Debbie does Dining

Weird candy: AUSTRALIA

Australia, like the past, is another country. Ever since we shipped our delinquent poor to those distant shores, so laying the roots for a mighty nation and decades of blush-inducing sporting defeats, we have recognised that they Do Things Differently There. They're kinda British - but with a spin (and I'm not just talking about Shane Warne).

They surf. They drink chilled lager. They make kooky films about dancing and loneliness. They barbecue. Ok there's a lot of intra-familial strife (according to this documentary I've been watching called 'Home and Away'), but even their animals have built-in pockets. Now THAT's casual. But what of their snacking items - does the Antipodean pioneer spirit prevail, or is their thinking just upside-down?

Weird candy: ASIA

People say that necessity is the mother of invention, but if you examine the family tree carefully, it's actually Japan. Those crazy kids down Asia way leave no stone unturned in their search for a new product. Rubber sushi? You got it. Schoolgirl underwear vending machines? No problem. Self-inflating digital vasectomy booths? Would you like cream with that? (I made that last one up)

So with the design skills of a whole host of angels and the consumer focus of a robot geisha on a coke binge, what can Japan come up with for the sweet toothed? I'll tell you what - and it involves collagen marshmallows, jelly-filled pillows and explosions …

Weird candy: AMERICA

America is the land of the free and the home of the disposable income - where advertising is an art form and product design is a religion, where treating yourself is a human right and tomorrow's invention is already yesterday's news. It's weird candy paradise.

Read on for coconut M&Ms, chocolate nerds with popping candy, tongue tattoos and fruit which tells your fortune …

Seven eggs: now with added ostrich

We all know what eggs taste like. But is there any appreciable difference between seven different birds' eggs? Well - yes. And no.

Best of 5: vegetarian meats

Mmmm... delicious fish, black pudding, scotch egg, frankfurters and bacon. OR ARE THEY?

Best of 5: potatoes

Potatoes. What difference can there be? Quite a lot, some people claim. Let's see if they're lying.

Best of 5: cheddars

A statistic which I once heard, is possibly untrue, and I can't be bothered to verify, says that in the UK we buy more cheddar than all other cheeses put together. It's obvious why. One of the very few fromages which really stand up to cooking, and an essential ingredient for so many British classics, it is surely the very king of cheeses.

But is an artisanal cheese better than a supermarket one? And how much can different cheddars really differ? With three Neal's Yard cheeses and two supermaket-bought, I have the answer …

Best of 5: tuna sandwiches

Tuna. It's healthy. Mayonnaise isn't. Lettuce is healthy. Bread isn't. Tuna sandwiches achieve a yin-yang balance - and can be infinitely pepped up with interesting additions (including - yum! - mercury). I boldly go into 5 different sandwich shops to assess their take on a teatime classic …

Best of 5: Food-flavour lip balms

You put this stuff on your lips anyway - so why not make it taste good? And as it sits right under your nose, heck, let's make it smell good too. There are plenty of berries and cherries out there - but what of balms that are flavoured like real foostuffs? If you're looking to invest in some bacon cosmetics, or waffle makeup, click on.

Best of 5: Kit Kats

Kit Kats are the new Pocky. The words, pronounced in Japanese, are similar to the phrase 'you will surely win', and the bars are often given as presents for good luck. There are scores of flavours, including regional variations and seasonal specials, ranging from the relatively conservative orange or berry, through the eccentric (cucumber, chestnut) to the downright dodgy (soy sauce or wasabi flavour, anyone?). I sample five of the most fabulous …