I've really enjoyed the ones I tried before, so I figured this one would be just as good. And at $0.99, it wouldn't hurt much if it wasn't.

Like a lot of the other pastries from the Oriental Bakery, this one was made from flour, sugar and vegetable oil, but this one included a filling made from "melon paste." The label described this one as a "sweet melon cake," so I figured it'd at least be sweet instead of savory. I must not have been thinking clearly when I bought this one, since I don't like melon that much. Oh well, on to the eating.

I took the pastry out of the cellophane bag, and it definitely had some weight to it. I broke it open, and the filling was actually more translucent in color. For some reason, I was expecting orange - maybe they used Korean melon? I took a bite, and the floury, flaky exterior gave way to the sweet, fruity filling. I didn't detect much melon flavor, but I did notice a few crunchy chunks of melon in the filling, which surprised me. Not too bad, but I think I prefer the sweet red bean filling a bit better.

If you like your pastries less sweet than Cinnabon or other similar syrupy concoctions, give these Asian varieties a try.