As I write this, I recognize there are serious issues in the United States and the world: Health care, global economics, unemployment and international conflict.

But when I was shopping at 99 Ranch in Kent, Wash. the other day, a red package with British English sitting on a shelf close to the floor caught my attention:

“Beancurd Flavour Peanuts”

Wow, I thought. I quickly did the food calculus: I like tofu. I enjoy eating peanuts.

The bag cost about $2.80. I was game.

At home, I flipped the bag over and scanned the list of ingredients:

• Peanuts
• Salt
• Taro curd
• Fennel
• Star anise
• Cinnamon
• Clove
• Pepper
• Monosodium glutamate
• Liquorice
• Sugar
• Sulfur dioxide
• Saccharin sodium salt

While I like star anise in some dishes, I’ve never been a big fan of monosodium glutamate.

I started to wonder whether these peanuts were going to taste like some type of over-salted, monosodium glutamate-infused snack food for which some products from Asia have become famous.

Think: Artificially-flavored chips or fried puffs.

Even before I opened the package, thoughts of drinking lots of water to balance out the monosodium glutamate filled my mind.

The other question: How did Sinbo Brand, the maker which is based in China, actually put bean curd flavor on these peanuts?

Didn’t they see Steve Carell explain the truth about tofu?

(Note: He’s in the video at the bottom.)

So, I opened the bag, poured the nuts in a bowl and munched on a few.

My conclusion: Wow. These taste just like normal peanuts.

Perhaps my taste buds have become dull over the years. If true, it could be one reason why I gravitate toward spicy Chinese food.

So, I thought I’d let the peanuts sit in the bowl overnight.

You know, it’s similar to cooking with a marinade and you let food sit for four to six hours – or overnight – to enhance the flavor.

The next day, the same thought: These peanuts taste just as they look – like normal peanuts.

In a way, it is too bad.

Sinbo Brand might have had better luck making chili-pepper flavored peanuts.

Chili peppers are popular in China, especially in Sichuan and Hunan provinces.

But the peanut distributor, Walong Marketing Inc. of Buena Park, Calif., is selling this food in the United States.

So, some thoughts:

First, the company could be pulling in money from sales – or at least enough to cover costs to have them made in China and sent across the Pacific Ocean.

Second, executives could be losing money from low sales.

Walong markets a variety of tofu snack foods and other bean curd items.

(If you visit the site, click on the confectionary/snack and vegetable grocery links.) 

Another possibility is that the company has spread its financial risk over various products.

So, if one food item does poorly in sales, profits from other items can help make up the difference.

And I say it’s too bad that these peanuts didn’t win me over.

Sometimes, when people from the United States visit Asia, particularly China, and see food and drinks there, they might hesitate because those items can be different.

Encountering new types of food can be a good experience.

Years ago, I was in Guangzhou with some other Chinese Americans and the summer humidity was unbearable, prompting us to look for cool drinks.

As I recall, someone handed me a Yeo’s canned beverage – the company is based in Malaysia and has a Singapore office - or fruit drinks made in China.

If I was in the United States, I wouldn’t have touched them.

For example, Yeo’s sells Lemon Barley, Grass Jelly and Lychee drinks.

In Japan, my friend, Hiroshi, and I cooled down by drinking Pocari Sweat.

I forgot the exact fruit flavors of what I drank in Southern China. But all those beverages were refreshing.

With the bean curd flavored peanuts, though, my suggestion:

It’s time for Sinbo Brand to return to the drawing board.

Now, I need to figure out what I’m going to do with those peanuts in the bowl.