I love chips. Almost any kind of chip will be fine with me, but I have some favorites. Let me introduce you to one of my favorites that I really can only find in China. I have found a bag or 2 at the 99 Ranch, but it's rare to find it in the states. Meet Oishi brand chips. I don't think that Oishi chips are indigenous to China. I think they are actually Japanese. But I have only ever had them from China, and a couple times in the states. They're tapioca starch/potato type chips. They have a smooth texture on the outside and they're slightly shiny. My tongue sticks to the chip and the chip starts to absorb from my watering mouth as soon as it touches the chip. It's sort of like a thick, salty, spicy communion wafer. Yummy!! This chip was a sort of "comfort food" surrogate when I lived in Jinan. It's a food that I call "almost, but not quite". It's sort of like Pringles, but not quite. I know you can find Pringles here, but now, I like to find foods that bring me a nostalgic "when I lived in China" feeling. These Oishi chips do it for me.
Check out the Mascot. Isn't he cute? A cartoon of an Indian Chief with the full head dress standing next to a pile of Potatoes. There's nothing that says "Tapioca starch Chips" like a little Indian Chief with a rainbow headdress, is there? Oh yes, and these are Inca Chips. Yes, this little guy looks so very Inca, doesn't he? He's cute, though.
My next most favorite thing about these chips, aside from their salty, spicy flavor is the NAME of the flavor.
Did you catch that? Yes, these chips are ETHNICAN flavor. I LOVE this name!! The next time you want to talk about someone who is of any sort of mix of all sorts of backgrounds, you can refer to them as being Ethnican. People will smile and nod and act as if you said something really wise and still have no idea what you're talking about. Ethnican people of the world, Unite!!
Oh yes, we're in Nanjing today. We flew from Beijing to Nanjing this afternoon. Here's a Chinese Lesson: Bei means North and Nan means south. Jing means something like "capital". So, Northern Capital to the Southern Capital. We are on the 44th floor of the Crown Plaza tonight. My ears pop as we go up in the elevator. Tomorrow we will do some more sightseeing and meet a woman who lived in Shiyan City 2 years after we did!! She's from FH Ulm, just like Jorg is. That will be interesting!
2 comments:
THANK YOU for my newest word! Ethnican! Love love love it.
one of my favorite chinese english-isms was in a how-to-drive booklet that said, if someone is in your way, to "toodle melodiously," and if they fail to move, to "toodle with vigor." anyway! have you come across the chips that are brown and tan pinwheel types? i loved those...and we fed them to xia (13 mos old at the time), who proceeded to vomit them on the hong kong taxi floor. have fun!
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