I contacted Try the World a few weeks ago after seeing a review of their boxes on the Huffington Post. I was sent both their Buenos Aires box and their Japan box in order to test it out and see whether or not it would appeal to Generation-Y travelers passionate about food and seeing new places.
I was most impressed by the Japan box, and fortunately one of my best friends was back from Japan and could confirm whether or not the products that they sent were authentic or not. After affirming that everything they had sent was legitimate, I went to the kitchen and began cooking up some of the Ishiguro, or yamaino soba noodles sent in the box. Also included was some seaweed, some gummy candies, ponzu sauce, blueberry matcha tea, a okonomiyaki kit, and Morinaga milk caramels.
Despite being a relatively small box, they fit a lot of different kinds of food in. I immediately devoured the gummy candies (after remember seeing them on my own journey to Japan), and the matcha tea was the perfect way to start the morning. Recipes were included, as well, so if you had the time to get the ingredients and try your hand at making okonomiyaki, you could.
The concept was amazing—I love the idea of being able to try different foods from locations that I haven’t been before. Let’s face it, eating the food is one of the main ways to get a sense of other cultures, and so being able to sample some of the local products is a great idea.
My main question was whether or not this would be something that members of Generation-Y would like or consider spending money on. Try the World is a subscription service, and there are multiple plans that can work for you. You can choose or order one box on a bi-monthly basis (maybe one country’s food sounds more appetizing to you than another), or subscribe to a semi-monthly plan that gives you three boxes a year, or the full plan which offers you six boxes.
Again, the idea is fantastic, the problem that Generation-Y travelers might face is the expense. One box costs nearly forty USD, and the full plan is nearly $200. That amount of money could be used toward several nights’ stay in the actual location at a hostel. Some of the products can be a little hit-and-miss, as well. In the Buenos Aires box, I was given several foods that I had no idea what to pair them with, even after reading the suggestions they sometimes offered on the included card.
Overall, it comes down to how much money you are willing to spend in order to try some foods from a place that you might not get to or that you are particularly fond of.
Thanks to Try the World for the two boxes and the opportunity to test the product!
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