Mochi!

So among the many left overs from my BBQ last weekend were a few half-finished boxes of Mochi Ice-cream balls. A little treat that i've enjoyed from time to time since i moved out here about 10 years ago. Due to a poor re-run season of TV, i sat on my couch and began reading the box. I noticed that the factory address was only a few blocks from my job. From there, i did a search on the company (mikawaya) on the internet. According to the Mikawayausa.com web site, Mikawaya, a Los Angeles based japanese bakery where the originators of the funky treat back in the early 90's (probably close to the time when i first tasted them at a little ice cream shop in little tokyo). I had assumed that this was a food imported from Japan, much the way Boba tea made its way here from Korea. But i seem to be wrong, Mochi ice-cream balls are a Los Angeles home grown invention. The same town that invented the French Dip, and if i'm not wrong, the Exotic Coctail.