7 Asian Desserts That Everyone Should Try
Asian cuisine has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years but for how much praise the dishes receive, the desserts of these cultures have not reached the same popularity. It’s amazing how cuisine can differ from culture to culture and because many of these desserts haven’t become mainstream I will be showcasing and trying popular Asian desserts. I will review their texture, describe the flavor, and list similar flavors. I will rate how sweet each dessert is on a scale of 1-10, 1 being low sweetness like rice, for example, and 10 being high sweetness, like pure sugar. Neither pole of the scale should be ideal for a dessert: a median score of 5 or 6 will be considered perfectly sweet and balanced.
The first destination is the Philippines. Halo-halo in Tagalog translates to “mix-mix,” which is a very fitting name. Halo-halo is a cold frozen dessert and is most commonly eaten during hot days in the summer. It is made of crushed ice, condensed milk, evaporated milk, or coconut milk, with many sweet toppings such as sweetened kidney beans, coconut strips, sago, flan, fruit preserves, and others mixed in and topped with a scoop of ube ice cream. It is served unmixed so that the person eating it can mix it themselves. The texture reminded me of a milky smoothie or Icee with jellies mixed throughout. The flavor is a sweet, milky, coconut flavor with a variety of mix-ins. I tasted something different in every bite. If I had to compare this to a similar dessert, I would say it is similar to a coconut or ube milkshake with shaved ice and toppings. I would rate the sweetness pretty high; every topping is sweet, it has ice cream, condensed milk, and many sweet mix-ins: 9/10 sweetness. You can get halo-halo at most Filipino restaurants; this is where I bought mine.
Another popular dessert found in the Philippines is cassava cake. Cassava is a carb-rich root native to the Philippines. The cake has two layers: a thick, dense paste with shaved coconut within, and on top, a layer of custard. The flavor of the bottom layer is mildly sweet and thick while the custard layer is sweet and silky. Together the two layers taste very balanced so I rate the sweetness level at a 6. Cassava cake can be found in Filipino bakeries among many other sweet desserts. I bought mine at a Filipino bakery in Vallejo.
Moving on to Chinese desserts, I tried tang yuan. Tang yuan are little white balls with a similar flavor to rice and mochi. Traditionally, there is a black sesame filling that is sweet and similar in flavor to peanut butter. If I could most accurately describe tang yuan, I would describe it as chewy mochi with a melted peanut butter filling. I would say that these felt like more of a snack food than a dessert being mildly sweet and incredibly easy to prepare. I found it at an Asian grocery store in the frozen section, and all you have to do to prepare them is to put them in boiling water and wait until the balls float. While the filling was incredibly sweet, the dessert was mostly glutenous rice flour and not too sweet so I gave it a sweetness rating of 4/10. Tang yuan is often served at Chinese weddings, family gatherings, and Chinese New Year.
Chinese New Year is a huge international holiday, and there are many foods and desserts served during the celebration. It is a misconception that Mooncakes are eaten during Chinese New Year; it is actually most commonly eaten during another celebration in China, the Mid Autumn Festival. Mooncakes are thick pastries that have different fillings such as lotus seed paste, red bean paste, mung bean paste, and other varieties. It is common to have a salted egg yolk in the center of the cake to represent the full moon. I tried the red bean filling mooncake and the flavor was very rich. The outside pastry of the mooncake is like a dense cake texture similar to the outside part of a fig bar. The filling was a thick paste of sweet red beans. The red bean flavor is very popular in Asia. the beans themselves are tasteless, but when used in desserts, sugar is added to make them super sweet. The mooncake was very dense and very sweet, but the flavor was good. Because of the big portion of red bean paste within, the cake was very sweet so I have given it a ranking of 8/10. I also tried the lotus paste filling version of the Mooncake and this was much less sweet. The filling tasted a little fresher and less dense, which balanced out the taste and made it not too sweet. I rate this flavor 6/10 for sweetness. Finding mooncakes can vary in difficulty depending on where you are, but there was a wide selection of them at my local Asian grocery store in the bakery section.
Mango sticky rice is popular all across Asia, but it originates from Thailand. Mango sticky rice is a dessert, as the name suggests, with sticky rice topped with mango and coconut milk. I ordered mine at a Thai restaurant and its taste was strikingly balanced and satisfying. The sticky rice was chewy and warm while the mango added a nice tartness and light sweet flavor. The coconut milk was light but added another simple, but essential flavor to the dish to add depth. The rice wasn’t very sweet at all, but the sauce and the mango rounded it out as a delightful dessert. I will rate the sweetness a perfect 5/10, not too sweet and not bland. The dish lets its other flavors shine while embellishing them with refreshing sweetness.
There are many renditions of shaved ice from all over the world, from American snow cones to Japanese kakigōri, and Korean bingsu. Bingsu is a milk-based shaved ice and this explains how smooth it is. At the time I tried this, I hadn’t known it was milk-based and assumed it was water-based shaved ice. I was blown away by the bingsu’s fluffy, soft, soft-serve-like texture. The texture is similar to powdery finely shaved snow. It quickly melts in your mouth and there are many flavors of bingsu. Flavors include strawberry, green tea, red bean, chocolate, and many more. Flavors can also be seasonal and the flavor I chose to taste was honeydew melon with toppings of strawberry and honey. There are many toppings for bingsu too, like condensed milk, other fresh fruits, small sweets, and more. The honeydew flavor was summery and light which was accentuated by the soft texture. The flavor was very sweet but still refreshing like ice cream and so I will rate it a 7/10 on sweetness. Bingsu specifically can be hard to find only because there are many dishes like it. I found mine at an Asian dessert restaurant, but you can find similar desserts at many Asian restaurants.
Gulab Jamun is a South Asian dessert and is very popular in India. However, it actually has its origins in Persia. Gulab jamun consists of milk solids formed into a dough and fried, then soaked in a super sweet syrup flavored with cardamom, saffron, cloves, and rose water. It tastes similar to doughnut holes soaked in a simple syrup, but seasoned with spices. Gulab jamun is a favorite of the ones I’ve tried because of its simplicity. The spices add complexity and the fried dough adds a richness to the dish. The syrup does make it a little sweet with a rating on 8/10 sweetness, but servings are usually kept small. Usually people only eat 2 or 3 at a time and with how rich and sweet it is they end up being very satisfying. Most Indian restaurants serve this as their dessert, and it should be easy to try out yourself.
All these desserts have their own characteristics and uniqueness that is hard to put into words. This just goes to show how worthwhile it is to try food from new and different cultures. I myself have found some new favorites that I never thought I needed to try. Most of these desserts are much more healthy than mainstream desserts and may be more appropriate when you crave something sweet. I encourage everyone to try these desserts; appreciation for different cultures has greatly increased in modern times and I hope people continue to be curious and open minded.
Coffee Culture Evolves Through the Decades
Starbucks opened its doors in 1971 when three friends decided to open a friendly space in Seattle’s Pike Place Market for coffee lovers. Thus, Starbucks’ influence began.
Before Starbucks arrived, the history of coffee began in the 15th century. “One mythology is that it started when an Ethiopian goat herder noticed goats were eating these red beans, they saw the goat getting energetic afterward, so they wanted to try coffee beans as well. There’s another idea that it started in Yemen, either because they took the coffee from East Africa and started to refine it in the way that we consume it now, or another way that we are not quite sure [about]. Through the trade networks, it spread to Europe,” said Lea Hartog, the teacher of The Food on Your Plate seminar.
Coffee made its way worldwide. Soon after, coffee houses emerged in the 1550s to provide a suitable space for people to sip coffee and enjoy entertainment together.
“One of the reasons why people think the Scientific Revolution of the 15- or 1600s was possible is because people would sit in cafes and debate ideas, being very caffeinated, which spread a lot of intellectualism. It also helped give people the energy and the ability to stay awake to work longer nights into the Industrial Revolution,” Lea said.
Coffee houses are the starter place for many intellectual inspirations and innovations. This, too, was how Starbucks started. Over the years, Starbucks has become the “third space” for people, a place to gather, work, and study, aside from their homes and workplaces.
Senior Yula Yu is a fervent Starbucks customer. “On average, I visit Starbucks three times a week. At least once a week, I sit there and do work, even outdoors sometimes,” Yula said. “For studying, I think the Starbucks in Blackhawk Plaza is nicer. If you want to sit there for a cup of coffee, and just enjoy, the one in [downtown] Danville is nicer. Every shop has a different vibe, different furniture, different setups, and the lighting is different. Some are fancier than others.”
But the vibe of coffee shops has changed. Although Starbucks is still a place where people gather for work or study, it is not the same as coffee houses that existed centuries ago.
“In the past, coffee houses were centered around learning, teaching, and meeting. In contrast to now, I think our culture is a lot quicker, so I think people just go in and out, and won’t sit or talk to random people. You aren’t going to go in there to have a philosophical debate. You are going in there and then you are going to leave. So in contrast to coffee houses in the past, [cafés now] are quicker and more convenient,” said senior Ally Lafayette, a student in The Food on Your Plate seminar.
The Original Starbucks in Seattle only sold whole-bean coffee, tea, and spices. Eventually, it became apparent that selling merely coffee was not enough for clients as many customers do not enjoy coffee or the effects of caffeine.
In 1995, Starbucks introduced its Frappuccino. The blended iced coffee drink with a crème base quickly became popular, especially among younger customers. This was Starbucks’ first attempt to transition from traditional hand-crafted coffee to other creative drinks.
In 2003, Starbucks presented the Pumpkin Spice Latte, one of the most popular seasonal drinks today. Around a decade later, the Starbucks’ Refreshers arrived. Non-caffeine drinkers began visiting Starbucks, and today customers appreciate the variety of options Starbucks offers.
“In terms of what I order, it depends on the season because when it’s Christmas, I tend to spend more money there, because I would get the holiday drinks. But usually, it’s either a chai latte or a decaf latte, and sometimes a matcha or a Pink Drink,” Yula said.
Starbucks focuses on advertisements, creating drinks during special occasions to attract customers to try new drinks. “I think it is a marketing technique because a few years ago, there weren’t this many drinks. Now, for Valentine’s Day, there’s going to be a campaign. For Christmas, they changed the color of posters, and they sold cups in red and green,” Yula said.
Yula admits the impact of Starbucks’ marketing campaign on her purchases.
“Sometimes I get tricked into buying it. Last year, I paid over a dollar more for a Gingerbread Chai Latte with gingerbread cold foam, when the usual one was cheaper. Starbucks drinks are already really expensive. I wouldn’t say it’s worth it, but it’s a treat that is worth trying,” she said.
When speaking of prices, people complain about the charge when they want to customize their orders. It was not until November of 2024 that Starbucks removed the extra charge when choosing non-dairy milk, such as soy, oat, almond, or coconut milk over dairy milk. Starbucks wanted to bring more customers back.
Starbucks also designs specialties for special occasions. During Christmas, Starbucks’ game of Uncap, Scan & Win offered coupons and reward points to Starbucks Rewards members. On February 10, Starbucks also offered free coffee to celebrate the Super Bowl.
The purpose of coffee shops has gradually changed over time, but people’s love for coffee and drinks has remained unchanged.
Join the Boarders and Taste the “Better Lunch”
I am one of the fortunate people who get to eat the Athenian dinner every day, prepared with great care by the Epicurean Group with their motto “fresh, honest, and local.” Most day students only get to hear about the delicious dinner that they miss out on from boarders. Here are the top 5 best Athenian dinners that will make day students want to become boarders.
Taco Tuesday: The best constant recurring dinner Athenian has ever had. Boarders rush to dinner even a few minutes before to get their plate first or else it will be a long wait for this incredible meal. Endless amounts of rice, meat, beans, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, it is practically Athenian’s Chipotle. It tastes exactly like Chipotle, too, with each bite filled with a mixture of rice, meat, sour cream, lettuce, and cheese. It overpowers your tastebuds with flavor and makes you want to take more and more bites. Anyone can build their plate and taco to their desire leading to many plates overflowing. What a shame that Taco Tuesday only happens every other week.
Ramen: A warm broth filled with ramen noodles, bok choy, dumplings, and chashu. It just really warms your stomach and can help a cold. Every bite and sip of the broth just makes you feel at home and tastes like comfort. Furthermore, the noodles and dumplings give it a savory flavor, which when combined with the broth creates an explosion of warmth in your mouth. I love having this dinner during the winter as it gives me a shield from the cold and makes me feel like I am full and warm. The ramen is also build-your-own, so there are a bunch of toppings to choose from to make your ramen even better.
Sushi Boat: A wooden boat with sashimi, nigiri, and rolls, all neatly placed in rows across the top of the boat, creating a delicious piece of art. Fresh salmon and tuna are cut nicely into sashimi, while others are placed neatly onto rice to create nigiri. The rolls are even better with California Rolls and Japanese Grilled Eel Rolls. All fresh, and ready to eat on the boat with of course a side of wasabi and soy sauce. Only one bite is needed for each nigiri, sashimi, or roll, and you can practically taste and smell the sea with each piece of sushi all being fresh out of the ocean.
Chicken Katsu: A baked, bread-crumb-surrounded piece of chicken combined with a selection of sauces creates a warm, flavorful, crispy bite. Combined with a side of rice or noodles, this dinner is a staple in the boarding community due to its simplicity and likeability by a large number of people. It tastes exactly like it is from the restaurant, even a bit crispier, creating an amazing crunch. Moreover, a smooth savory sauce is prepared on the side, so boarders can get as much as they want to make their chicken taste even better. Every bite, the juices flow out of the chicken mixing with the sauce while you hear the crunch and top it off with some rice that enhances the overall taste.
Tri-Tip: Rows and rows of meat, perfect for a carnivore, with a side of mashed potatoes to help enhance the flavor of the meat. The meat is cooked perfectly and has sauce drizzled all over to make sure that it never tastes dry. On lucky occasions, there will be Hawaiian bread to make yourself a few sliders that taste phenomenal. The Hawaiian bread sandwiching the meat creates a chewy and delicious slider that enhances the taste of the meat even more. It is one of the few recurring dinners where boarders usually go for seconds or thirds.
Finding the Finest Fast Food Fries
As someone who loves fast food, I’ve eaten at a variety of places and have always found fries to be the most divisive topic. I’ve found the best burger, shake, ice cream, or drink at fast food places, but no one can seem to agree on a general answer to the best fry. It seems to be a controversial topic both in my life and on the Internet, with every list giving wildly different answers. Since no one could seem to agree, I set out on a mission to rank fast food fries.
This list is based on five categories, each ranked on a scale of 1 to 10 and then averaged out. The scores for crispiness, freshness, saltiness, and ability to stand alone - taste - are all ranked based on my subjective perceptions of the fries. The final category, cheap and plentiful, is a ranking based on the price per ounce, with the cheapest per ounce getting a 10 and the most expensive getting a 1.
So what makes a good fry? A good fry has to meet a few criteria. First, the fry has to be fresh, warm, and not soggy. Also, the fry should be crispy. Specifically, when you bite into it, the fry should be crispy on the outside but soft on the inside, and the smaller pieces should be crisp, but not so crunchy that they leave a burnt taste in your mouth. Additionally, the fries should taste good, so they should be well-salted and stand on their own well, not requiring any sauce to be enjoyable to eat. Lastly, the fries should be affordable: you should receive fries proportional to the amount that you pay.
By those criteria, here are the best fast food fries, ranked in ascending order:
8. Burger King
Score: 4.2/10
Burger King might be the ruler of burgers, but it certainly doesn’t have the fries to match. The fries were warm but not fresh and had a strange coating that left an unappealing aftertaste in my mouth. They were also quite bland, barely having any salt or flavor. In addition to this, they were very soft, with no crispiness whatsoever. They were surprisingly cost-effective, but their price wasn’t enough to make up for their taste – a disappointing showing from such a popular fast-food restaurant.
7. Dairy Queen
Score: 4.4/10
An underwhelming score from Dairy Queen. While the fries were certainly fresh, they barely had any flavor or crisp to them. They were slightly soggy and bland overall. With some sauce, or -- hear me out -- dipping them in your Blizzard, they could be decent. But on their own, these fries don’t hold up.
6. Jack in the Box
Score: 4.8/10
Jack in the Box’s fries were mediocre in every way. They were fresh and warm for a minute but got soggy quickly. The crispiness was inconsistent within every fry, with some bites being perfectly crispy, others very soft, and others practically burnt. In terms of taste, they were very undersalted and fairly bland. Despite this, they had a bit of flavor to them, and the bites that were crispy tasted decent.
5. Wendy’s
Score: 6.2/10
While Wendy’s fries have had a ton of build-up around them overall, I found them disappointing. The fries were slightly warm and weren’t consistently crispy, having a bit of crunch but not very much. The smaller fries were overly crispy and the larger ones didn’t have any crisp at all. They were decently salted but needed some sort of sauce to have enough flavor.
4. Chick-fil-A
Score: 6.7/10
Whenever people talk about the best fries, Chick-fil-A’s waffle fries almost always come up, but I don’t think they lived up to the hype. To be sure, they were warm and fresh, and outstanding in crispiness. Very few places understand how to make a satisfyingly crispy fry, but Chick-fil-A does it well. The fries are crisp along the edges but soft in the middle. However, this could not make up for the taste. The lack of salt and flavor made this fry fairly bland and unappealing.
3. Kentucky Fried Chicken
Total Score: 6.9/10
KFC’s fries came as something of a surprise. I wasn’t expecting much out of fries from a fried chicken place, but they were very good. They were right out of the fryer, fresh and fairly crispy. However, the salting was variable, with some not having nearly enough salt, and others having way too much. This could probably be masked by a sauce, but on their own, the fries don’t hold up very well. Even though they were good, they were by far the least cost-effective fry, with a price of almost a dollar per ounce. But if you’re willing to pay, these fries are worth a taste.
2. McDonald’s
Score: 7.8/10
McDonald’s performed well. Their fries were good, with enough salt to be flavorful, a good taste, fresh, and warm. The only area where they underperformed was the crispiness of the fries. The fries were overall very soft, even the small pieces that are usually very crispy. The fries were delicious, but I wanted more. That being said, McDonalds was certainly the most cost-effective, being only 39 cents per ounce.
1. Five Guys
Score: 8.7/10
Five Guys certainly did not disappoint with their fries. Their fries were warm and fresh from the moment you took them out of the bag, a little hot but after about thirty seconds they were the perfect temperature. They were flavorful and well-salted, there was no need for a sauce to complement the flavor. The only complaint I had was inconsistency. Some of their fries were more or less salted than others, but it was kept within a reasonable range and barely affected the taste. Five Guys were by far the most expensive fries on the list, but you get an insane amount of fries for the amount you pay, having one of the cheapest prices per ounce.
Even though Five Guys has the best fries, if you’re looking for the best value, you’ll get it at McDonald’s. The cheapest fries on the list at only $1.89, they have the best value for what you get, and even though they aren’t the best, they’re pretty close and still very good.
I went into this thinking that I had an idea of what my favorite fry was, but I found myself surprised by some of the fries I hadn’t considered. I enjoyed Five Guys’ fries the most, but fry taste is very subjective, so I invite you to try them yourself and see what you think.
Three Athenian Foods You Don't Want to Miss
As a Student Ambassador, one of the most common questions I receive from prospective students is ‘How is the food at Athenian?’
It seems that when given the choice, families prefer to go to a school that will satisfy their kids’ stomach. This article is, therefore, a chance to proudly showcase some of the best foods served at Athenian, allowing prospective students to have a glimpse of the amazing cuisines here.
Athenian’s kitchen is run by the Epicurean Group, providing the school with healthy and sustainable food choices. There are daily entrée and fresh salad bars and the recently brought back soup station is greatly enjoyed.
Without further ado, here are three of my favorite dishes at Athenian.
1. Chicken and Waffles
Chicken and Waffles is finally back. This is my all-time favorite meal at Athenian that the kitchen does not serve often. Who can resist warm and crispy waffles with savory chicken wings? The chicken is seasoned with a blend of salt, pepper, and garlic powder, creating a perfect balance of flavors that is neither salty nor plain. The meat is cooked just right, creating a golden-brown exterior. It is also sprinkled with lemon to add an additional flavor. The waffles make the dish even better. With a drizzle of maple syrup, the sweet taste complements the saltier taste of the chicken. Eating the chicken and waffles allows students to be satisfied and joyful for the rest of their day.
2. Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup
The grilled cheese sandwich makes me smile, even on Meatless Monday. The bread of the sandwich is grilled perfectly: it is crunchy but not burnt or overcooked. The cheese melted in the middle adds a stretchiness to the dry bread. The tomato soup is the perfect addition to the dry sandwich. Made with ripe tomatoes, fresh herbs, and sour cream, the soup has a thick and creamy texture. With a dip of the grilled cheese into the tomato soup, the sandwich becomes flavorful and delicious. No wonder there is always a long line at the soup station on grilled cheese day.
3. Caesar Salad
I have to admit, I normally don’t eat salad, but the Caesar salad was what invited me to go to the salad bar for the first time. The light green leaves are crunchy. The salad is full of different textures and flavors with the addition of bread crumbs, cheese, and little tomatoes. Athenian salad also has other ingredients, including chicken bits, ham, pickles, and other dressings, including ranch and vinaigrette, allowing one to make the ideal salad.