This is a test. This is only a test...
Lawson has been testing our tastebuds (and our patience) for years, with weird and unique products designed as 'test samples'. They're all collaborations with famous Japanese food and drink companies, so we can't totally blame the conbini.
Some recent examples were flavourless gum and flavourless candy, marketed to help people pretend they had Covid and lost their sense of taste. (No matter what you eat, 'sense of taste' is subjective, right?)
Other Lawson test products include 'udon-style yakisoba', for people who can't decide which noodles they like, and 'dried squid potato chips', for people who can't decide which snack they want with beer.
This time: drinkable mayo. For people who can't decide if they like themselves or not.
It isn't literally mayo in a cup. There's a small 'this is not mayo' statement on the front, and 'mayo-style seasoning' in 2nd place on the ingredients list (behind 'milk-based food products').
That, and if it wasn't watered down it wouldn't pass through the straw. So... you already know, going into this, that you aren't about to gulp down some neat mayo.
The best way I can describe this is 'mayo-flavoured milk'. It has the consistency of milk, to make it drinkable, but it isn't sweet.
I don't have a pic of the liquid - I didn't dare open the lid. I wasn't sure how much fake mayo scent awaited me on the other side... I stuck the straw in and hoped for the best. Or at least not the worst.
The mayo flavour is spot on, if you ask me, but that makes it really hard to drink. It's heavy on the vinegar taste, and who enjoys drinking that stuff? (Okay, there might be a few of you out there. No need to describe it to me in detail...)
I got lucky. I'd bought some onigiri at the same time.
Sipping this mayo-ish drink in between bites of food was much easier. It definitely helps to eat something that goes with mayo at the same time.
Drinking a whole cup of fake mayo with no accompaniment is only for the brave. I managed to drink roughly 1/3 of it with food. I couldn't finish the rest, and there wasn't anyone around to convince (or dare) to do it.
(I know at least 1 person who did drink the whole cup, and instantly regretted it. Not even alcohol could dull the memory. They may never trust my weird food recommendations again.)
Verdict: 5/10. Mayo-be, or mayo-be not.