Chips (Sans Ponch and John)

All the interesting flavors of chips make my mouth water. At the grocery my son's mission was to choose a savory snack from among the Kettle chips because they were on sale and I had a coupon. (What could be better than that?) His selection was honey mustard, which was a good choice indeed. These are like having chip and dip all in one, only better since you don't have to worry about dripping. (Hey, who cares about the sticky crumbs? I mean, everyone should be able to lick and wipe his fingers on an old pajama t-shirt during movie time, right?) I shouldn't be surprised that I like this flavor, since Kettle chips are one of my favorite brands, even though I only buy them on sale. They are thick enough to be sturdy, but thin enough to have a lighter crunch. What a combination! I wanted to eat the whole bag but reigned myself in after a large handful. Luckily, I only have to share them with the child since the husband is not a fan of flavored chips. (He is a purist - ruffle cut chips with whipped cream cheese and chives dip.)

While my all-time favorite is probably sea salt and vinegar (especially in the Cape Cod brand), I'm game to try pretty much anything on a chip. Early in the school year Pringles coupons were bountiful, so my son and I systematically ate our way through the multiple flavors. Surprisingly, ketchup isn't bad, especially when coupled with a dill pickle flavored chip. (Heck, skip the burger and just make the flavor combo in crunchies!) The hotter varieties are alright, but one fire flavored chip tasted pretty much like the next, so why have so many variations? Another tasty flavor is Lay's brand limón. These little beauties are plenty tart and salty at the same time. I like to pick them up at convenience store pit stops when we're on vacation, and I make sure to get a good-sized drink to help ease the pucker.

One of the most interesting chip flavors I've ever had was green olive. Several years ago a colleague of mine showed up at lunch with half a bag of olive flavored chips. She explained that she was part of a test marketing group and a potato chip company had sent her four varieties to pass around and try. She had hosted a chip and martini party the night before (which I was not invited to, much to my dismay), and these were left. Knowing what a fiend I am for salty, crunchy, deliciousness, naturally she brought me the remainder of the bag, which I promptly devoured instead of my nutritionally sound tuna salad sandwich. Alas, I have not been able to locate these lovelies again, and my colleague never really explained how I could become a taste tester, too. (Some people just hog all the best jobs!) When I came home and relayed this saga to my family, my then 10-year-old-son was crest fallen that I had not saved a single morsel for him.

Ever mindful not to make the same mistake twice, I made sure the boy got a taste of those honey mustard chips today when I opened them. Of course, now that he has ignored them for the last ten hours, I think they're fair game.