My Beloved Snack: Stem Wakame
I absolutely adore stem wakame, a popular Japanese snack. In fact, I have a habit of keeping a big bag of stem wakame, a type of seaweed snack, on hand at all times in Japan. Before I realize it, the bag is empty; that's how much I enjoy it.
Over the past year, the burning question for me was whether I could survive without stem wakame or at least other seaweed snacks like regular wakame or konbu (kelp). To be honest, I can do without natto rice or tamago kake gohan (rice with raw egg) for a year (although I'm not sure about raw eggs, but I did find natto in the supermarket). However, stem wakame is absolutely essential in my life. I've even taken it with me when I went to China for a Cabinet Office project and during a homestay in New Zealand.
I did bring some stock from Japan just to be safe, but after spending a few days in Malaysia, I explored some stores to see if I could find any stem wakame. Here's my report.
Don Don Donki at Lot 10, Bukit Bintang
There's a Don Don Donki (Don Quijote) at Lot 10 in Bukit Bintang. By the way, everyone here says "Roten," but the guidebook "Lonely Planet" writes it as "Lot 10." Maybe "Roten" is how locals refer to it, and it seems more authentic (laughs).
First, I checked if they had the familiar stem wakame here.
They had many Japanese snacks and cosmetics, including dried squid and peanut snacks, but stem wakame was nowhere to be found. Perhaps it contains alcohol or something?
Since I had already made the trip to the store, I ended up buying facial cleanser, which can also serve as a makeup remover.
This store has self-checkout counters, which was quite convenient as I could take my time with the payment. However, when I was unsure which payment method to use among various options for card payment, one of the store staff came over and helped me complete the transaction.
Perhaps it's because this place is a tourist area, or maybe it's because it's a Japanese store, or possibly because I seemed a bit clueless. Many times in Malaysia, I encountered shop staff who were either very cool or laid-back, so this interaction stood out to me.
Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart
In Malaysia, there are also Seven-Eleven and FamilyMart stores.
At Seven-Eleven, they had Disney's 100th-anniversary merchandise displayed not long ago, making it quite tempting.
It seemed like FamilyMart had more Japanese products or international versions of Japanese products. I also searched here, but no luck.
Daiso at LaLaPort Mall, Bukit Bintang
Next, I headed to Daiso in Lulu Mall. While Daiso in Japan is known for its 100-yen products (plus tax), here it's RM5.90. I usually approximate with the sense of around RM1 = 30 yen (it's actually a bit cheaper, I think), so it turns out Daiso is a bit more expensive than in Japan.
But, Daiso has handy items that sometimes make you think, "I want that!" So, I ended up shopping there to get some essentials for daily life.
Japanese Daiso stores usually don't carry snacks, but this one had a section with Japanese snacks and food items.
And there it was! "Miyako konbu" series of "Oshaburi Konbu (Hamakaze)." It's not exactly stem wakame, but Oshaburi Konbu is another favorite snack of mine. I can easily finish a bag of these in no time.
So, the problem of wanting seaweed snacks seems to be temporarily solved. It's a bit more expensive than buying in Japan, but I'm thrilled that I can still enjoy similar snacks here.
The Quest for "Stem Wakame" Continues
While I've found seaweed snacks, I'm still on the hunt for stem wakame. It's not something I can't live without, but it would be a delightful addition to my snacks.
I haven't checked Japanese supermarkets known for their Japanese food selection yet, so I'll keep my eyes open and search for it when I have the chance.
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