And a series of very scientific experiments to rank them!
Human beings have been collectively staying home for an unprecedentedly long period of time.
In our boredom, we have been pushed to do things we did not imagine doing before, such as whipping cream for 400 times (dalgona coffee), talking to sourdough starter like it’s your newborn (#coronavirusbaking), or building a toilet paper fort.
Walk in Hong Kong team, ever so sensitive to nuanced changes in the city, can’t help but notice that a variety of novel flavoured potato chips have cropped up around town during this period. Of course, we will not stop at just telling you about their presence. We have devised a series of very scientific tests to evaluate their Package Waterproof-ness, Crunchiness, Greasiness, Tastiness, Package Attractiveness and Price, in order to come up with our top recommendations for you.
Yes, maybe we are rather bored out of our mind… But anyway, please enjoy our very scientific findings below!
If you’re busy with other tasks, click here to view the results!
The Contenders
Contender 1: Calbee Mentaiko Mayonnaise Flavoured Prawn Crackers. Newest creation from the Japanese snack giant Calbee that earned over 2.8K likes on Facebook in less than one week. In Calbee’s own words, “Spicy and savoury mentaiko (cod roe), together with the sourness of mayonnaise, is what would surprise your taste buds!” 
Contender 2: Calbee Singapore-Style Chilli Crab Flavoured Vegetable Fries. Inspired by Singapore’s famous dish chilli crab, this is a more healthy alternative to the good ol’ potato chips that incorporates vegetables like tomatoes, onions, spinach and pumpkin. 
Contender 3: Jack ‘n Jill Cumin BBQ Flavour Potato Chips. Cumin BBQ skewers is a traditional dish in northwestern Chinese provinces that warms your stomach during cold winters. Let’s see what Jack ‘n Jill got up their sleeves with this one! 
Contender 4: Calbee Steamed Garlic Prawn Flavoured Prawn Crackers. Steamed garlic prawn is one of the most iconic dishes in Cantonese home cooking, a guaranteed banger at family gatherings. This homey snack has also earned more than 3.1K likes on Calbee’s Facebook page in less than 10 days. We can’t wait to give it a try. 
Contender 5: Calbee Chicken Rice with Ginger and Scallion Sauce Flavoured Potato Chips. This is perhaps Calbee’s most ambitious crossover yet. The Hong Kong Signature series that features chicken rice with ginger and scallion sauce, which is something Hongkongers have been eating for years, has been receiving so much attention since its debut!
The Experiments
Package Waterproof-ness
Methodology: We ran each contender (package is sealed) in a shower to see if the contents have been soaked.
Results:
| Contender | Comments | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | Contents remain dry. | ★★★★★ |
| Chilli crab | Contents remain dry. | ★★★★★ |
| Cumin BBQ | All the contenders have water-proof packaging but this one even has a resealable zip lock, so a bonus star is given! | ★★★★★★ |
| Garlic Prawn | Contents remain dry. | ★★★★★ |
| Chicken rice | Contents remain dry. | ★★★★★ |
Crunchiness
Methodology: Two tests were performed for the crunchiness test: firstly, our team member Janice borrowed a trusty decibel meter and recorded the crunch of each piece of snack on first bite; secondly, Janice hit each piece of snack with a hammer and observed how they shattered.
Results:
| Contender | Decibels | Comments | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | 82.2 Hz | Broken into uniform, fine sand. | ★★★★☆ |
| Chilli crab | 91.6 Hz | Broken into uniform, fine sand. | ★★★★★ |
| Cumin BBQ | 74.0 Hz | Split into smaller pieces. | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Garlic prawn | 84.6 Hz | Broken into uniform, fine sand. | ★★★★☆ |
| Chicken rice | 77.8 Hz | Shattered into little bits. | ★★★☆☆ |
Greasiness
Methodology: Each piece of snack is placed on top of a piece of oil absorbing film and left unattended in a cool, dry space (that is Janice’s kitchen cabinet). After 5 hours, the snacks are removed and each piece of oil absorbing film is placed onto a black placemat. The more transparent the film is, the greasier the snack is.
An innovative scientific experiment to test the greasiness of each snack by placing them on oil absorbing films that you normally would use on your face. 
Yoooikes, the film is soaked in grease that it stuck to the black placemat. Guess which snack it belongs to!
Results:
| Contender | Comments | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | Half the film is covered in grease. This is an expected and acceptable level for a deep-fried snack. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Chilli crab | Only a few grease spots on the film. This is not surprising as this snack is claimed to be a healthier alternative to regular chips. | ★★★★☆ |
| Cumin BBQ | The entire film is soaked in grease that it basically became transparent. | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Garlic prawn | Half the film is covered in grease. | ★★★☆☆ |
| Chicken rice | The above image belongs to this contender. Not only is it soaked in grease, it got so bad that the film stuck to the placemat. | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Tastiness
Methodology: This one is simple. We sent out packages to each of our team members for them to taste and rate.
| Contender | Selected comments | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | It’s a little sour compared to regular prawn crackers, and has a kick to it too. I can’t stop reaching into the bag. | ★★★★☆ |
| Chilli crab | Is it supposed to taste like chilli crab? The taste doesn’t taste like it at all… | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cumin BBQ | Tastes a bit like curry powder, this is addictive and dangerous for snack people! | ★★★☆☆ |
| Garlic prawn | It smells funky… Would leave you with embarrassing garlic breath for days. | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Chicken rice | This doesn’t really taste like chicken, but the scent of ginger and scallion is strong. | ★★★☆☆ |
Package Attractiveness
Methodology: We have invited Tiffany from California, USA, who works in exhibition and publication management and design, to be our judge. She is also a world traveler and has spent a lot of time deciphering food packaging on looks alone.
Results:
| Contender | Comments | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | I would want to try this the most – the photo is well-styled and the pink is appetising. | ★★★★★ |
| Chilli crab | Lots of mixed messaging – it is promoting vegetable and even has a little veggie basket icon, but then there’s this huge crab! The illustrations seem a little weak too. | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cumin BBQ | Like is it gonna be chocolate flavoured? It is very confusing and looks the worst. | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Garlic prawn | A bit strange. Not being able to read Chinese, it is unclear to me if this is a soup? | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Chicken rice | This one does a good job of clearly showing what the chip will look like inside and what the food inspiration is. As a foreigner, I think this is the most successful novelty packaging! | ★★★★☆ |
Price
Methodology: Each snack’s price per gram is calculated by using a scientific calculator to present ourselves as more science-y.
Results:
| Contender | Price per pack | Price per gram | Rating |
| Mentai-mayo | $9.90/75g | $0.13/g | ★★★★★ |
| Chilli crab | $8.90/50g | $0.18/g | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Cumin BBQ | $9.00/52.5g | $0.17/g | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Garlic prawn | $5.30/40g | $0.13/g | ★★★★★ |
| Chicken rice | $11.00/70g | $0.16/g | ★★★☆☆ |
Conclusion
After conducting a series of very serious scientific experiments, we have a winner! The Calbee Mentaiko Mayonnaise Flavoured Prawn Crackers is truly amazing. Looking back on the ridiculous tests that we have done, it can be confirmed that this blog has been documenting Walk in Hong Kong team’s descent into madness.
| Rank | Contender | Score (Total no. of ★s) |
| 1 | Mentai-mayo | 26 |
| 2 | Garlic prawn | 20 |
| 3 | Chicken rice | 19 |
| 4 | Chilli crab | 19 |
| 5 | Cumin BBQ | 17 |
You must be as bored as we are now that you have read through this entire blogpost. Instead of baking a third sourdough loaf, why not tour around local Hong Kong neighbourhoods with us while you snack on chips from the comfort of your own home? Understanding that you might not be able to leave your city for a while, Walk in Hong Kong is launching our virtual Walk From Home touring experience. Our dedicated team would livestream both from the streets and from our studio to present to you a quaint and serene Hong Kong, very much the opposite of what you may know about our city. Click here to learn more about our virtual Walk From Home touring experiences!