1. Extra Special Candy Canes
You might say these are reminiscent of Harry Potter’s Every Flavor Beans. While there isn’t anything that tastes like vomit or boogers, Jungle Jim’s does sell candy canes with some highly unusual flavors, including pickle, Rotisserie chicken, bacon, coal, and clam. ($4.99 and up)
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2. Exotic Jerky Treats
Along the same lines, Jungle Jim’s sells beef jerky flavored with animals that are either exotic or practically extinct. The flavors include bison, kangaroo, alligator, elk, trout, wild boar, ostrich, yak, venison and others. There are even fruit-flavored ones such as pineapple, cherry and orange. You won’t find any of these in those Jack Link Sasquatch commercials. ($3.99-$9.99)
3. Grow Your Own Christmas Tree Kits
Start with a tiny, empty dish, and after a few days, you’ll grow an action-figure sized Christmas tree in full bloom. A few of these could make nice additions to your mantelpiece. Think Chia Pet without the terrible song. ($2.99)
4. Funny Socks
Socks are an inevitable, perennial Christmas gift. Yet Jungle Jim’s sells socks with humorous, often self-referential, messages, liable to produce a better reaction than the usual comic groan. While the socks pictured here are appropriate for a family audience, Jungle Jim’s has a fairly large number of “adult” socks as well. And they really do keep your feet warm. ($6.99-$8.79)
5. Liquor Chocolates
For those of you who’ve had those gold-wrapped chocolate pears, combining candy with a sweet liqueur won’t be a new concept. However, these liquor chocolates incorporate Scotch whiskey, Irish gin, and other hard liquors. In other words, you feel it when you eat them. These are not the items to turn to for those of you who like to give the kids a little taste of alcohol at Christmas. ($4-$12.99)
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6. Kombucha Beer
Tapped (no pun intended) to be the next craft beer craze, Kombucha was originally a traditional Chinese tea loaded with health-promoting acids and probiotics. Then, someone figured out to deliver those health effects with a little buzz. The Kombucha bar at Jungle Jim’s comes in low-alcohol flavors such as Go Go Ginger, Jungle Hop Cider, and Tiki Tango. There are also higher alcohol varieties such as Unity Vibration KPA (Kombucha Pale Ale), and Unity Vibration Triple Goddess Ginger. You can try Kombucha on tap at Jungle Jim’s or fill up a growler or pint to take home. (Growlers are $5, beer fills are $16-$28).
7. White Shaved Coconut
Hailing from Thailand, this coconut contains a natural juice that cools and hydrates the body. In other words, they’re the ideal hangover cure after consuming all that Kombucha beer and liquor chocolates. ($4 for 2)
8. Kopi Luwak Coffee
Also known as “poop coffee,” this is coffee flavored by coffee cherries that have passed through the digestive tract of the palm civet, an otter-like mammal native to Southeast Asia. Despite its intestinal origins, it’s reputed to have a remarkably smooth flavor, and is highly popular despite costing $19.99 per 10 grams. If you don’t think you can consume it without thinking about where it came from, just remember you’ve been doing the same with hot dogs for years. ($14.99 and up)
9. Rambutan
Yes, it looks like lawn debris or some weird creepy-crawly. But if you unpeel it, you have a sweet/sour fruit that tastes like a skinless grape. Rambutan has reportedly grown in popularity partially because people just want to see their family and friends’ reactions when they see it. ($3.99 per pound; prices fluctuate weekly)
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10. Dragon Fruit
Hailing from Vietnam, dragon fruit resembles an especially ripe and virulent cactus. Cut it open and take a bite, however, and you taste something between a kiwi and an American pear. Dragon fruit is increasingly popular due to its health effects, containing high amounts of fiber and antioxidants. ($5 per pound; prices fluctuate weekly)
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