Something to chew on

If you are looking for a fruity bite, hawthorn berry chews -- which taste like fruit leather with a slight Asian flair -- are in many Chinatown shops. Although the hawthorn berry is not well known in this country, the flavor is familiar. The berries taste like cherries and apples rolled up together. This soft, chewy, and addictive snack comes in a nearly endless assortment of sizes and shapes. There are bite-size roll-ups and longer cylinders, as well as rectangular cubes and larger slabs (about $3.20 for a 13-ounce plastic container, $2.20 for a bag, and 89 cents for a slab). If you prefer a crispier snack, rolls of hawthorn disks and other hard varieties are available. Don't be put off by labels that say "fruit cake" or "haw cake." These are yummy snacks -- whatever the translation. EMILY SCHWAB

Individually wrapped hawthorn chews areat Super 88 Markets and many Chinatown shops.