Potato Chip Truck Burns on the Highway

Oh the humanity! I just read this news article on a site called Fresh Plaza. The story tells of a truck hauling Lays Potato Chips which had it's brakes catch on fire and burn the whole truck load of chips. I don't know which part I laughed harder at: the quote from deputy fire chief Michael Willets who said: "It's up to Lays Potato Chips to clean up the mess left on the side of the highway as a result of the fire" or the tag line on the Fresh Plaza website:

Fresh Plaza: Global Fresh Produce and Banana News

TM Radio: Ye Olde Vending Machine

Today's episode is dedicated to listener Amy's birthday and to Thanksgiving. What were vending machines like in the day's of the pilgrims on Plymouth Rock? Listen and find out.

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Vending Machine Snack Recipe #15: BBQ Peanuts

I went to a Texas Roadhouse chain restaurant the other day and they had peanuts for snacks while you wait for your food (which was usually something barbecued). The kids loved it because you could just throw the peanut shells on the floor when you shucked them.

That taste of BBQ and peanuts was really good. So in honor of that, today's vending machine snack recipe is BBQ Peanuts.

Ingredients:
1 Sleeve Planters Peanuts
1 Bag Miss Vickie's Smokehouse BBQ Potato Chips

Serves: 2
Price: $1.70

Instructions:
Place 2 peanuts on each potato chip. Pop the combo in your mouth and enjoy.

Vending Machine Recipe #12: Hot Tamales

Hola amigos. Today's recipe has a Mexican flair. This is due to a new arrival in the office vending machine, Miss Vickie's Hand-Picked Jalapeno potato chips. Miss Vickie's is a Canadian outfit now owned by Frito-Lay so I would say that this recipe is Muy bien, eh?

This is a simple tamale recipe that combines the corn flavor of the Fritos with the chili flavor of the potato chips.

This recipe would be perfect for your Cinco de Mayo celebration at the office.

Ingredients:
1 Bag Miss Vickie's Hand-Picked Jalapeno potato chips
1 Bag Fritos Original Corn Chips
Serves: 2
Price: $1.80

Instructions:
Combine the Fritos and the potato chips into individual servings at a ratio of 3 corn chips to 1 potato chip. Pop the whole serving into your mouth at the same time. Enjoy.

Traveling Munchie #13 - Herr's Chocolate Covered Potato Chips

Today's traveling munchie comes from my sons Forrest and Craig, who were lucky enough to go on a tour of the Herr's Potato Chip factory in Nottingham, Pennsylvania with the Boy Scouts.

Thinking of Dear Old Dad, they managed to pitch in and buy me this container of Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with the money they didn't blow on game room games, snacks for themselves, and other souvenirs.

These chips, by the way, taste fantastic! I love the salty - sweet combination and the crunchy - smooth combination that the chocolate and the potato chip provide as contrast to one another.

The most amazing thing is they survived the 6 hour bus ride home!

Vending Machine Recipe #10: Vegetable Soup

Man I wish the vending machine would stock those meat sticks again. There are so many recipes waiting to be born if only there were meat. In the mean time, I happened to see a Mrs. Freshley's Carrot Cake and thought: "What can I make with carrots?" The obvious choice to go with carrots is potatoes, and thus was born this recipe for vegetable soup.

I know what you're thinking: "How can it be soup without liquid?" Use your imagination people. It's a vending machine recipe. This one would make an excellent side dish for those meat recipes that I will have when I find meat sticks in a vending machine again.

Ingredients:
1 Package Mrs. Freshley's Carrot Cake
1 Bag Lay's Classic Potato Chips
Serves: 2
Price: $1.85

Instructions:
Break a piece of carrot cake off the bottom of the cake being careful to not include any of the frosting. Place the carrot cake piece onto a potato chip and pop it in your mouth.

Vending Machine Recipe #5 - Fish and Chips

Todays Recipe Fish and chips. It must be an acquired taste. But it does kind of taste like a Monte Cristo sandwich.

Ingredients:
1 Package Swedish Fish
1 Bag Lays Classic Potato Chips
Serves: 2
Price: $1.80

Instructions:
Place one swedish fish on a potato chip and eat. Repeat until out of chips or fish. I ran out of fish first.

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U.N. Declares Potato Chips and Fries to be Potato Non Grata

Even though the United Nations has declared 2008 to be the International Year of the Potato, they have sliced and diced "deep fried potato products" out of the festivities. The U.N. has created a website called www.potato2008.com to promote the year long celebration of the mighty spud. They have even created a promotional logo. However, access to the use of the logo is strictly controlled.

In order to use the official logo of the International Year of the Potato you have to apply to the International Year of the Potato Secretariat in Rome, Italy. Upon reading the not-so-fine print on the application form, you will notice an injunction against the ever so tasty potato chips, french fries, hash browns, and other fried potato snacks.

I say, phooey! Potato chip lovers unite! The eyes of the potato-based snack food lovers are upon you, United Nations. Repeal, this half-baked approach to potato celebration and embrace all forms of potato food.

Kettle Potato Chips: Good for the Environment!

On tonight's NBC Nightly news: NBC's Anne Thompson reports on two potato chip makers that are doing their part to help the environment in the latest of the 'Our Planet' series. Kettle foods in Beloit Wisconsin has built a new chip making facility that includes lots of green gizmos like wind turbines, water recycling, and natural lighting. All good for making chips with less damage to mother earth (except of course to the potatos), but hey, if you are going to make potato chips you have to kill a potato.

View the the video on the NBC site here.

Where to Buy Potato Chips Online

Looking for somewhere to buy potato chips online because you can't find your favorite chips where you live? Or maybe you are a potato chip collector or you collect the tazos that come in Sabritas chips. Well, look no further. Here are some chip related items available right now on eBay.

Video: How Potato Chips are Made

Ever wonder how potato chips are made? Check out this video available on MetaCafe that shows the process. The best thing I learned was there are about 36 chips in the average potato. So that means we the bags we use for the Virtual Potato Chip Bag Collection contain about 1 potato each. peapod.com (a grocery delivery service) has Yellow Potatoes for about 50 cents each so that is about 50 cents for a bag of chips, whereas it cost 85 cents in the local vending machine. Not bad!

It's Raining Potato Chips! - For more funny movies, click here

Traveling Munchie #10 - Papas fritas from Mexico

Good old Jairo. He just brought back a whole bag full of different papas fritas (potato chips) from Mexico. I really like the Sabritas chips. Sabritas is the Mexican cousin of Lays as it is also owned by Pepsi Co. Of course they have been duly entered into the virtual potato chip bag collection.

Utz Potato Chips - For The Dumb But Healthy

On this bag of Utz potato chips, the Utz copy writers proclaim that their recipe has:
"the lowest sodium level among leading chip brands"
Then they go on to say:
"We have never advertised that fact, but we thought those concerned with their sodium intake would want to know."

Apparently writing and distributing that fact on millions of bags of potato chips is not considered advertising. I could let that one slide, but the part that really gets me is the fact that they write this drivel right next to the government mandated Nutrition Facts box which clearly labels the sodium level of the chips! So I suppose what they are really saying is:

"If you're concerned with your sodium level but you are not sure if 95 mg (4% daily recommended value) is good for you, well let us reassure you that it is less than those other guys."

Maybe I'm being to hard on the good folks at Utz. They really do make a tasty chip. Plus, just to make sure their less than smart clients understand the nutritional value of their snacks, the Utz website includes a handy PDF document called How to Read Nutrition Labels. This informative document will straighten everything out with simple to understand descriptions such as:

"CALORIES: Lists the number of calories in the serving stated above."
"TOTAL FAT: Lists the grams of fat in a serving of the food."

Homemade Commercial: Giant Chicken Likes Potato Chips

Here is a fairly hilarious user generated commercial for Lays Potato chips. Bob likes potato chips. Giant chicken likes potato chips. Bob doesn't like to share. Need I say more? Link

Branding Run Amok: Route 11 Potato Chips

I'm all for advertising, but I have limits to the amount of hyperbole I can withstand on a single package of potato chips.

Take for example this bag of Route 11 potato chips. The tag line at the bottom of all their bags these days is:
"Made in Limited Quantities, but in Unlimited Quality."

First of all, is it possible to make ANYTHING in unlimited quantities? What are they trying to contrast themselves with? Are they saying Lays and Wise makes their potato chips in infinite quantities? It doesn't take and economics expert to figure out where the supply/demand curve ends up when there is an infinite supply.

Second of all, what is with the "unlimited quality" claim right next to the expiration date? Are they saying that going stale as of February 2008 is not a limitation to the quality of their chips? Ridiculous.



On the back of the bag, there is another branding-run-amok display on the mailing address. Because these are "Route 11" potato chips, they somehow feel it is more in line with the brand to include "Route 11" not only in the Name of the company but also the first line of the address, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE A POST OFFICE BOX.

Just to make sure I wasn't over-reacting, I checked the address out with the U.S. Post Office address verification service. Sure enough, the post office address scrubber drops the U.S. Route 11 off the address.

Come on, people. Give me a break.

I invite all opinions via the comment link below, or via writing at:
Traveling Munchies
c/o Traveling Munchies
travelingmunchies@travelingmunchies.com

Lays runs out of ideas for potato chip flavors

Can it be that the good folks at Lay's have completely run out of ideas for potato chip flavors? While reading the back of a Lay's Original Potato Chips bag, I read the following:

...We add salt for flavor as the final touch. In fact, we can't think of anything else that would make our crispy chips more delicious.

Say What???? A quick trip to the Lay's Website revealed a long list of flavors other than "salt".

LAY'S Chile Limon Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Dill Pickle Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S FLAMIN' HOT® Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Hot'n Spicy Barbeque Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Jalapeno Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Maui Onion Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Mesquite BBQ Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Original Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Reduced Fat Original Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Kettle Cooked Sea Salt & Vinegar Potato Chips
LAY'S Light KC Masterpiece® Barbeque Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Light Original Potato Chips
LAY'S Lightly Salted Potato Chips
LAY'S Limon Tangy Lime Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Natural Country BBQ Thick Cut Potato Chips
LAY'S Salt & Vinegar Artificially Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Sour Cream & Onion Artificially Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Wavy Au Gratin Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Wavy Hickory BBQ Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Wavy Ranch Flavored Potato Chips
LAY'S Wavy Regular Potato Chips

What kind of super dysfunctional siloed organization is Lays if the marketing team for the original flavor potato chips has no idea about the other flavors the company makes?

I suppose there is an alternative explanation. Perhaps, it is the "more delicious" part that matters. Maybe they mean that all those alternative flavors are not "more delicious" but, at best, equally delicious if not inferior. "This is it folks, we tried and tried and this is as delicious as it gets. If you don't like this chip then you won't like any of our chips. We have completely run out of ideas so you might as well stop now and switch to pretzels."

Virtual Potato Chip Collection: photos of boutiuqe chip bags

Unewsman01 has started a virtual collection of all the various boutique potato chip bags he runs across.

My personal favorites so far from this newly started potato chip collection are "Mama Zuma's Revenge" and "Sweet Chili and Sour Cream". The latter of which sounds to me like some sort of colorful saying you run across in sterotype movies of the south, like Dukes of Hazard. I've now taken to annoying friends and family alike with exclamations such as:

"Sweet Chili and Sour Cream it's hot today!"