Traveling Without Actually Going Anywhere: Universal Yums from Belgium

In April 2023, we received a box with snacks from Belgium. I visited Belgium in the summer of 2017 with two friends, but this was the first Universal Yums box I had gotten from Belgium. We learned in the packet that the most popular attraction in the country is the Atomium, which I’ve actually seen and been to the top of! It was built in 1958, and I went up it in 2017! Did you know that Belgium has three official languages?! They are French, Dutch, and German. In addition, the comic strip, The Smurfs, was written in Belgium.

While snacking, we listened to Belgian pop music and to their national anthem. First, my husband and I ate crème brulee bonbons. They were delicious, and I wish the bag gave us more than four! They melted in my mouth, and I loved them! Did I ever mention that the Universal Yums boxes also come with stickers? One of the stickers had a cute pun and said “Belg-YUM!” I used this sticker when describing the bonbons! Secondly, we ate ham and gouda biscuits. They smelled like cheese and ham and vaguely tasted like them too! They were a light snack, and I wish the biscuits were more intact; they broke a part during shipping. They were alright, but not my favorite snack.

We then ate cranberry rye cake. The consistency and texture of this made me think of a kitchen sponge, not that I have ever eaten a sponge before! It had a bitter taste to it, and my husband thought it was stale. Next up was violet gummies. These were sugar covered gummies that actually did NOT get stuck in my teeth! However, the grape flavor was disgusting!

Our next snack was made in France, not Belgium, which was disappointing. Andalouse sauce potato chips tasted like ketchup or BBQ flavored potato chips. My husband thought they had a bit of a spicy aftertaste. Overall, they were okay. Over 600,000 tons of chocolate are produced in Belgium each year! We got to taste part of that chocolate in the form of a raspberry dark chocolate bar. It was very good, but I prefer milk chocolate over dark chocolate. It was smooth, and you could definitely taste the raspberry!

Next month’s box will come jam-packed with Taiwanese refreshments!