It turns out that Wandering Ghosts in Taiwan really, really, really like Doritos brand tortilla chips. It was a fact that surprised me as a scholar of Taiwanese Daoism, but it must be true.

And how I know it is true is because the Pepsi Company, which owns Doritos here in Taiwan, put out a special Ghost Month package of Doritos that is to be used as a offering to the Hungry Ghost which wander out of Hades during this month.

And it turns out that Hungry Ghost are hungry; each Doritos package contains 6 bags of Doritos. And among the different flavors that Taiwanese Hungry Ghost seem to fancy are such local forms of Doritos as “Street Vendor Sausage Flavor” No fooling, that is what the flavor is called. “Street Vendor Sausage Flavor Doritos” are however an “acquired taste”. I have been slowly working my way through a bag and with every chip I can not quite decide whether to retch or whether they are in fact delicious. I will grant them this, they do mimic the true Taiwanese taste of street vendor BBQ sausages. That may, or may not, be a good thing.

By way of background, Ghost Month (鬼月) which is a very important period for traditional Chinese Daoist and Buddhist-it is one of the traditional events that both Daoist and Buddhist participate in, albeit in slightly different ways.

Ghost month, like all traditional holidays/festivals in Chinese culture, is set on the Lunar calendar. The basic ten second version of what is going on is, on the 7th month the gates of hell are opened. Ghost then can roam the earth and often visit their families. The families present offerings; which can be food, drink, money or other things the deceased ancestors may need in hell.

Including Doritos! I will shoot some photos of the Ghost Month Doritos and post them. Well, it turns out Gene was right; Doritos are truly the favorite food of all Supernatural Beings.

Tortilla Brian