Chips

The first one comes from Doritos. Tai-Ke flavored Doritos. Yes, Tai-Ke. I expected to find betel nut and Mild Seven listed in the ingredients, but did not. The actual flavor is stir-fried clams ( Tai-Ke comfort food, I guess. My wife gave an emphatic Yes! when I told her about it. She also said the chips do have a bit of the stir-fried clam taste.) Here's a instructional video in Mandarin and Taiwanese teaching you how to make the clams. Even if you don't speak either of the languages, it's pretty easy to follow. After you heat the oil ( he uses salad oil, peanut oil is also widely used), add the garlic, chilies and ginger together. Then come the clams, rice wine, soy sauce paste, barbecue paste, a little water if needed, basil and sesame oil in sequence.

Next is a Japanese chip from Calbee: Mexican chile-flavored potato chips. Looks okay. The ingredients look normal: potatoes, salt, chile powder...

Hey! What is Senor Chile holding in his hand?

I hope that this is only the first in a series of chips with regional themes.