Pocky...for Men

Saturday the kids spent the night out so Warren and I had a date night. We decided to eat Thai food and go shopping--at the International Farmer's Market on Winchester. As Warren investigated the tortillas, I went in search of Pocky. Gone was the usual red box. In its place were several new varieties, including Pocky Crunch, Thin Pocky, Hello Kitty Pocky, and Pocky Men's.

Pocky Men's.


I immediately set about trying to discover why this Pocky was for men. Was it the bitter chocolate? Bitter is most often associated with women--at least in the U.S. Maybe Japan is different? I looked on the back at the list of ingredients...


Could it be the chocolate liquor? What exactly is chocolate liquor? Warren says that is a typo, but a typo for what?

Of course I am not the only person on the Internet questioning this product. A Google search led me to Inconspicuous Consumption, which features the Men's Pocky product, but in a fancier box that says "Men's Pocky is for the intelligent connoisseur who enjoys the finer points in life."

I know I should be insulted and add Pocky to my list of untouchables, but I find it to be more hilarious than anything.