For the folks in Canada...

Walkers Tomato Ketchup

I got these chips in a recent unsupervised visit to Jungle Jim's - possibly the most amazing grocery store in the world. There's an earlier post with pictures of some of the other chips I saw there.

Walkers is a UK snack company owned by PepsiCi (which also owns Lays in the US). They've been making funky flavors of chips (or for the UK, "crisps") for quite some time and are really good at it. I remember having their barbecue rib flavored chips many years back and they were frighteningly accurate (especially given that they were vegetarian).

The last time I had ketchup-flavored chips was about 20 years ago in Canada (I guess they're a thing there?). I remember that they were kind of creepy looking, all covered in red powder that came off on my fingers like the cheesy stuff from Cheeto's. So you probably can understand the mild apprehension I felt as I opened this package.

It turns out these are really quite nice. There's no evil-looking red powder, just normal potato chips with a slightly pinkish tint to them.  That being said, the flavor is impressive. It's got a strong tomato taste, slight sweetness, proper ketchup spices, and just enough of a vinegar bite to make you think you've just eaten a chip covered with ketchup.  Well done, Walkers!

Rating:  4/5

Jungle Jim's Has All the Chips!

Over the weekend I took some time to wander the aisles at Jungle Jim's, America's most unique grocery store.  While I was there I saw all sorts of chips. There were too many for me to buy all of them - after all, if I ate that many chips then I'd be a lot rounder than I already am.

Anyways, I took photos of some of the chips I didn't buy. I'm fortunate enough to live close by so I can always go back and get some of them later.

I think these were in the Korean section. It was the "Roadhouse Barbecue" flavor on the lower right that caught my eye.

Utz is a US brand based out of Pennsylvania.  They've got a lot of flavors that sound interesting, such as the "Crab" and "Baby Back Ribs" flavors pictured above.

Zambos is a brand from Central America. While these aren't potato chips, they've still got me curious.

Barcel is a brand from Mexico. With flavors like "Diabla", "Fuego", and "Habanero" I think I'm detecting a theme. I've tried some of their Takis snacks before.

Mike-sell's is local company based out of Dayton, Ohio.  I hadn't realized they were also getting into the funky flavors. I guess that's another brand I'll have to keep an eye on.

I'm going to need a bigger pantry.

Buffalo Chips Doesn't Sound Quite Right

Pringles Buffalo Ranch

I've had these before but hadn't posted about them here. Like their Cheese Burger chips, Pringles does a good job of getting this flavor right. There's a nice, sharp taste of buffalo sauce and even a bit of an afterburn. I'm not at all surprised to see this flavor has stuck around.

Rating: 5/5

Everything?

Lay's Kettle Cooked Everything Bagel

I ended up with three bags of these chips. I got one at the grocery on the way to Gen Con thinking that they might be a good travel snack. Of course I ended up not opening them out of fear they'd spill or get stale. Then I picked up a small back at Subway (turns out they've got all three of Lay's fun flavors). Cindy bought the third bag while I was away as a surprise.

Good thing they're decent chips!

One thing I discovered is that Lay's might have a problem with consistency. The small bag had a lot more salt and flavoring than the large ones, and there was a noticeable difference between the large bags as well.

I mostly tasted garlic and salt with a slightly cheesy undertone. Cindy said all she could really taste was the cream cheese.  I'd been hoping for more flavor of sesame and poppy seeds.

Still, they're pleasant tasting chips. Just not as funky as the Taco or even the Fried Green Tomato chips.

Rating: 3/5

Probably Exactly Right

Lay's Wavy Fried Green Tomato

I know I've had fried green tomatoes before, but I really can't remember what they taste like. That makes it a challenge for me to know how close the Lay's flavor geniuses got on this one.

That being said, these are really tasty chips. They've got enough flavor to keep you eating, but not so much that it's at all overpowering.  I kept tasting notes of pickle and ketchup, which when I think about it sounds pretty much right. Cindy said they tasted more like a mix of vinegar and sour cream & onion.

Not as entertaining as the Crispy Taco flavor, but more like something I'd buy on a regular basis.

Rating: 3/5

It's Taco ... Sunday?

Lay's Crispy Taco

Look what I found at the grocery!

The food scientists at Lay's have worked their magic again. With the very first bite I could taste taco meat, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and even the corn tortilla. Others in the family said they tasted tomato and onion.

On the whole these are a win - I've had real tacos that didn't taste this good.

Rating: 4/5