the gremlin in me comes out

i have a problem when it comes to snacks.. it's not a problem as much as it's an addiction.. the only reason i'm writing this now is that insomnia is telling to stop being such a pussy - so i find myself infront of another screen.. i digress.. just for a little backdrop: i'm quite good about monitoring my eating habits: yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch, soup for dinner, fit in a will timed run. leading a healthy lifestyle is not difficult. my problem only comes alive after i've showered and brushed my teeth and it's late at night.. waiting there staring at me right in my face.. hidden behind the pasta in the dry goods cupboard, the packaging taunts and taunts me.. before i know it, i'm about to destroy the hinges, and peeling back wrappers shoving one two three four sometimes give pieces of pastry in my mouth.. in each hand i carry two sometimes three pieces.. and then in a dramatization reminiscent of the ogre under the bridge, i wave my candy carrying hands to hide the tears of shame streaming down my face, and yell (with a full mouth i might add) "don't look at me!" - quelle horor..

dear reader, i am what you'd call a mogwai.. you can't feed me after midnight (solid rule people, solid rule), otherwise i'd turn into a gremlin.. in my case, i turn into a snack monster of epic proportions.. why i wait till the evening, i have no idea.. but there are a a few treats that i am unable to resist.. once placed in my household, i cannot conceive of going through my day without inspecting and sampling the finest in my humble abode..

for your reading pleasure, i have compiled a few of these treats that i cannot go without.. feel free to comment on agreements, disagreements, or your own personal candied de rigueur.

Baklawa from Tariq Pastries
Bahraini sweets (halwa) is part of our culture.. but one of the first baklawa pastry shops to open in bahrain was none other than Tariq Pastries. I am biased, i grew up eating the stuff, made by long family friends for generations.. but until you try the treat, just trust me.. they were the first to perfect the pastry nut syrup combination.. they were then the first to come up with the idea of dipping the pastry in milk and white chocolate.. often imitated but never recreated - a double layer tray of baklawa lasts about 2 (maybe 3) days in my place.. i have started bringing trays for the desk at the office here in london.. and it never lasts the week.. i could write a whole post about this stuff..

Havana Alfajores
Meringue sandwich cookies with dulce de leche and covered in icing sugar.. introduced to me by my Argentine roommate back in 2002.. my life changed.. it was years before i had them again.. until i was with mrs. rants roaming borough market that i found these cookies and bought two boxes.. needless to say, they're super rich, she might've had half of one, and i devoured two boxes.. i'd say try it with some coffee.. but who could resist? 

Al-Rifai nuts
One of the best exports of the Arab world is Lebanon's Al-Rifai nuts.. Bahrain airport has a stand, and i cannot walk past en route to some sad country with no proper pistachios or cashews without picking up a kilo. it's very funny, but for us in the middle east, we laugh at the quality of nuts available in the west.. cashews in the supermarket here in london are a joke.. A canadian friend from bschool once credited Al-Rifai for being the best snack to have with a drink.. i cannot disagree.. the supermix is the way to go.. and if you cheat and have the cheese flavored cashews - well i wont tell anyone..

Kermani brothers Kaz
Iran, is home to the best nougat i've ever sampled.. individually wrapped with pistacho, the chewy delectable treat is easily consumed.. the box has a picture on the cover of (a young) old man Kermani with weirdish ears.. if you see that.. then you know you've got the real deal.. i can go through a box in an entire sitting, lying to myself over and over that this one was going to be the last..

the brownie to end all brownies.. 

special mention goes to my sister who has perfected the brownie to the point it's sinful.. again i'm biased.. but there's enough people who can corroborate this bias, so i don't feel so bad.. yarz makes the most delectable brownies that you forgive yourself for eating 12 pieces.. now if she'd only do this for monetary gain, i'd rather pay her for the brownies than use brotherly emotional guilt to get them.. 

unt, there you have it.. my kryptonite.. presented to you in a neat little post as a result of that medium latte double shot i had at 4:30pm (which i knew was a bad idea at the time, but went along with it anyways)..