In the game of "Can You Eat Japanese Food?", umeboshi and natto are in the final leg of the gauntlet, the two Japanese tastes thought least likely to appeal to tongues raised on Campbell's Chicken Noodle and Quaker oatmeal. If you admit to enjoying either, you are immediately handed a crown, scepter and Miss-America-style ribbon emblazoned with the words "CAN EAT JAPANESE FOOD." If you admit to liking both, you are additionally given a set of bejeweled chopsticks.

I hate natto (fermented soybeans that smell like dirty socks and have the disturbing texture of mucus). But I love umeboshi (pickled plums-which-are-actually-apricots-but-everyone-calls-them-plums with a bracingly sour bite). So i decided to try some ume gummies, partly because the package is so cute and perfect for spring, and partly because I wanted to see just how far, exactly, I "CAN EAT JAPANESE FOOD."

I'm pleased to report my ribbon is intact. These candies have a refreshing herbal taste, neither too sour nor too sweet. I didn't think they tasted at all like umeboshi at first; the only thing I thought of was yukari, the mixture of salt and dried red shiso leaves sometimes sprinkled on rice. I was convinced I had discovered some kind of hoax perpetrated by the Lotte candy company on the unsuspecting gummy-eating public, until I remembered umeboshi are made using red shiso leaves, which are what turn the fruits pink. So much for my undercover food detective work.

I also learned a new texture word: buruburu, quivering. The fact that the idea of quivering food appeals to me should qualify me for those bejeweled chopsticks despite my multiple failures in the natto corner, don't you think?