Yum by School of Art, George Mason University

Table of Content

Introduction

Credits

45 56

Chinese Snacks

South Korean Snacks

Japanese Snacks

10 Chinese Version Lay’s

30 Lotte Koala’s March

46 Meiji Chocolate Biscuit

15 Shou Quan Zhai (Plum Drink)

35 Lotte Popping Corn Chips

51 Fujiya Chocolates

19 The White Rabbit (Toffee)

38 Nongshim Shrimp Crackers

20 Cha Cha Roasted Sunflower Seeds

42 Orion Hot Pepper Paste Swingchips

25 Xiang Xiang Zui Dried Bean Curd

52 Kasugai Roasted Nuts Assortment 55 Himenmaru Japanese Rice Cracker

Summary

Credit

Design that sets you apart.

Fanlong Zheng A passionate and professional designer and artist with various high-quality works including graphic design works, photographs, drawings and sculptures. Fanlong is also an experienced drawer who has produced a large number of graphite drawings focusing on landscape, still life, and creative drawings.

Introduction

Yum! Yum is a book for people who love Asian snacks, snacks or are just curious to find out what’s in the book. No matter what age you are, you can find an Asian snack that fits your tastes.

Introduction

Background Why Asian snacks are not the mainstream of all snacks in the US. I learnt that many snack lovers know there are Asian snacks but always hesitate to decide which one should they get. Purchasing Asian snacks is not difficult in the US but choosing the right type that fits your taste can be challenging sometimes. I’m a big fan of Asian snacks, because not only do they relate to my Asian background, they also taste great. The unique part of Asian snacks is that they are designed for Asian stomachs. For instance, besides the snacks produced in Asian countries, the Chinese version of Lay’s is also altered in flavor for local customers.

When I was a little kid back in China, there are a lot of snacks including those imported from Japan and South Korea that flooded the market. It was a good time because when my parents were kids, they didn’t have many snacks. According to my mother, the snacks tasted bad back in 70-80s. At my time, Japan and South Korea were having a lot of commercial trade with China so the price of imported snacks was not crazy high. I can buy a lot of Chinese snacks in local stores near my home and imported ones in the supermarket with my mom. So, the Asian snacks don’t just taste great, they also carry a lot of memories for me. My mind will go back to that time whenever I got a snack that I haven’t had in a long time

Interview The interview part includes reviews and ratings for each specific snack. The interviewees I have here are Yoshida Shigeru, Ryan Lee, and Xingyu Pan. They are experts in Asian snacks, and we always share experiences of the snacks that we got in the US. They will provide the most honest assessments for each snack.

Chinese Snacks

Chinese Lay’s As an American potato chip manufacturer founded in 1932, Lay’s has expanded their business to the rest of the world. The Chinese Lay’s is designed for Asian stomachs with a variety of Asian cuisine flavors. I’ve tried them all whether I was in the States or outside. The Numb & Spicy Hot Pot and Roasted Cumin Lamb Skewer flavor are my personal favorites. I consistently enjoy having spicy snacks and they fit my appetite perfectly.

Chinese Snacks

Ratings+ Reviews Roasted Cumin Lamb Skewer

Spicy Crayfish

Yoshida Shigeru:

A minor lamb flavor hides behind a super strong cumin.

Ryan Lee:

Xingyu Pan:

Numb & Spicy Hot Pot

The most oriental spicy flavor in Lay’s product line.

Ryan Lee:

Xingyu Pan:

Roasted Fish

It tastes just like oriental roasted fish with a variety of spices.

Yoshida Shigeru:

Xingyu Pan:

Ryan Lee:

Crayfish with a hint of spicy.

Ryan Lee:

Chinese Snacks

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket & Great Wall Supermarket

Roasted Garlic Oyster

Fried Crab

Yoshida Shigeru:

Very much seafood-like.

Ryan Lee:

Xingyu Pan:

Chicken A strong roasted chicken flavor with oriental spices.

It has nothing to do with crab meat but crab roe.

Ryan Lee:

Xingyu Pan:

Kyushu Seaweed

Straight seaweed taste with a refreshing feel.

Yoshida Shigeru:

Xingyu Pan:

Ryan Lee:

Chinese Snacks

Shou Quan Zhai (Plum Drink) A traditional beverage based in Beijing, China that can be traced back to 1600 B.C. The ingredients include black plum, hawthorn, Osmanthus, licorice, and rock sugar which gives it an herbal scent and taste. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, plum drink prevents you from getting a fever in hot summers.

Chinese Snacks

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru:

Personal Opinion My family loves plum drink and I had it a lot when I was a little kid. I would say it is super refreshing when you have it during summertime. I always put some ice cubes in it, and I often taste mint even though there is no menthol in the ingredient chart. I’m so glad to see a lot of plum drink companies are stepping out of China and introduce their product to the rest of the world.

“I tried it before, and I like it. It is an extremely herbal-like beverage. The only thing that bothers me is the super sour taste.” Ryan Lee: “It’s sour and sweet, and I’m not sure about the actual taste of black plum but the drink itself is nice.” Xingyu Pan: “It definitely can be a replacement of ice-cream in summer, and it is also good for my health.”

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket & Great Wall Supermarket (different brands depend on supply chain) 16

Chinese Snacks

The White Rabbit (Toffee) A candy produced by Shanghai GUAN SHENG YUAN since 1959. Their iconic logo is a hopping rabbit, and they have kept the design for decades. The White Rabbit toffee is a white, chewy, cylindrical, creamy candy with a satisfying texture. Size is about 3cm long and 1cm in diameter, each piece is wrapped in rice sugar paper with a packaging paper wrapping outside around it. Each candy contains 20 calories.

Personal Opinion From my memories back in childhood, I wasn’t a big fan of it, mostly because I had issues from lactose intolerance. I just tried one lately, and besides the dairy part, I would recommend it to my friends. The texture is quite chewy and that makes sure you get to enjoy the flavor slowly and gradually. However, this is certainly not a melt-in-mouth experience in case that is what you’re looking for.

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru: “Classic and old school. I love it since I was in kindergarten. It brings back a lot of good memories every time I have it.” Ryan Lee: “Every Chinese person knows of White Rabbit and it has been survived the market over decades. I can’t imagine anyone would dislike them.” Xingyu Pan: “It’s a little bit too chewy for me but still not over the top. The milky flavor is on point in contrast of other market players.”

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket & Great Wall Supermarket

Chinese Snacks

Cha Cha Roasted Sunflower Seeds Roasted sunflower seeds is extremely popular in China especially during traditional festivals. Cha Cha is the leading company with their unique roasting technique. They vary from flavor to flavor, and there are a lot of different products in both Chinese and international market. The three main flavors that are going to be introduced and reviewed are spiced, natural, and coconut.

Edible Method

There are instructions on removing the seed’s shell with your bare hands on each of Cha Cha’s international product packagings. 20

Chinese Snacks

Personal Opinion It is easy to get addicted from the first bite, just like peanuts. I personally like the texture because it’s crispy and flavorful. The part that bothers me a lot is that the shell-removing part is a bit troublesome but many of my friends actually quite enjoy that part. Our family usually purchased a lot of them during festivals back then when there were older adults around, but right now we’re just not super crazy about it anymore.

Natural Flavor Yoshida Shigeru: “Flavorless.” Ryan Lee:

“Not as good as spiced, but this is the original flavor of sunflower seeds.” Xingyu Pan:

“It feels a little bit healthy without tons of other ingredients.” Coconut Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“Tastes like coconut drinks which I don’t quite like.”

Ratings+ Reviews Spiced Flavor

Ryan Lee: “It’s refreshing in terms of sunflower seeds.” Xingyu Pan: ““It’s a little identical to the natural flavor since they’re both light and show the original taste of sunflower seeds.”

Yoshida Shigeru:

“It is the most iconic flavor but frankly I don’t think all sunflower seeds taste different.” Ryan Lee: “I enjoy the strong spiced taste. It reminds me of Chinese cuisines.”

Retail Locations

Xingyu Pan: “It’s okay. I’m not crazy about it since a lot of other brands are also doing a good job.”

99 Ranch Supermarket & Great Wall Supermarket

around DMV area

Chinese Snacks

Xiang Xiang Zui Dried Bean Curd Dried bean curd is a snack that originates in Sichuan Province, China. They are usually spicy, but you can certainly find non-spicy flavors in the market. Dried bean curd always comes with a chewy texture with a blast of spiced flavors due to its marinate process. It comes with lecithin to remove cholesterol attached to the blood vessel wall, prevent hardening of blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, and heart disease. It’s quite popular in China because it fits local tastes really well.

Chinese Snacks

Personal Opinion I love dried bean curd especially the spicy ones and I often have them around me. There are plenty of variations of them since the marketing competition is super intense in China. I’ve tried a lot of different brands and Xiang Xiang Zui always has me at the first place. That is also the reason I decided to introduce it over other manufactures.

Ratings+ Reviews Spicy Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“You can never go wrong with spicy dried bean curd. Non spicy ones are just like pineapple on a pepperoni.” Ryan Lee: “It’s too spicy for me. But the texture is on point.” Xingyu Pan: “Way too spicy. I don’t have spicy food very often back in my hometown.”

Mountain Pepper Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“I guess I would call it refreshing spicy because green peppers have that clean taste.” Ryan Lee:

“Spicy level has been brought down in comparison to the spicy flavor. I like it.” Xingyu Pan: “It is still a little spicy for me, but I really enjoy the mountain pepper flavor, it’s unique.” Five Fragrance Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“Non-spicy never works on dried bean curd.” Ryan Lee: “It’s just like hard spiced tofu but still flavorful.” Xingyu Pan: “That’s the right type for me and other non-spicy customers”

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket

South Korean Snacks

Lotte Koala’s March A series of filled cookies that are extremely famous in Asian countries. Its demographic is targeted on children. There are over three hundred koala facial expression on each cookie for children to collect and share. Originally it only comes with a single chocolate flavor and later they expanded to a lot of fruity flavors.

South Korean Snacks

Personal Opinion Collect & Share!

I used to have them with my friends when I was a little kid, and we always share what style we found. I remember there was a koala in a vampire suit which was pretty rare at that time. I can’t describe how excited I was and couldn’t wait to share it with my friends. But the sad part is that it is still a graphic on a cookie so we cannot literally collect them. Speaking of flavors, I feel like it is kind of average in terms of other filled cookies. But the memories are priceless, not just for me but also plenty of children who grew up in Asian countries and communities.

Strawberry Flavor

Ratings+ Reviews

Mango Flavor

Chocolate Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“This is a fun snack. I grew up in both Yokohama and Shanghai so I basically traveled a lot from Japan to China. I would say this is super popular for not only children but also adults in both countries.” Ryan Lee: “Frankly I don’t like the taste, the chocolate is a bit off in comparison to other cookies.” 32

Xingyu Pan: “I had this a lot when I was a kid, and I haven’t had them for years. But I still recall the taste, so many memories!”

Yoshida Shigeru:

“These came out a little late than the Choco flavor but it’s nice to have some variations.” Ryan Lee: “This one tastes better than the Choco flavor, it has a strong sweetness but never on top of the strawberry.” Xingyu Pan: “This is at the same level with Choco one in my perspective. It’s just as classic as every koala cookie.”

Yoshida Shigeru:

“This one is a new member compared to the first two. I don’t feel strongly about it, but the mango taste is not bad. Maybe a little too sweet for me.” Ryan Lee: “5 stars because I’m a big fan of mango stuff.” Xingyu Pan:

“The spice level totally works for me. It’s definitely the mouth-burning type and the sweetness is balancing the flavor significantly.”

South Korean Snacks

Retail Locations around DMV area

H-Mart & Lotte 33

South Korean Snacks

Lotte Popping Corn Chips A corn chip snack presented by Lotte. It earned a great reputation both in South Korea and China. Unlike any other grilled corn snacks, Lotte Popping Corn Chips has a unique flavor that concentrates on the corn itself and brings down other ingredients like spices and sauce. The texture is crunchy yet has a hint of swingchips’ thickness. There are three different flavors are going to be introduced: Original, Sweet & Spicy, and Grilled Corn.

South Korean Snacks

Personal Opinion I enjoy having it because it preserves the original corn taste and has a little bit of spiciness, saltiness and sweetness attached to every chip’s surface so you can taste that right after you put them into your mouth. These three flavors have a slightly different levels of spices but overall it tastes quite similar. I would recommend this to people who love non-spicy snacks and enjoy natural flavors.

Ratings+ Reviews Original Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“I’m not a big fan of the lack of flavor but it tastes exactly like corn.” Ryan Lee: “That can be my late-night snack since it’s super light yet delicious.” Xingyu Pan: “I like it a lot. There are not many spices in it so you can enjoy the original popping chips.”

Grilled Corn Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“This one is like the upgraded version of ‘original’ which is much better. There are a lot of flavors going on in the chips.” Ryan Lee: “I feel like it is ‘grilled corn’ in comparison to original corn because it has a BBQ hint.” Xingyu Pan: “BBQ corn chips for sure. I like the smoky taste. It is a balanced flavor like not too spicy, sweet or salty.” Sweet & Spicy Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“Sweet & Spicy is the top player in all three. It’s very flavorful but you kind of lose the corn taste.” Ryan Lee: “It tastes like corn chips wrapped with Korean spicy paste. There are a lot of South Korean snacks with spicy paste flavoring, and I would say this one is not the best but still on point.” Xingyu Pan: “The spice level totally works for me. It’s definitely the mouth-burning type and the sweetness is balancing the flavor significantly.”

South Korean Snacks

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket, H-Mart & Lotte

South Korean Snacks

Nongshim Shrimp Crackers Nongshim was founded in South Korea back in 1965, and they introduced their very first pack of shrimp crackers in 1971. Shrimp crackers are part of the mainstream snacks in Asia, and a lot of manufacturers are innovating their flavors over time. But the ultimate goal is to bring the umami shrimp taste into crunchy crackers and Nongshim not just does a great job the whole time but also the leading market player around the globe. Two flavors of them are going to be introduced and they’re my all-time favorites.

Personal Opinion A fun fact about me with shrimp crackers is that I actually had them before I tried a real shrimp. I was a little kid, and my parents were afraid of the shell of shrimps may hurt my mouth. I would say the shrimp crackers are more flavorful than a real shrimp but at the same time you are losing the fresh seafood texture. Speaking of the cracker itself, the crunchiness is crazy along with the spices when you take a bite. You can’t go wrong with either of these two flavors because the spicy one is definitely not over the top and the original one is just right on point.

Ratings+ Reviews Original Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“I like it, but I personally prefer it comes with a spicy hint.” Ryan Lee: “Shrimp crackers are amazing. I had a lot of them in childhood with my friends when we were watching TV or playing video games. It really just takes me back to that time.”

South Korean Snacks Xingyu Pan: “I’ve tried a lot of different brands of them. I can’t say Nongshim is my favorite since a plenty of other manufacturers are introducing a variety of different flavors. Nongshim still holds up though, and I feel like they’re the standard for a pack of shrimp crackers.” Spicy Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“Nice. A little bit spicy makes a big change although it may cover some of shrimp flavors.” Ryan Lee:

“It’s not crazy spicy at least for my levels. I agree that the shrimp flavor is a little lost, but the overall taste is quite identical to the original.” Xingyu Pan:

“I’m not a spicy person but this one is totally works for me and I guess this is as far as I can go in terms of spicy level.”

Retail Locations around DMV area

H-Mart & Lotte

South Korean Snacks

Orion Hot Pepper Paste Swingchips Not like your regular Lay’s or Chinese version Lay’s, Orion Hot Pepper Paste Swingchips has a unique flavor, and it tastes just like traditional Korean pepper paste. It is spicy and sweet at the same time. The flavor blend is super strong and intense. Korean pepper paste has been used in a lot of famous dishes; you can find it around every corner in South Korea.

Personal Opinion I’m a big fan of Kimchi, and the Orion Hot Pepper Paste Swingchips tastes just like kimchi in terms of flavor. I wouldn’t say the chip itself is crunchy and crispy, in my knowledge, I never see swingchips as crunchy as the thinner ones. If you are a regular chip lover and you don’t fancy the pepper paste; this is definitely not the one you’re looking for.

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru: “Swingchips and sweet pepper paste are okay for me. The only thing that bothers me is the size, they only come with the family size which is hard to preserve if you can’t finish them all at one time.” Ryan Lee:

“Absolutely love the blend of sweet and spicy, it reminds me food from my hometown.” Xingyu Pan: “This is actually my go-to potato chips. The texture is thick, and the flavor is rich, and I feel like the sweetness is on top of the spicy hint which is great for my non-spicy stomach.

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket, H-Mart & Lotte

Japanese Snacks

Meiji Chocolate Biscuit Meiji has built their reputation of introducing quality chocolates, and now they’re taking a step further to bring chocolate biscuits to the market. Most biscuits have chocolate as their filling, but Meiji uses chocolate as their outside biscuit. The chocolate balances well with different rich and flavorful fillings: Matcha, strawberry, and caramel.

Japanese Snacks

Personal Opinion I personally love Matcha flavor the best. It’s not over sweet and yet works with chocolate biscuit perfectly. To be honest, the strawberry and caramel are quite overwhelming in terms of sweetness, but it is still less sweet than Herschel and Dove. I prefer dark chocolate over milk chocolate, simply because they taste more like original chocolate. And Meiji always doing a good job with dark chocolate.

Ratings+ Reviews Rich Matcha Flavor

Yoshida Shigeru:

“Too sweet. But the strawberry filling tastes authentic.” Ryan Lee: “I can only take 3-4 at one time, they’re too sweet for me. I guess chocolate lovers are going to be crazy about it.” Xingyu Pan: “Not bad. It reminds me the strawberry version Orio.” Rich Caramel Flavor Yoshida Shigeru:

“This one is even more sweet, but the caramel has a rich aroma.” Ryan Lee: “Too rich and sweet. The filling is overtaking the chocolate biscuit.”

Yoshida Shigeru:

Xingyu Pan: “I actually like it because the caramel. I love snacks come with caramel, it always lights on my appetite.”

Ryan Lee: “It’s good. I like matcha and green tea stuff.”

Retail Locations

“Meiji chocolates are great, not just in Japan but the rest of the world. For this one, my favorite is definitely matcha because Meiji has been using matcha for years, they know the best.”

Xingyu Pan: “Great. It’s so refreshing, not like your regular biscuit.”

Rich Strawberry Flavor

around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket, H-Mart & Lotte

Japanese Snacks

Fujiya Chocolates Fujiya has been making candies since over a century ago, it is also the leading candy manufacturer in Japan. But a lot of people never tried their chocolates before. They have a playful presentation of their chocolates like making them into a pencil shape or lollipop shape. It’s a nice and effective presentation for younger customers.

Personal Opinion In my opinion, the chocolate itself is pretty good but not perfect. I had a lot of good experiences with quality chocolate from Europe and Asia. This is definitely not the best, but it still holds up for children’s market due to its funny appearance. Children don’t usually care a lot about taste unless it’s unsweetened, so it’s really about the target customers.

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru: “Love the packaging! The taste is okay. I didn’t know there is going to be a character once you finished the top part of the Choco lollipop.” Ryan Lee:

“Fujiya’s candy is tasty. This is the first time I’m trying their chocolate. It’s not that much a melt-in-mouth experience but the quality is decent.” Xingyu Pan: “I buy Fujiya’s stuff for my young sister a lot and she loves them. I’m not quite sure about their chocolate, it’s kind of weird because I never had chocolate that stiff. The taste is on point though.

Retail Locations around DMV area

H-Mart & Lotte

Japanese Snacks

Kasugai Roasted Nuts Assortment “A happy present from the earth.” The Kasugai Roasted Nuts Assortment is a collection of nuts including peanuts, green peas, and broad beans. Corn starch and wheat flour wrap each nut to offer a nice crunchy texture. Picked fresh nuts brighten the flavor to be even more attractive.

Personal Opinion This is actually a recommendation from one of my best friends, and before that, I wasn’t into nuts at all. Once I tried this, I fell in love with it. The texture is so crunchy and nuts inside the flour skin are fresh. The freshness of nuts is extremely essential because aged nuts are soft and badly losing flavor.

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru: “Tried this in Japan a few times. There are a lot of nuts manufacturers that are making the similar snacks. This is actually one of the top ones.” Ryan Lee:

“It’s decent. I’m not a big fan of nuts though.” Xingyu Pan:

“It’s a little bit too chewy for me but still not over the top. The milky flavor is on point in contrast of other market players.”

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket & H-Mart

Japanese Snacks

Himemaru Japanese Rice Cracker Presented by Amanoya, a big Japanese food company. Himemaru Japanese Rice Cracker is their all-time best seller. Rice crackers are always crispy, but Himemaru is a lot harder and chewy. They are basically small golden balls with some strong spices and a hit of pepper.

Personal Opinion I like it because it is spicy. You can never go wrong with spicy rice crackers, and it is not too spicy for non-spicy customers. There are a lot of Chinese manufactures also have a lot of different versions of rice crackers. I would say the flavors are quite different than the Japanese ones. Chinese versions are usually spicier, yet Japanese ones are always seeking a balance in applying spices. It’s really your decision to make.

Ratings+ Reviews Yoshida Shigeru: “5 stars all the way. Crunchy, the aroma of rice and spicy hint make a good combo.” Ryan Lee: “I guess I prefer more of the Chinese ones. This one is too salty for me.” Xingyu Pan: “Rice crackers are hard to assess because they’re basically the same besides the other ingredients. I would say this one is the saltiest out of the ones I had before.”

Retail Locations around DMV area

99 Ranch Supermarket, H-Mart & Lotte

I’m sincerely hoping you find something useful throughout the book, and if not, I wish the book entertained you in certain perspectives. It’s exciting to share my experience with other snack lovers out there along with my interviewees’ opinions. Snacks are more powerful than we think. It has power to brighten up our life, relieve pains and reduce stresses…

LET’S GO GET SOME SNACKS! 56

Yum is a book for people who love Asian snacks, snacks or are just curious to find out what’s in the book. No matter what age you are, you can find an Asian snack that fits your tastes.