A Kettle of Korean

Kettle Brand Korean Barbeque

I've bought these a couple times before, but for some reason the bag always vanishes before I have a chance to review them ... which I guess in itself is a good sign.

On opening the bag I was greeted with the scents of onion, soy sauce, and barbecue sauce. The chips had a moderate amount of reddish-brown powder. Not enough to cake onto the fingertips, but enough so you'd still need to wash your hands afterwards.

The flavor of these chips is complex, with strong onion and sweet barbecue notes as well as more complex hints of smoke and maybe even a little heat.

I could eat a good amount of these chips ... as long as I didn't tell anyone I bought them. Cindy didn't say much but she did claim a good sized serving for herself.  Later in the day I saw Celeste looking for the bag in vain.

Rating: 4/5

Marmite?

Walkers Marmite

I saw these during a recent trip to Jungle Jim's and just had to get them. I've never had Marmite before but I've heard plenty of stories. Either these were going to be incredibly insanely awesome or an absolutely horrible abomination ... possibly both.

Steeling myself for the potential shock, I opened the package and sniffed it. To my delight and disappointment I did not immediately turn green and die. The chips smelled ... well, salty. There was also a hint of something else that was almost, but not quite, maple.

The chips had a slight coating of brown powder, but not enough to be really finger-staining.

Then came the moment of truth. I took a chip and ate it.

Again, disappointing surprise. They had a moderately strong, meaty flavor, not too salty, and way better than they smelled. I suppose if I were a vegan and wanted something sort of beef-ish, these would be a good option.

On the whole, they weren't unpleasant and I'm not sorry I tried them, but they're also not something I'd buy a lot of.

Rating: 3/5