'Global Munchies' Subscription Lets You Get Your Snack On

Over the last few years, Shayn Prapaisilp has seen an increase in interest around snack foods from different countries at his family's international grocery stores, which include Kirkwood's Global Foods Market as well as Jay International (on South Grand) and United Provisions (in the Delmar Loop). Now, he and his team are launching a new program that will help his customers explore that interest and open their eyes to the way people nosh around the world.

Beginning this November, Global Foods Market will begin offering a curated subscription box featuring snacks from a different country each month. Dubbed "Global Munchies," the subscription program will consist of six to eight different snack items and an educational flyer about the country being featured. As Prapaisilp explains, the idea goes beyond simply introducing people to international snack foods; he hopes to take people on a culinary journey without them having to leave town.

"Because of the pandemic, a lot of folks haven't been able to travel as much as they'd like," Prapaisilp says. "This is geared toward the idea that, if they can't travel, we will bring the world to them each month. It's kind of a passport program."

Prapaisilp sees global snack foods as the perfect way to introduce people to the different flavors and ingredients that make up a country's food culture. In his years running internationally oriented groceries, he's noticed that customers may be curious about a particular cuisine, but they often do not know where to start and might be intimidated by the thought of cooking a full meal or unfamiliar dish. Snack items, he believes, offer a good starting point.

"People are getting more and more interested in epicurean food culture, and snacks are a great place to start exploring, because they offer the lowest barrier to entry," Prapaisilp says. "You may not be able to cook an entire culture's cuisine, so starting with snacks and getting very familiar with them can be a great gateway."

Though Prapaisilp has designed Global Munchies to be a surprise gift box — subscribers will not know what country is being featured any given month until they pick up their box — he has revealed that the first month will consist of the snack foods of India. He's not divulging the box's contents, but he will say that future ones might feature chocolate candies and truffles from Belgium or crunchy shrimp chips and dried fruit from China.

Global Munchies boxes are $35 for a three-month subscription. Though Prapaisilp is unsure how long the program will last, he is hopeful that, if the response is good, the market will be able to extend it into the future.

"I think the great thing about Global is that we have both customers who shop like this every day and those who are just curious," Prapaisilp says. "We always see people asking what something is or how to cook it; there is a curiosity there, so we just wanted to give folks an entry point and hopefully they can keep exploring from there."

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