Felt the urge for cheese, got matchsticks instead

Sticks the snacks were indeed, however, even though they had their share of enzyme modified cheese (emc). Though, I think they lacked a bit of  ‘X’ factor. The sticks in question were about an inch long, and as wide as a matchstick. Actually, only a bit more taste than a matchstick. Meh. Boring, insipid in taste and forgettable. Maybe my experience had been spoilt by my taste of Cheetos. Other cheese snacks of note are Rashuns, Cheese balls and Burger rings. All of which keep dairy companies in the money all over the world since there is a constant need for emc.

*Despite it’s rather scientific name, it’s what the food industry does to enhance the cheese flavour. The enzymes are added after the milk is reduced to curds. Though the name of the enzyme in question is an industry secret, the types of enyzmes used can act on proteins, fats (lipids) and peptides (sub-units of proteins).

 

Twisty, and it’s from Fuzhou

What a pleasant surprise when I found these at a chain bakery in Fuzhou. Certainly the shape was familiar*, but that was the only thing that was the same.  The snack was rock hard, and coated in a sugar glaze. Okay, so far, so good. The glaze however was infused with a

slight ginger taste. Wow, Twisty, sugar glazed snacks with a ginger after-taste kick to them. I get the impression that this is what Fujianese cuisine is about.

Sweetness with a slight ginger after taste. I say this because earlier in the week I’d eaten Fujianese pork which they are famous for. It was not unlike sweet and sour pork from Hong Kong. Chunks and pieces of pork coated in some sort of batter and then served in a sweet and ginger sauce. It has my approval, but the twisty snacks I shared with my work mates met with mixed reviews.

*They also have this kind of snack in Guangzhou but without the sugar-ginger glaze.

 

Pianos, now cheese and bacon flavoured

Cited in an earlier blog post, the packaging has changed but, the flavour certainly has not. Cheesy with a hint of savoury saltiness which becomes more and more apparent as you munch on downwards through the bag. Bought at a local supermarket in New Zealand, for me they’re just a reminder of my youth. That and scoffing everything that’s bad for your teeth, stomach and possibly everything else carcinogenic that scientists have discovered. There surely must be some very fat, over fed lab rats and mice out there. Death from an overdose of Bluebird’s Rashuns? Only if a huge box of it falls on your head. Think of it like a piano falling on your head only that it tastes like cheese and bacon.

Edit: it was in fact burger rings and not Rashuns that were cited in an earlier post.

O-rings, mid-sized

Another snack attack and this time, it’s onion rings. Now, I have to say that these really do taste like onions but, the size for me, is significant. They’re smaller than what I’m used to. Having tried onion rings from Korea, and have eaten burger rings that originate from New Zealand, these are positively tiny in comparison. Though, they would make a nice wedding ring for that lucky girl, though, again, size does  matter.

May contain traces of nuts, but I prefer to play Russian roulette

Chomping through the snack food shelf at the local superette in China, this next snack is chicken flavoured with a hint of chilli. I can’t read Chinese, so, I have to say that in choosing the flavour, I didn’t really take much effort to look at the graphical hints on the packet. Culinary Russian roulette you might say. The worst consequences could be a trip to the loo, or the least, a waste of money. Fortunately, I’ve never come out on the wrong side, and have never disliked a packet I’ve opted for. The form of the snacks are rice snacks, but taste like Maggi chicken stock. The type used for making soups and… flavouring dishes that are supposed to have chicken in them. Why do all the snacks I’ve tried so have so far have sodding chilli in them?

Everything up for sale, just use your nose

Korea is definitely is where old and new cross. Even the bizarre. Bun daeng-e is a very traditional Korean snack that’s either loved or loathed by people. Possessing the smell of old socks, it’s aroma is best savoured or avoided in the heat of summer. My first encounter with it was at a bus terminal; the thought bubble was “what were they thinking?” As is the lingerie in the shop window. I agree with showing what’s up for sale, but isn’t a bit of discretion needed? The same with the snack food, but sadly, there’s no hiding the smell.