la.foodblogging

I was strolling through Ranch 99 on Sepulveda, picking up some inexpensive fresh shrimp and small boxes of coconut cream and so forth, when I remembered my new obsession – Snapea Crisps.

Yu Shan had made a comment on my post, mentioning that these tasty morsels had been around for about four years, in different packaging.

I skipped over to the chips aisle and there they were – Snapea’s little Japanese sister – Saya!

The pack is about an ounce smaller and though it was priced at $1.29, it actually turned out to cost 98c. At Trader Joe’s Snapea Crisps cost $1.39 for 3.3oz.

But what’s this?
The ingredient list on the back of Saya was way-hey longer than that of Snapea Crisps. Wait a minute – Soy Sauce, Monosodium Glutamate… What gives?

These guys look exactly the same.

I was all set to declare “Snapea Shenanigans� when I tasted them. Hmnmmnn, Saya do taste different; a little sweeter and you can detect the soy sauce flavor.

I decided to get to the bottom of this and wrote to the company.

Here’s their reply:

Dear Max,

Thank you for sending us your question.
The major difference between Saya and Snapea Crisps are their seasoning and flavoring.

Saya products, which were developed for Asian customers, contains various seasonings
and flavorings which appeal to Asian consumers more. Saya product is mostly sold
in Asian Markets.

Snapea Crisp was born from new and unique technologies created for Saya. Unlike Saya, Snapea Crisps, especially Original Flavor, contains a minimum of seasonings, and very simple ingredients. Snapea Crisps does not contain either soy sauce or Monosodium glutamate.

This product was carefully developed for the many US customers who wish to eat fruit and
vegetables more, but in a unique, convenient and delicious form. Owing to its unique and healthy appearance, Snapea Crisps are sold alongside fresh produce rather than in the grocery aisles in most stores.

I hope that this answers your question.

Again, thank you so much for communicating with us.
I hope that you will continue to be a fan of Snapea Crisps.

Sincerely yours,

Koko Fields
Snack Salad Marketing & Technologies Inc.
21250 Hawthorne Blvd., Suite 700
Torrance, CA 90503

Well, that solves that mystery.

Bottom line?

I prefer Snapea Crisps over Saya. They’re priced just right, so you get more bang for your buck. Even though Saya are tastier, I tend to get twitchy — even headachey — when I consume the excitotoxin known as monosodium glutamate.

I think I’ll stick with Snapea Crisps. But overall, I am impressed by this snack’s magnificent pea-ness.

Ranch 99
Van Nuys Store
6450 N. Sepulveda Blvd.
Van Nuys, CA 91411
(818) 988-7899
Hours: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM
(7 days)

By MaxMillion (see more of her posts). Max Million is the nom de 'net of Pauline Adamek. Born in Sydney, Australia, Pauline has lived in Los Angeles for the past thirteen years and finds it agrees with her. She has been reviewing films and filing celebrity-based interview articles since 1991, and has filed stories from various international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Toronto and Sundance. She completed a family cookbook and has also written novels for 8-12 year olds. She is the creator and host of ArtsBeatLA.