But it’s the word “biqi (water chestnut)” that hits me square in the tear ducts.

Water chestnut.
Crunchy with betrayal, crisp as the acrid aftertaste of grown-up life, and yet so—soothing, like the single time I ever felt like I belonged anywhere, wrapping its arms around me warmly in the middle of life’s hardships.

Flashback Moment: Say hello to Emotional Whiplash

Let’s go back in time to when I was someone different, in a different place, but still the same emotional banana mess. It’s 2008.

I was a broke, borderline feral, emotionally constipated banana-born in Taiwan, fermented in the West, abandoned by my own family, and freshly unfit for society.

I grew up in the shadows of elite prodigies at the National Experimental High School, Bilingual Department at Hsinchu Science Park, but at 13, I said “Screw it!” and ran off to hustle bubble tea and fried chicken at Shilin Night Market.

Meanwhile, my high school bestie—the only human I didn’t offend into extinction—headed off to the States with her suitcase full of dreams and privilege. Her family adopted me like some stray cat, and before she left, her mom taught her one dish:

Crunchy Shrimp Lettuce Wrap with water chestnut.
Because, and I quote:
“When Tanya comes to visit you in the future, she will definitely not eat anything else except this.”

🥲😭💀💔

Fast forward: she gets married, I’m her bridesmaid, I sob the whole ceremony because who else would shop for water chestnut in a foreign land just to cook a crunchy shrimp lettuce wrap for an orphaned street hobo?

Back to Now: This Meatball. THIS. Meat. BALL.

So I slam the “add to cart” button like it’s my birthright and rip the plastic bag open the second it arrives.

成分? 10/10—pork from Taiwan (thank GOD), lard (no complaints), and most importantly—water chestnut。

Frozen Meatballs? Check.
Crispy Fried Shallots? YES.
Non-bleached? You speakin’ my language, baby.

I dump the entire frozen sack into a pot like I’m exorcising my generational trauma.

The water boils.
The meatballs rise.
My expectations—also rising.

First Bite: A Symphony of Crunch, Guilt, and Grief

I bite in and CRUNCH.

Not just any crunch. This is the sound of:

• 14-year-old me sobbing in a cold night market toilet while writing prices on bubble tea cups with a permanent marker.
• 21-year-old me arriving in Canada alone, pretending I “chose” this life when really, I had no one left to disappoint.
• Bridesmaid me, dressed like a human cupcake, spooning crunchy minced shrimp into lettuce cups in a random American kitchen and feeling, for once, wanted.

This moment of belonging is what Jadeite Water Chestnut Meatballs brings back to me. That crunch? It’s everything.

The lard? Smooth like secrets I still won’t tell.
The pork? Juicy like the rumours I never get to hear because I don’t have friends.
The seasoning? Balanced, like the life I never knew how to live.

Final Thoughts: Meatball or Therapy?

I went into this expecting a snack. I came out of it with puffed eyes, a leaden heart, and the sense that maybe—maybe—I’m not as alone as I am when I sleep on my side in fetal position every night clutching my childhood hurts like a Costco bear.

This meatball, we learn, was more than a meal. It was a therapy session in a pot, an embrace in the guise of a crunchy, juicy, well-seasoned meatball.

I recommend these Jadeite Water Chestnut Meatballs. Only if:

• You enjoy sobbing into boiling water,
• You use “crunch” to process abandonment,
• Or you’re a crunchy, bruised, but still-thriving banana like me.

⭐️ Rating: 5/5 Family Packs of Frozen Feels

💔 Would cry again.
🧊 Would hoard in freezer again.
🥹 Would write another 3,000 words over one meatball again.

You had me at “water chestnut,” you emotional landmine of a porkball.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go boil another pot… and call the only person who’s ever made me Crunchy Shrimp Lettuce Wrap.

This Taiwanese Crunchy Meatball Made Me Cry Like Never Before — The Emotional Story You Need to Read

This Taiwanese Crunchy Meatball Made Me Cry Like Never Before — The Emotional Story You Need to Read

This Taiwanese Crunchy Meatball Made Me Cry Like Never Before — The Emotional Story You Need to Read

This Taiwanese Crunchy Meatball Made Me Cry Like Never Before — The Emotional Story You Need to Read