Each day, I receive dozens of emails about novelty products, cruise “deals,” and hotel restaurants in the middle of nowhere — all with offers for “more information and high-resolution images upon request.” Well, today I decided to take one PR rep up on her offer.

Just three or four months from now (OK, sometime in Q2), you’ll be able to walk into a Hot Topic store (those still exist?) and pick up a pair of these totally awesome and equally practical “Gummy Bear Earbuds,” seen in the high-resolution image above. At $9.99, I’m going to assume they sound as great as they look. For those investors out there, don’t go running out to buy up $BEAR just yet — these little guys are actually manufactured by electronics giant “Sakar.com,” with licensing fees going to HARIBO (yes, spelled in all CAPS) *Correction: Street Players Holding Corporation. Oh, and a word of warning from the manufacturer: “I wouldn’t recommend consumption.” If anybody decides to pick these up, please let me know how they sound (and taste, if that’s your thing). And just in case you landed on this page after scouring the Web for reviews, I’m gonna give these gummy dummies a rating of 4.5. Yes, 4.5. Out of 4.5.

Are you a Gummy Bear collector? Accessorize your earbuds with officially-licensed Gummy Bear iPod cases and a Gummy Bear mp3 player (yes, these do exist, and I’ll update you with pricing and availability just as soon as that hits my inbox).

If you follow me and spent any time on Twitter yesterday, you probably saw a live-tweet or two from my “Hole-in-the-Wall” Hawaii Food Tour. As tour operator and CFG (Chief Food Guy) Matthew Gray explained after my group of three boarded his mini-bus, along with seven other tourists, the tour focused on food that actual Hawaiians eat, rather than simply foods of Hawaii. There was plenty of that too (poke — marinated cubed ahi, bananas, and pineapple), but we also sampled rice noodles in Chinatown, exotic fruits, and pork buns that tasted identical to those I’d find down the street from my apartment in New York.

I first discovered Hawaii Food Tours a few days ago  while browsing TripAdvisor for activities, and after seeing overwhelmingly positive feedback (the tour is rated #5 of 238 attractions in Honolulu), I signed my family up immediately. I’ve being wanting to try one of the many food tours offered in New York City, and while this tour was a bit pricier ($99 per person), it seemed like the perfect way to spend half a day in Hawaii.

Since I already covered most of the tour in my posts on Twitter yesterday, I’m going to repost some of them here, with updated (higher-quality) photos.

Click the “read more” link to continue!

10:19 AM: First stop on the Hawaii Food Tour: Royal Kitchen in Chinatown for manapua (steamed meat buns).

10:46 AM: Stop #2: Coco Puffs at Liliha Bakery (pic). WOW.

11:09 AM: The tour has moved to Chinatown. CFG (Chief Food Guy) and newspaper food critic Matthew Gray talks to the group. *Continued: Locals approach, assuming that Gray is holding a tray of free samples.

11:24 AM: Rice noodles at Look Funn noodle shop… one of the last of its kind. Time to eat!

Click the “read more” link to continue!

11:37 AM: Live bull frogs in Honolulu Chinatown… $6.99 per pound. Guessing they’re not being sold as pets.

(Not from Twitter) – A Honolulu police officer writes a ticket after using a ruler to determine that this food stall’s produce extended too far out onto the sidewalk. Slow crime day, I suppose.

12:00 PM: Eating some exotic fruit in Chinatown… This is called a rambutan.

12:04 PM: Here come the Hawaiian foods… Spam “sushi” and poke (raw, seasoned ahi cubes)!

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12:09 PM: Now: “apple” bananas and coconut tarts.

12:17 PM: Pineapple two ways: natural (and the best you can get – anywhere), and marinated in preserved plum powder.

12:25 PM: Dessert: A “Keira special” smoothie … Topped with plum-infused vodka and pineapple juice.

12:55 PM: at Sun Chong Grocery.

1:02 PM: The most awful smelling fruit in the world: durian. The taste is described as “custardy rotten onion.”

1:18 PM: A fresh-flower lei at Lin’s Lei Shop.

1:56 PM: Last stop before it’s back to Waikiki: malasadas (like an overstuffed donut) at Leonard’s Bakery. So full!

Some days I travel around the city without my camera, electing to shoot with my iPhone 4 instead, as the phone tends to capture excellent images in good light. Yesterday was one such day — as I walked through the city at lunchtime, I used my iPhone to chat with family and friends as I responded to emails, read a news story or two, checked the weather repeatedly in an attempt to convince myself that it really was much warmer than the 40 degrees I felt as I walked in the shade, and snapped photos at the 2010 Chocolate Show at Metropolitan Pavilion. I was able to capture some great images at the show, and looked forward to sharing them with you after I returned last night. Today, however, I am carrying my camera, as this is the first day in over three years that I am without an iPhone — it was stolen in a New York City bar last night, along with all of yesterday’s photos.

That said, this really isn’t a post about how much I miss my iPhone, now forced to squeeze by with a BlackBerry Torch until it can be replaced. We’re talking about chocolate here, and if you’re in New York City this weekend, head on down to the Metropolitan Pavilion, to catch all the sweet and savory 2010 Chocolate Show action. The show runs from 10-7 today and tomorrow, and from 10-6 on Sunday. Hint: If you go towards the end of the day on Sunday, you may have quite a bit of bargaining power with exhibitors who’d prefer to avoid returning home with unsold sweets.

Tickets to the Show can be purchased on site for $28, and most of the chocolate on display is for sale, so don’t expect too many free samples, despite the high cost of admission. During my visit yesterday, representatives were on hand from some of the world’s top (I assume) chocolatiers, including Mary’s Chocolate Company from Tokyo, which offered some kickin’ wasabi chocolate, and Neuchatel Chocolate, which had samples of Swiss chocolate-covered potato chips on hand. There were also plenty of savory cooking demos, including a shiitake mushroom caramel sauce, and a chocolate carving station, where a “Chocolate Olympics” champion carved a variety of objects out of solid blocks of chocolate. I intended to post photos of all of this (the image above was borrowed from the Chocolate Show website), but you’re just going to have to take my word for it — the Chocolate Show is a good time. I promise to bring a camera next year (and hope to have a new iPhone by then)!

There may not appear to be anything spectacular about the sushi plate I’ve just presented before you, but this platter of raw fish represents more than just a great meal. My SUteiShi dinner (disclaimer: that wasn’t all for me) was far better than I had expected, given that the restaurant both offered a significant coupon (50-percent off, via Groupon), and that it was located at 24 Peck Slip, which those familiar with Lower Manhattan will be quick to peg smack-dab in the middle of the South Street Seaport — perhaps the city’s biggest tourist trap after Times Square. The food was awesome, however. And the service was sufficient (one of my friends had his water glass refilled a dozen times during the meal, mostly because there was never any need to wait for a pitcher).

Top to bottom, the Under the Sea roll consisted of spicy scallop, scallions, tempura bits, and gold tobiko on top, for about $15. Then, just below that, the King of NY roll featured king crab (it’s not often that you find real crab in a sushi roll), avocado, mayo, and flying fish roe on top. The rest of the rolls included tuna and avocado, spicy tuna, California, and spicy salmon — each $5-7. There’s no shortage of great, relatively inexpensive sushi restaurants in the city, but I can’t say the same for the Financial District — the neighborhood I’ve called home for over a year now. I often trek 30 minutes to the Upper West Side to get my fix, but in the future, I might be willing to supplement those journeys with visits to SUteiShi.

Kimchi, kimbap, bulgogi, banchan, bindaeddeok, bibimbap — somehow I managed to make it through 24 years of life without trying any of these Korean staples, or really any Korean food at all. This changed just a couple hours after landing in Seoul, when my friend Tobye took me for a lunch of kimbap — essentially a Korean sushi roll, made with pickled radish, carrots, and other non-fish ingredients that tend to vary from restaurant to restaurant. It was actually quite filling, and cost about $1, if I remember correctly. Including a bowl of miso soup. My second meal (above), was at a Korean BBQ restaurant and featured bulgogi, or marinated beef. Like nearly every Korean meal that followed, there were plenty of all-you-can-eat side dishes, or banchan.

That first dinner was followed by bindaeddeok (the scallion pancake in the photo above), and makkoli, a milky rice wine. Alcohol seems to play a large role in South Korean culture, with many locals drinking until morning, so it’s no surprise that alcohol is typically consumed with more food.

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Another photo of my first Korean BBQ dinner.

The following night, Tobye and I accidentally ordered an incredibly spicy seafood stew, instead of the BBQ pork we thought we were ordering. The waiter brought out an English menu only after our dish arrived.

That meal was one of the spiciest I’ve ever had, and I nearly depleted the restaurant’s supply of “tissues” (napkins).

Even cheap noodle dishes include unlimited side dishes.

Like nearly ever city I’ve visited, there are plenty of Starbucks on hand as well. The store in the photo above is one of few in the world that replaced the iconic Starbucks text with the coffee chain’s name in the local language.

There’s nothing overwhelmingly unique about the Noryangjin Fish Market, but if you like fresh seafood, you can’t do much better than the restaurants on the second floor of the market — customers haggle for fish at the market below, then head upstairs to one of dozens of restaurants eager to fry up your catch for a fee.

Click the “read more” link for more photos from the market, including some aggressive crabs and one of the best fried fish meals I’ve ever had.

You’ll find countless species of mollusks on the market floor, including a variety of octopuses.

There are plenty of baby octopuses available as well.

Sushi (sashimi, to be more precise) is also a big hit, though you won’t find any spicy tuna rolls here.

Several vendors sell stingray sashimi, bizarrely enough.

Crabs — packed live in cardboard boxes with sawdust — are a big hit at the market.

The crabs appeared agitated when removed from their boxes — not surprising, considering that crabs tend to feel more at home swimming in water than packed tightly in sawdust.

Yup, that’s blood.

This vendor set up her lunch in the middle of the market floor, chowing down on kimchi, not seafood.

I assumed that this cat would be eating raw fish, but nope — that’s kibble in its bowl.

A vendor prepares our fish, which we negotiated down to about 20 bucks.

The finished product … I think the preparation came to about $15 or so, including beers and typical Korean side dishes of tofu and quail eggs. I didn’t love the sides, but the fish was incredible!

If you need to get away from the big city during your visit to Bangkok (as I did after just one day), a quick trip to the Ayothaya Floating Market and Elephant Village is a great option. Ayothaya is located in Ayutthaya — Thailand’s capital city until 1767 — about 50 miles from Bangkok. Even though 50 miles may seem like a reasonable distance to travel, Bangkok is plagued by some of the worst traffic I’ve seen anywhere in the world, and while we managed to make it to the market in about 90 minutes, the drive back took more than twice as long. It rained during much of my visit, which likely had an effect on the tourist presence at the floating market, but all of the shops were still open for business. Luckily, I visited the market with a Thai friend (who also happens to own a car), but guided tours are available departing from Bangkok.

Click the “read more” link for more photos from the market, elephant village, and Ayutthaya ruins!

If you’re planning to visit Thailand during the rainy season (as I did), bring an umbrella. It will rain.

Boat rides are available at the market — the driver appears to be adjusting the direction of the boat using forced water.

Even baby goats are available for purchase…

Visitors can feed the goats even if they’re not able to take one home.

Massage prices at the market are even more reasonable than those in Bangkok — hour-long massages start at just under $7.

A fish spa is also available (yes, those are my feet above). I’ve never seen a fish spa before my trip to Thailand — $3 buys you 15 minutes in the tank, in which tiny fish chow down on the dead skin on your feet and legs.

A variety of savory and sweet items are available at the market, including Phat Thai, of course.

Only one elephant was out and about at the nearby elephant village, likely due to the rain.

Bananas are available for purchase, which the elephant was more than happy to grab out of the basket I’m holding in the photo above.

One of Ayutthaya’s historic attractions, Wat Chaiwatthanaram was a Buddhist temple built in 1630. It was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.

We even had a chance to meet a Thai farmer, out feeding his water buffalo (!). The man provided directions to my friend after an accidental detour.

Here’s a tally so far:

AYCJ Pass + MCO Airport (previous expenses): $710.82
Taxes to Costa Rica: $71.25
Costa Rica Tours: $65 + $89 = $154
Costa Rica Meals (all but one were included or free): $9.50
Costa Rica Taxis: $30
Split cab from JFK: $31
Costa Rica Departure Tax: $26
A Train + AirTrain: $7.25
Lox and Bagel this morning: $10.89
Three “Even More Legroom” upgrades: FREE
Three Drinks on the delayed SJO to MCO flight: FREE

Total: $1,050.71

While I don’t love coffee, I can tolerate group tours with mandatory gift shop stops surprisingly well for an impatient New Yorker, and even though I will likely never own a coffee plantation and harvest my own beans, it was still fascinating to see the experts at work. Because you’re likely chomping at the bit to see how coffee is harvested and sorted and stuff, let me show you some pictures. I might even bother explaining what you’re looking at with a sentence or two after the jump. (I realize that some of you readers might be new to blogs, so “after the jump” is just how the cool kids say “click the read more link below.”)

Please take a moment to review the image above. You may notice that one berry is not like the others — it is red. The red color indicates that the coffee bean inside is ready for harvesting. Workers pick red berries by hand before the beans are removed and sent to…

… the sorting room. Water is used to remove the coffee beans from their red fruit casing, which then sorts the beans from the coffee berries. After they’re sorted, beans go on to…

… the drying room, where coffee beans are left to dry for three weeks before they’re roasted — either at the coffee plantation or off-site, sometimes even in another city or country.

Whoa! What kind of coffee bean is that? If you’ve seen a banana tree, then this might look familiar. It’s — you guessed it — a banana tree! Coffee beans grow naturally behind each banana. No, no, of course they don’t — coffee fruit and bananas are as closely related as a Swingline stapler and a pair of Apple earbuds (yes, both are sitting directly in front of me) — but believe it or not, bananas play a key role in the coffee growing process. Because bananas are sweeter than coffee fruit, insects are attracted to bananas adjacent to coffee plants, focusing on the sweet fruit and leaving the coffee beans to grow in peace.

I have plenty more to write about my 48-hour adventure in Costa Rica, but I need to sleep before tomorrow’s 12:25 flight to JFK (via Orlando). I’ll have more for you then!