These were at the best-tasting shrimp chip shop in An Ping.
They’re made of paper.
Whenever I travel with my cousin, we are very scientific about souvenir food specialties. There is generally copious tasting involved until the very best sample is selected. If you’re ever in An-Ping, I recommend this shop– the spicy and the crab-flavored shrimp chips are really good too and they’re not really oily in spite of being deep-fried. It’s right across from the fort.
Talking about food, An-Ping is also famous for its salty-sour-sweet fruit preserves. Unlike the fruit preserves in jars you get from the supermarket in the US, those fruit preserves are infused in spiced salty sour syrup and dehydrated. Depending on the type of spices and the kind of fruit, each variety has its own distinct flavor. Those shops are located in a street that was almost designated as the “Historical District”. Unfortunately, the property owners did not want to adhere to the strict ordinance of being in a historical district and renovated their store fronts before the designation took place. However, if you step inside those shops you still can see the old antique door frames and doors, which may still give you a sense of the prosperity of the bygone years.
Ooh! Thank you so much for the recommendation! (BTW– perfect monniker!)