Umami Crackers

A little snack of a poem

A special, sticky treat from the Japanese market where my family shopped every Sunday: mixed, crisp crackers painted with brown sugar and soy sauce, dispensed in bags and boxes covered in hiragana characters that only my grandparents could read.

Pungent, wasabi-colored balls the size of gumdrops that crunched between my teeth and cleared my nostrils (good to eat when sick). Round, brown senbei that took two bites or puffed out my cheeks if I put several in my mouth. And the ultimate favorite: seaweed-covered sticks the size of a finger joint called nori maki arare that were both salty and sweet.

I’d hold each cracker on my tongue to let the salt and sugar percolate but then crunch down before sogginess: an absolute treat to be enjoyed sparingly. The crackers were expensive and put out when company visited — kids only got a handful each.

Translated to English, umami means: delicious, savory taste. Americans call it monosodium glutamate. But where is the poetry in that?

What’s your favorite snack food from your childhood? What makes you nostalgic? Please feel free to leave a comment — I’d love to know!