I Try It So You Don’t Have To: Fish Snacks

I attended an event this past weekend at an Asian market that featured the  flavors of Laos and Thailand. All of the food they served was incredible and the cultural background they offered throughout the  event, from the staff in traditional clothing to the history of Laos in  maps and stories, added great depth. Of course I took the  opportunity to scour the shelves for some things that might not be so delicious. Enter fish snacks.

More properly Fish Snack, as the package says. I opened up the package and was just assaulted by a strong fish smell. I got my nose right in there and took a whiff, of course.  WOW is all I have to say. Overwhelming is about the only way to describe it. I pulled one out of the package and was oddly shocked by the inclusion of a tail.

I don’t know why that got to me at all; I regularly eat sardines, smelt and other whole fish. I think it was just the difference between my expectations of a fish-jerky-like product and what I actually found, which was a dried fish. Tail and skin included.

Maybe the taste would make up for the smell. I bit off a hunk, which took some effort, and gave it a try. It was very strong with fish flavor up front, though it finished with some good sweetness and sesame flavor. It had a very odd, almost metallic, aftertaste which was not a good way to end. I tried a few more bites to see if I could save this tasting and I only made it this far.

As much as I was hoping to add fish snacks to my repertoire of  “healthy but odd” snacks, I just didn’t like them at all.  I’m disappointed, but I have to give them a “you don’t have to.”