Specialty Chip Flavors
OK, this is a bit weird for a blog topic. But, it struck a nerve and I had to get it off of my mind. So, I figured I'd write about it and then promptly try and forget about it.
In three and a half decades I have found 1 (ONE) bag of specialty flavored chips I like. And, it isn't for a lack of trying. I'll admit, over numerous failures I'm less adventurous every time I hit the snack aisle. But, the weird thing is just how consistent the manner of failure is; over generalization.
If you make a plain chip, you want it to be generally acceptable. Same with something like salt and vinegar or ketchup or dill pickle. These are staples of the chip industry. Go too extreme on the flavors and you could damage your brand. People picking up random bags of chips based on what is available will often pick these flavor. Especially if they aren't able to get some from their usual brand(s).
As a result, it pays off on these "core" flavors to go fairly generic in terms of seasoning. Maybe yours are a little saltier, or have a little more vinegar, or a crunchier chip. But, you're not going to succeed in the chip industry by having polarizing flavors in the common chip flavors.
But, what every single chip maker (I've encountered here in Canada at least) fails to understand is that specialty chips are a whole different beast. NO ONE buys Sriracha flavored chips expecting them to be tame or mild. No one buys Tandoori Chicken chips hoping that they taste like sour cream and onion.
People buy specialty flavor chips because they LIKE THEING FLAVORS OF THE THING THAT THE BAG PROMISES THAT THE CHIPS WILL TASTE LIKE!
You don't buy Tandoori Chicken chips because you've tried it 20 times and only like it at one specific place. You buy Tandoori Chicken flavored chips because you like the flavors that make Tandoori Chicken taste like Tandoori Chicken.
So, if you work for a chip company and you're reading this... the only flavor of chips I've ever bought and liked are the PC Poutine flavored chips. Because they actually taste like a reasonable approximation of Poutine. I'm not going to sit here and claim that they taste like the best, or even amazing poutine. But, they do taste like Poutine. I would not surprise me to find out that the seasoning is just an off the shelf powdered poutine gravy mix, maybe with some added flavors to make it taste a little richer to account for the cheese curds.
It is a bag of chips where I can say to someone "if you like poutine, you'll probably like these chips". I've tried other poutine chips before, and the flavors are so watered down and weak that at best I can say "if you like poutine, these chips won't make you want to vomit". Often times though, I'd have a hard time even saying THAT about a novelty flavor.
If you release a bag of "Hot Wings" flavored chips... if they aren't at least as spicy as a decent buffalo wing sauce then don't bother. If you're not into spicy flavors you're not going to buy "Hot Wings" flavored chips anyway. If you do like hot wings you're going to have some expectations of these chips.
And here is the crazy thing. If I go out tomorrow and I buy a bag of "Hot Wings" flavored chips EXPECTING them to be tame, but they actually deliver what was advertised in terms of taste and heat, even if I don't like hot wings, (for the record, I do in fact like them) I'd recommend them to friends and family who DO. If I buy chips EXPECTING them to disappoint on flavor, then, even if I like that disappointing flavor, I'm probably not recommending them to anyone else.
If I see a bag of Vindaloo flavored chips and I'm not 100% sure I want to be tasting Vindaloo flavored chips, I'll just grab a bag of whichever "core" chip flavor fits my current tastes the best. Because, at the end of the day, I would NEVER buy a bag of Vindaloo flavored chips HOPING that they taste like anything other than a decent Vindaloo. Especially since, when they don't taste as expected, they often taste like some weirdo sour cream and onion or all dressed flavor.
Anyway, that is a lot of ranting. But, honestly, I just don't get it. Who the hell do they think will buy these flavors? Most of these flavors die off in weeks or months. The industry has gotten so good at disappointing people that I would be surprised if a number of truly great flavors never got a half decent chance simply because people were more afraid of how they might screw up a particular flavor.
And, a side tangent. A lot of these novelty flavors are released only regionally. So, somewhere like Nova Scotia might see something like buttered crab flavor. And I think "are you out of your gourd?". Trying to sell a province of fishermen a bastardization of one of their favorite foods? Do you REALLY think your chip will hold a torch to the freshly caught crab they can get down the street and have eaten regularly their entire lives?
There was something like that. It may not have been buttered crab. But, it was something crab or lobster related and only released in the maritime provinces. And, there was actually a LOT of interested here in Ontario. And, I suspect more here, even more per capita, then there would have been there.
Similarly, I don't think Poutine flavored chips would go over as well in Quebec as in the rest of Canada. The average person living in Quebec has likely had more, and better poutine than the rest of Canada and thus has more exacting standards.
But, leave the region where the food was made famous, and even an artificially flavored chip can seem a delicacy if a decent effort is made at reproducing the flavors. Sure, more people probably eat poutine more often in Quebec, but that doesn't mean that they're more likely to eat poutine flavored chips.
OK, I'm done. No more pointless rant. Be gone foul thoughts.
In three and a half decades I have found 1 (ONE) bag of specialty flavored chips I like. And, it isn't for a lack of trying. I'll admit, over numerous failures I'm less adventurous every time I hit the snack aisle. But, the weird thing is just how consistent the manner of failure is; over generalization.
If you make a plain chip, you want it to be generally acceptable. Same with something like salt and vinegar or ketchup or dill pickle. These are staples of the chip industry. Go too extreme on the flavors and you could damage your brand. People picking up random bags of chips based on what is available will often pick these flavor. Especially if they aren't able to get some from their usual brand(s).
As a result, it pays off on these "core" flavors to go fairly generic in terms of seasoning. Maybe yours are a little saltier, or have a little more vinegar, or a crunchier chip. But, you're not going to succeed in the chip industry by having polarizing flavors in the common chip flavors.
But, what every single chip maker (I've encountered here in Canada at least) fails to understand is that specialty chips are a whole different beast. NO ONE buys Sriracha flavored chips expecting them to be tame or mild. No one buys Tandoori Chicken chips hoping that they taste like sour cream and onion.
People buy specialty flavor chips because they LIKE THE
You don't buy Tandoori Chicken chips because you've tried it 20 times and only like it at one specific place. You buy Tandoori Chicken flavored chips because you like the flavors that make Tandoori Chicken taste like Tandoori Chicken.
So, if you work for a chip company and you're reading this... the only flavor of chips I've ever bought and liked are the PC Poutine flavored chips. Because they actually taste like a reasonable approximation of Poutine. I'm not going to sit here and claim that they taste like the best, or even amazing poutine. But, they do taste like Poutine. I would not surprise me to find out that the seasoning is just an off the shelf powdered poutine gravy mix, maybe with some added flavors to make it taste a little richer to account for the cheese curds.
It is a bag of chips where I can say to someone "if you like poutine, you'll probably like these chips". I've tried other poutine chips before, and the flavors are so watered down and weak that at best I can say "if you like poutine, these chips won't make you want to vomit". Often times though, I'd have a hard time even saying THAT about a novelty flavor.
If you release a bag of "Hot Wings" flavored chips... if they aren't at least as spicy as a decent buffalo wing sauce then don't bother. If you're not into spicy flavors you're not going to buy "Hot Wings" flavored chips anyway. If you do like hot wings you're going to have some expectations of these chips.
And here is the crazy thing. If I go out tomorrow and I buy a bag of "Hot Wings" flavored chips EXPECTING them to be tame, but they actually deliver what was advertised in terms of taste and heat, even if I don't like hot wings, (for the record, I do in fact like them) I'd recommend them to friends and family who DO. If I buy chips EXPECTING them to disappoint on flavor, then, even if I like that disappointing flavor, I'm probably not recommending them to anyone else.
If I see a bag of Vindaloo flavored chips and I'm not 100% sure I want to be tasting Vindaloo flavored chips, I'll just grab a bag of whichever "core" chip flavor fits my current tastes the best. Because, at the end of the day, I would NEVER buy a bag of Vindaloo flavored chips HOPING that they taste like anything other than a decent Vindaloo. Especially since, when they don't taste as expected, they often taste like some weirdo sour cream and onion or all dressed flavor.
Anyway, that is a lot of ranting. But, honestly, I just don't get it. Who the hell do they think will buy these flavors? Most of these flavors die off in weeks or months. The industry has gotten so good at disappointing people that I would be surprised if a number of truly great flavors never got a half decent chance simply because people were more afraid of how they might screw up a particular flavor.
And, a side tangent. A lot of these novelty flavors are released only regionally. So, somewhere like Nova Scotia might see something like buttered crab flavor. And I think "are you out of your gourd?". Trying to sell a province of fishermen a bastardization of one of their favorite foods? Do you REALLY think your chip will hold a torch to the freshly caught crab they can get down the street and have eaten regularly their entire lives?
There was something like that. It may not have been buttered crab. But, it was something crab or lobster related and only released in the maritime provinces. And, there was actually a LOT of interested here in Ontario. And, I suspect more here, even more per capita, then there would have been there.
Similarly, I don't think Poutine flavored chips would go over as well in Quebec as in the rest of Canada. The average person living in Quebec has likely had more, and better poutine than the rest of Canada and thus has more exacting standards.
But, leave the region where the food was made famous, and even an artificially flavored chip can seem a delicacy if a decent effort is made at reproducing the flavors. Sure, more people probably eat poutine more often in Quebec, but that doesn't mean that they're more likely to eat poutine flavored chips.
OK, I'm done. No more pointless rant. Be gone foul thoughts.
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