Drumstix: Junk "Food" Can Bring Us Together

Not as spicy as that bird makes it look 

I still cringe when I remember what I carried to Madrid to teach my host family about American food in the summer before my junior year of high school.

Fruit roll ups.  Jiffy Pop popcorn.  This Spanish family ate great food -- and frankly so did my family at home.  But I brought junk food in my suitcase and only later figured out that I could bake a pizza to show them a real American taste.

But then, America does really taste like fruit roll ups and Jiffy Pop at the same time that it tastes like heirloom tomatoes and charcuterie.  So I love checking out the junk food that we import from other countries.

Recent sensation among a group of our friends:  Kikiriki Drumstix.

Deliciousness at the Fritos level of processed food.  Crunch.  Oil.  Zest of chili and lime.  All with the brilliance of puffing them into "chips" that look like a chicken leg.  Each Drumstix looks like miniature fried chicken.  It tastes a bit like chicken as well, although I prefer the black box spicy Drumstix because you get the mild spice as well.

Honestly, the bird on the package is exaggerating the spice.  Doritos sells varieties that are three times as spicy as Drumstix.  This is just a mild spice with the "citrus" of lime flavoring.  These are a great snack for someone who wants a junk food fix -- or who wants to amuse some friends who will be inspired by chips in the shape of a a chicken leg.

I bought these at Lotte in Catonsville.  They're clearly package for export with an English side of the box and the full nutrition information.  Don't look at the nutrition information.  You aren't eating these for nutrition.  You're eating them make yourself worldlier.  To become more international.

And for the crunch.

I assume Drumstix are available at the Lotte in Ellicott City and at other Korean markets like H Mart in Catonsville and Super Grand in Laurel.