08.06.11
Chung Hsiang Foods Soda Crackers (vegetable)
First off, check out the pretty pretty packaging. I think we all looked at this and went OooOOooo because really, if you compare these to say, the Nabisco or Sunshine soda crackers box there is no comparison.
Which is better; one or
two? See what I mean? Nabisco and Sunshine (my in-laws happened to have both in the cupboard much to my delight) have functional packaging. Show some crackers, maybe some soup and a logo. Bamn! Done. Not Chung Hsiang Foods though. They’ve got crackers and a little grain field and some onions there as well as some pretty calligraphy and of course what I assume is their logo. The wrapping is a pretty two toned green and you know what? American soda crackers are boring.
The Taiwanese know how to package their stuff. Incidentally, I am going to have to knock a fraction of a pea point off for lack of green bits because if you notice the actual cracker versus the picture cracker you might also notice about an 80% discrepancy of green bits between the two. I have not yet found an actual cracker which has had more than a smattering of green bits on it; certainly not the plethora of onion as represented on the package. Tsk.
But! This is probably the worst transgression Chung Hsiang Foods makes with the soda crackers. If we compare them to a Saltine, as everyone would probably be doing anyway, I’d say the Taiwanese soda crackers come out on top. They are slightly bigger on each side than your typical soda cracker and they are an interesting texture. Chung Hsiang Foods soda crackers are a less crispity cracker-y and more crispity thin pie flaky which…I guess in soup makes not a lot of difference. As a munching cracker though, I kinda miss the Saltine like crispity but these aren’t bad.
They also taste so much better than American soda crackers that I’m willing to look past the pie crispy texture for the savory of the onion and the less saltiness of the cracker in general. These are a tasty savory crisp cracker which would probably be a solid 4 pea with a little more green onion on the cracker (or less on the package picture) and possibly a slightly different crisp; although the pie flaky is growing on me. So when I post a
Rating of 4 wasabi peas out of a possible 5 wasabi peas, keep in mind that’s a tenuous 4 peas with room to grow.
