Food-ventures Vol 1: Down the Chip Aisle
by Mike Lunsford, GGR Editor-In-Chief
and Jax Lunsford, GGR Junior Contributor
The boy and I are suckers for new foods and internet-famous hacks. Kids often have a stigma of being super picky. Not Jax. He’ll eat just about anything that’s out there, even some things that don’t sound like they would work together. Dude loves peanut butter in his ramen (think Thai peanut sauce if you wanna scoff at the concept). He loves teriyaki sauce to dip his fries. When he was little, he’d dip his grapes in honey mustard. Food combinations with a kid who’s a sensory seeker are always fun!
The one thing he REALLY doesn’t like? Eggs. If you ask him why he doesn’t like them, he’ll tell you:
The taste, the smell and the texture. Gross.
I think we can all appreciate that. To his credit, he’s tried them on multiple occasions and his opinion never changes. He’ll never say he doesn’t like something without actually trying it first.
All that being said, in the last few months, the two of us have had some pretty cool food adventures trying some new things or giving a second try to things that disappointed us the first time. Let’s dive right in! Volume 1 is devoted to one of the best ways to eat a potato: in chip form and with crazy flavor combinations!
The items:
- Lay’s Texas Grilled BBQ Flavored Potato Chips
- Lay’s Numb & Spicy Hot Pot Flavored Potato Chips
Where to get them:
- The China Pavilion, EPCOT, Walt Disney World
- Amazon and plenty of other online retailers
One of the items that we are always down to try, are crazy potato chip flavors. We’re both like Homer Simpson in this aspect in that if we see them, we immediately do the finger waggle. You know the move.
On our most recent Disney World vacation, we saw these unique flavors in the China Pavilion and had to get them. I loved the Numb & Spicy Hot Pot flavor, and Jax preferred the Texas BBQ flavor. The Hot Pot chips were unlike anything I’ve ever had. The flavors were unique: the combination of soy sauce, chili, onion, garlic, and pepper made these particular chips stand out.
Jax’s favorite chip flavor has always been BBQ, in whatever variation he can get. He describes the Texas BBQ flavor as
Elevated. They tasted more like meat than just bbq sauce on a chip. The flavor was more intense.
Now, for some Philly-inspired unique flavors!
The items:
- Herr’s Flavored by Philly Contest Chips: Long Hots and Sharp Provolone, 215 Special Sauce, and Wiz Wit
Where to get them:
- We got them at Wawa
- Herrs.com online via Target, Walmart, Instacart, etc
Herr’s is a Pennsylvania potato chip company for those not familiar - hence their penchant for a Philly-themed flavor contest. They’re a staple in the Mid-Atlantic and often have regional favorite flavors such as Old Bay, Boardwalk Salt & Vinegar, and more.
We were in Wawa one day picking up snacks and saw these chips and knew we had to pick them up. Overall, the flavors were good and creative, but here are our rankings:
215 Special Sauce
The flavor is a combination of ketchup, hot sauce, and salt and pepper. That combination has taken on a life of its own as it is a Philly/New Jersey “fix all” to top fries, eggs, sandwiches and more that’s popular in bodegas, diners and other eateries. These chips were so unlike anything else we’ve had before. Jax and I both picked this as our number 1.Wiz Wit
Literally means “Cheese Wiz with Onions.” It comes from the famous Philly cheesesteak places where the “wiz wit” combo is the standard way to order your steak. For those who immediately think “ewww, Cheese Wiz,” get off your high horse. It’s an amazing way to eat a cheesesteak.
Nothing shocking here, the chips tasted like cheese and onions. Mmmmmmm.Long Hots and Sharp Provolone
Long Hots are a type of mild-hot pepper and are common garden fare in the region. The sharp provolone was a nice touch, but these chips were our least favorite. They were fine…but couldn’t hang with the 215 Special Sauce chips.
To close out our Food-venture down the chip aisle, I want to give a shout out to a unique flavor that I tried a few years ago thanks to the folks from the Canadian hit TV show Letterkenny.
The Item:
- Ruffles All Dressed Chips
Where to get them:
- Used to be only from Canada, but Amazon has them as does Publix on occasion.
For any of you who grew up close to Canada, had relatives close to or in Canada, or like me, just have a penchant for all things Canadian, these are not a mystery. You know them, you love them but most of America? Not so much, as illustrated by this meme.
So what exactly are they? All Dressed Chips are a Ruffles flavor and they’re a mash up of ketchup, salt, vinegar, barbecue, sour cream, onion, and some other mystery seasonings. For some who like things simple, this might be too much, but for Jax and I? They’re a delight and something we fell in love with during the “let’s order all of our food online” times of the early pandemic. If you’re curious what they taste like without trying them yourself, they’re very similar to Utz’s Carolina BBQ flavor: some spice, a zing of vinegar, some tomato-y notes from the ketchup, and a lot more going on.
They used to be difficult to find, but less so in the last 2 years or so. Even Wal-Mart carries them from time to time, and many brands other than Ruffles/Lays offer their take on the flavor. So if you’re adventurous, give ‘em a try.
I hope you enjoyed our trip down the chip aisle in our first installment of “Food-ventures.” We’ll do more of these as Jax and I are always looking for new delicious things to try and share with you.