This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Wash U chapter.
In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May, I wanted to share some Asian snacks that everyone should check out (if you haven’t yet).
- Pocky
- The very well-known and highly popular chocolate-coated sticks. They come in many flavors besides the traditional chocolate, such as matcha, strawberry, or cookies and cream.
- Choco Pies
- My friend from high school would always have a Choco Pie with her at lunch. It like a giant, soft, sugar sandwich, with lots of marshmallow filling squished between two soft cookies, all covered with chocolate.
- Yakult
- A tiny bottle of delicious goodness. There are no words to describe the flavor of Yakult. It’s a yogurt drink, but the consistency is unlike any type of yogurt you typically see in stores. It’s excellent cold or even completely frozen.
- Shrimp Chips
- I’m not even sure if this has that much shrimp flavoring in it. It’s in the shape of straws and tastes curiously satisfying. They’re a bit addicting to eat as I often find myself just mindlessly putting more and more shrimp chips into my mouth.
- Lychee Jelly
- What lychee product isn’t good? I haven’t had this in years, but the classic lychee jelly container is still around.
- Rice Crackers
- The snack of my childhood. It was called Wang Wang (汪汪), and the design hasn’t changed much after all these years. They were a kind of sweet crunchy rice cracker.
- Shan Zha Pian
- Apparently, they’re also called haw flakes because they’re made out of hawthorn berries. They came in these cute, tiny cylindrical wrappers. When you opened the wrapper, there would be little slices of this snack. They’re like a less sugary version of candy. I miss having these.
- Hi-Chew
- The classic chewy candy you frequently see next to the check-out areas in Asian markets. Hi-Chew is the equivalent of the gum you see at check-out counters in supermarkets. They might be in the usual supermarkets at this point. I didn’t get to taste one until high school. Very sugary, but the flavoring is there.
- Dried Seaweed
- Weirdly addicting to eat. Dried seaweed is usually sold in individually packaged squares of like many flat pieces in each package. Often sold in bulk. They’re salted, but otherwise, they’re just seaweed.
Happy Snacking!