Riska Yasai Salad Snack: I’m on a quest to try all flavors of umaibo, the Japanese puffed corn snack. This one is salad flavored, resembling veggie crackers but with an Asian twist incorporating soy and sesame oil. They have a consistent ring-shaped form factor thicker than American Funyuns. It’s not one of my favorite umaibo flavors, but it’s still tasty. 3.5/5.0
recommended japanese umaibo riska yasai salad snack 3.5
Riska Corn Potage Corn Snack: There is nothing subtle about this Japanese fried snack. Shaped like onion petals, each bite combines the best of sour cream and onion with corn soup, a surprisingly sweet and savory combination that seems obvious in retrospect but refreshingly new at the same time. Intensely concentrated creamed-corn taste, like a powdered form of the liquid from canned corn. There's also small bits of dried parsley that cut through and round out the umami goodness. Airy, puffed consistency, with a text... (read more) 5.0/5.0
exceptional japanese riska corn potage snack 5.0 tokyofishmarket
Peeled Snacks Southwest Spice Peas Please Snack: If you think about it, pea snacks are pretty weird, a compost mix of ground grains and vegetables reconstituted and shaped to resemble their original form. Imagine if corn chips looked like baby corn, or if potato puffs were shaped like fingerlings. Nonetheless, this organic take on pea snacks is pretty indistinguishable from others I've tried, with the same light texture, yet fried, oily aftertaste that leaves your fingers as greasy as if you just ate potato chips. The Southwest flavor has ... (read more) 2.5/5.0
organic vegetables berkeleybowl peeledsnacks southwest spice peas please snack 2.5
Riska Mentai Corn Snack: I love that Japanese culture is seemingly contradictory. There is the upmost respect for serenity and simplicity, along with an obsession with quality and workmanship (e.g., tea gardens, sashimi and sushi rice, Yurbai melons) - yet, at the same time, it can be loud, brash, and colorful (e.g., manga, Pachinko). This purple bag of Mentai (cod roe) puffed corn snacks is sensory overload all on its own, with multiple exclamation points, bold lettering, and metallic silver foil highlighting. I... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese mentai cod roe fish seafood junkfood riska corn snack 4.5 tokyofishmarket
Oorifood Premium Garlic Snack: Since moving to the Bay Area, I've been impressed with how well American grocery stores stock Asian snacks in their ethnic food aisles. Berkeley Bowl in particular has an array of both Japanese and Chinese staples, including dried seafood, shrimp crackers, and multiple varieties of rice crackers (even carrying their own in the bulk section). But one thing that I have missed is Korean snacks, which I had easy access to back in Cambridge, MA since I lived close to an HMart. Luckily, I recent... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended korean puffs longreads oorifood premium garlic snack 4.0
Vintage Italia Pasta Bowtie Meatball Parm baked puffed snack: Large bowtie-shaped crisps with a thin shell and hollow interior, this snack is the only one I know currently on the market that resembles 3D Doritos. They are, however, less substantial than their Frito Lay predecessor, which also means the bag must be handled very carefully to avoid a bag of scraps. Tangy, sweet tomato flavor with a good amount of Italian herbs and pepper seasoning. A more intense version of pizza Goldfish crackers. 3.0/5.0
safeway pizza italian vintageitalia pasta bowtie meatball parm baked puffed snack 3.0