Marcel Winatschek

Tao Kae Noi

Some friends came by with Tao Kae Noi seaweed snacks—thin green sheets, crispy and salted. The kind of thing you try because it’s there, and then forget about. Just strange Asian food, one of those things you sample and move on.

But then I went to that Asia shop on Alexanderplatz and found they had a whole line of it—different flavors, entire shelves. The sriracha chili with garlic was actually good. The kind of thing you wonder why nobody bothered to tell you about sooner.

Two euros a pack, around 150 calories. They’ve got the plain, shrimp, wasabi, curry, extra hot, oversized. Every Thai person I pass is probably quietly laughing at me for just finding out about this. They’ve been eating it forever. Someone could have mentioned it.