Last Friday, when I made that trek to my former student's condo in Missisauga, I received some traditional sweets from her for my parents. Those are it to the left of you. And before I get any snide comments about dung beetles invading my home, I'll let you know that they are o-hagi. They're kinda like an inside-out version of typical Japanese pastries in that the anko (sweet bean paste), which is usually the filling, is actually the covering. Inside is a core of mashed mochigome, rice for making mochi rice cakes. They are very chewy and glutinous, and admittedly they are an acquired taste, even amongst the Japanese. But I'm OK with them, although they will never replace apple pie in my heart and stomach.
