Trader Joe/Jose/Ming

The most crowded place in Manhattan is not Times Square, it's not Macy's, it's not the 456 during rush hour, it's Trader Joe's. Not only are their lines zig-zagging through the whole store to checkout, on exceptionally busy times such as Sunday afternoon, there is a line half a block long just to get in the store. Having said that, trying new items at Trader Joe's is always an adventure, sometimes it's absolutely sublime, sometimes it's completely inedible. So below are my best and worst of the Trader Joe cuisine.

Most delicious:

Personal size barbecue chicken pizza: easy to pop into the oven and has that California Pizza Kitchen flavor. Actual cubes of white meat, onion and oregano. And for only $2.99 it is the most amazing deal for dinner.

Beef and Rice Burrito: comes in packs of two, microwaveable, and the shredded beef inside looks like real meat. Yummy rice and a little bit of spice, it's perfect except it gives me the worst food comas in the word. However, that is a small price to pay for a highly fulfilling lunch.

Orange Peach Mango Juice: ahhh the perfect fruit medley combination. While a delicious beverage, I have also used it as part of an orange breaded chicken oven casserole. Part of my culinary adventurousness.

Most Disgusting

Chicken and Noodle Soup: literally I didn't know you could mess up a can of soup with vegetables and noodles. I've had Campbells, I've had Progresso, I've had the Chunky stuff and frankly they all taste about the same to me. When I prepared the Trader Joe soup however, the overwhelming blandness, mushiness and 2 ugly pieces of chicken combined to make a hot mess. My therapy for a sore throat basically backfired.

Lemongrass Chicken Rolls: title is very misleading, it is literally an abundance of lemongrass in a really thin wrap that tastes like eating something directly out of the ground. Not so appetizing.

Oatmeal Clusters Cereal: competing product with Honey Bunches of Oats, except for the fact that it doesn't make me feel warm and fuzzy inside but rather like a cow chewing on grain. Rah.