I love Trader Joe’s. I do, I do, I doooooo!!!
BUT.
Their Asian food is failing, HARD.
I used to think it was decent, that I could get by with it if need be.
Now, I just want to drop kick it out the window…
…but that’s littering, and not very nice.
So I’ll use my words instead, along with visuals/photos/Vines!!!
First off, 4/10. Now diving into the matter deeper:
Pros
1. It’s quick. Stick it in the microwave, and in 6 minutes, you’ve got faux (intentionally wrong word).
2. If you want something small, this’ll match you need.
3. There are vegetables in it, albeit soggy ones.
Cons
1. Okay, the first thing that bothered me was the wording on the box, “a Vietnamese style recipe”. WTF IS THAT.
How hard is it to find/consult a Vietnamese chef, and have *them* sample the product, BEFORE it is mass produced!??!!?
2. It’s TOO SMALL. Before I microwaved this, there’s a rolled mass of rice noodles, that looks like it amounts to 1/4 cup.
As an Asian woman, I am offended. Noodles and rice are my life.
3. SOGGY VEGETABLES. Not only is the broth *terribly* underwhelming, no tang, no soul, no substance to it, THERE ARE VEGETABLES.
WHY.
If you go to a Vietnamese restaurant, any of them, even that one down the street that waters down their broth, there are no green onions/scallions, red bell peppers, grilled-ish onions, and *julienned carrots* in the bowl, EVER.
What they *do* give you is a plate, which is garnish, to help *accent/bring out* the flavors of/in the broth. Thai basil, bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, occasionally cilantro, and lemon/limes slices. There’s also hoisin sauce, sriracha, and soy sauce on the table, but I’m going beyond my point.
4. Something that I almost missed was the cut of ‘beef’ including in this “bowl” of pho.
5-7 of over-cooked, fatty, 2-inch pieces of BLEEP. Not thinly cut steak, not brisket, not beef balls.
Just BLEEP.
The point is WHY IS THIS PRODUCT SO TERRIBLE!???
I associated Trader Joe’s with good quality food, and their Asian food has *seriously* been lacking that.
I don’t know when they stopped having taste testers, but I would like them to hire them back, particularly me, because not only do I need a job, *hint, hint, nudge, nudge*, I would my small amount of money allotted for food each month not to be wasted.
Again, WHAT IS THIS SHIZZ!?!????
TAKE OUT THE DAMN VEGETABLES.
I KNOW YOU ALL LIKE COLOR, BUT NO.
#insulted
christyrusk 