I need your help in determining what the heck I ate. This is my first review of a snack from China, and unlike snacks from Japan I try, this had NO English on the package. When I bought them for $2.95, my friend did a quick scan with a photo translator on his iPhone and it returned “corn puff.” Okay, that’s a start. I won’t be tearing open the bag and have a bunch of fish heads staring back at me. (Note: This was purchased at the The Yong Feng Shangdian Department Store at the China Pavilion in Epcot.)
Here’s a look at the back. Click for larger photos on the front and the back. The website on the package is useless. It’s for an email host called hiBox.
Here’s my only clue to a flavor. 5 spice, perhaps? It’s some sort of powdered seasoning.
I opened the bag and got a strong scent of fish. Bonito, perhaps? Once I got past the smell, they looked just like tater tots. If only they tasted that way! It sure as heck wasn’t 5 spice…
These had the exact texture as cheese puffs, but cheese puffs these were not. They had a fishy flavor, almost like some of the Japanese shrimp chips, but didn’t have the sweetness. I like shrimp chips, but these were a bit strong and off-putting.
Maybe I’ll give them another try tonight. I doubt my tastebuds have changed, but I don’t see myself finishing the bag.
If you have any idea what these are, let me know in the comments!
Now I HAVE to know – what is the translation!? Someone help us!
Part of me is scared to find out!
Very interesting… And I agree, they do look like tater tots.
I had to go ask a co-worker who is Chinese. She said that the text that has the ingredients is the text in black on the back of the package but she was having a hard time reading it… I think some of the key characters are blurry in the picture…
But she did say the front of the package says it has a “5-flavor blend”… and that the package is meant to be used as some sort of a greeting card…. At the top, it apparently says “Honey, Make A Sentence”… The 2 big letters in the center say “Honey…” and then you complete the white space with your sentence (Happy Bday!, Let’s go to the park!”, etc. etc)… and below your personalized message, the text says “Be my honey and let’s use the honey bag”… Kinda weird if you ask me… LOL
Hopefully someone will be able to read and translate the ingredients section…
Ricardo, thank you SOOO much for the info, and a great big thank you to your co-worker as well! I could see by the cartoons on the back that you are supposed to write on the lines, but I had no idea what it was you were supposed to write. So fun to know it’s almost like a greeting card or invite! Thank you again!
Ricardo – I’ve posted a clearer photo of the ingredients/nutrition. Hope this helps!
love the dinign reviews. drinks too. not the snacks in a bag. really?
This was bought at the China pavilion in Epcot.
My limited Chinese can read that it has “corn, oil, peanut sauce?, shrimp powder, fish powder, soy sauce, sugar, salt, pepper” and probably MSG. not the tastiest combo. I’d stick to the Japanese snacks
Thanks, Liz! The soy sauce flavor way slight and I did get the sense of shrimp like in the Japanese snacks, but the fish flavor was the most prominent! Yeah, I think I’ll be sticking to the Japanese snacks.
Sarah – I had sent my coworker the detail picture you posted and she replied today… here is the list of ingredients… it is a very interesting mix, if you ask me…
1. Corn
2. Oil
3. Peanut butter
4. Dried shrimp
5. Soy Sauce
6. Some ingredients (I think this is their business secret, their specialty)
7. Sugar
8. Salt
9. Black paper
10. Dried fish
11. Vitamin E
Peanut butter?! Needless to say, they certainly tasted like the dried fish!
Thank you and your coworker for deciphering this snack!