After immersing with street vendors, I became curious about the supply chain. Where do they get their products? How are their products made? This curiosity cracked opened another story that shifted the focus from “sellers” to “makers.”
I didn’t know where to start. But, rather than get lost in an online directory, we decided to start with the wisdom of the streets. So we asked a seller: where did you get these crackers? He pointed to a street in a neighbourhood nearby, and we followed the trail.
After a few diversions and inquiries, we discovered a shop on a quiet street that sold pork skin crackers, with a bustling slaughterhouse just 5 steps away. Talk about fresh: these crackers were practically still quivering with life!
I was not expecting to see pigs get slaughtered right in front of me, a simple knife to their throat over a well in the ground. We witnessed a touching moment when one pig nestled the ear of another to comfort them, bidding a final farewell.
The pig’s skin is torched and expertly separated from the meat, and the crew efficiently cleans the parts destined for the factories.
Factories buy buckets of skin– folded sheets from dozens of pigs, stacked and waiting for their turn in hot oil.
First, the workers skillfully shave the pig’s skin with a razor, cos… who wants to eat a hairy chip?! Shaving clears away the bristles and grime, leaving a smooth surface that can puff up into those light, crunchy pork cracklings.
The working space feels intimate inside a small family-owned factory nestled along a familiar residential street. Unlike the vast, impersonal factories, a close-knit team of Balinese workers is familiar with each step of the production. They fluidly transition between their tasks, redefining our perceptions of efficiency and consistency in a way that honours their craftsmanship and camaraderie.
The family business has passed from father to son. With ambitions to expand, the son has introduced eel crackers into their offerings. To his credit, these crackers have quickly become best sellers, winning over more loyal customers.
Once the skin has been shaved and chopped into squares, it is deep-fried and drained. The floor glistens with oil and water. I had to tread cautiously to avoid slipping and knocking over vats of hot oil while moving about with my camera.
In parts of Bali, we witnessed similar small-scale production, where sliced pig skin is dipped into bubbling woks of hot oil and transformed into crunchy crackers.
By nightfall, the pigs are unrecognisable. In one day, they have transformed from carcasses to crackers. Packed into plastics, loaded into streetside shops, and awaiting sellers and snack monsters.
About this story
This work developed during John Stanmeyer’s Visual Storytelling Workshop in 2024. His guidance— and the “editing therapy” sessions where he worked with photographers one by one— shaped the way our photography and stories evolved. What I loved most about those days was that the learning went far beyond photography; it was about feeling the energy, being present, and interacting with the world with more intention.
Of course, a story like this would simply not be possible without a fixer who knows the lay of the land, dissolves language barriers, and joins the adventure. I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to Putu for being such an incredible project guide! You can reach out to him whenever you’re in need of a wonderful guide and driver in Bali.
Shopkeeper Stories 
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