Momma Told Me: Just taste it!
There has long been a debate in our family as to whether 'tricking' someone into eating something (usually on the premise that it is 'healthy' for them) is an acceptable practice. Last Summer, I went out to eat with my cousin, who has kids of a varied age, and watched as she told her youngest (4 and 9) that calamari (squid) was 'chicken.' Both kids happily gobbled up the pieces of fried squid slathered in marinara sauce, but their father was not too pleased. He argued that honesty should be a policy, even from parents to kids, and, himself, refused to try the new food. I am telling you this because I was raised the way my cousin chooses, but with a little less courtesy.
When I would ask what was for dinner, I would be told 'food,' and if I questioned an ingredient or flavor I would be asked if I liked how it tasted- if I said yes, the answer was almost always "then it doesn't matter!" And, when our Vietnamese and Chinese neighbors would bring over pungent smelling dishes from across the street, or next door, I was most often the guinea pig. Before too long I was asking to try new flavors and food on my own- that is how I came to sample the famous Shark Fin Soup; which should be known as '1000 bristle soup' for the hundreds of small cartilage bristles it is brined in.
And that is precisely where my curiosity of food and flavors came to be. I'll try most anything once- though I often prefer not to know what I'm trying until after (I'm still human and can be biased.) And, when it comes to mainstream foods, I am fascinated by the flavors brands attempt to recreate when selling the same old product with a face-taste? lift. Of course, we know just about any aromatic or flavor can be created artificially and put into just about anything. While, in America, we are currently transfixed by the myriad of Oreo cream flavors that rotate across shelves, International demographics have been pairing savory and obscure flavors with mainstream snacks for decades. In fact, the potato chip is perhaps the most violated snack in this matter.
In England Ketchup crisps are quite popular, while Japan has been enjoying Shrimp flavored chips on shelves for generations. So it should come as no surprise that the Lay's Do Us A Flavor 'competition' was around for quite a while before it hit the U.S. a few years ago. You may recall I did a post trying to push my
Honey Sriracha Chicken Tenders as the next big flavor. While that didn't make the cut, this year's finalists are compelling, to say the least; Wavy Mango Salsa, Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger, Cheddar Bacon Mac And Cheese, and Cappuccino. Naturally, I had to try all 4 as soon as they hit shelves off national production. Cheers to Lay's for making them available in the smaller bag sizes for those of us who are simply curious, only one flavor really met with my approval this year...
While the Kettle Cooked Wasabi and Ginger had a great flavor, without being 'spicy' or overwhelming, the chips themselves were often much too thick for me. I suppose, if you like the Kettle Cooked, it is worth a try, but I prefer a lighter chip when snacking. The Mango Salsa had the most flavor, but was much too bold on the sweet versus savory scale and overwhelmed my taste buds. Ironically, Cappuccino was perhaps the dulled, with almost no flavor at all, and I'm sure would lend itself well as a dessert flavor, but not worth the calories otherwise in my opinion. This leaves us with the predictable Cheddar Bacon Mac And Cheese Lay's chips, which had more of a cheddar flavor than anything but satisfied as a snack, overall.
Have you tried any of this year's Do Us A Flavor chip winners? If not, which would you most like to try?
What Daughter Says: Modern brands are making it easier and easier to explore new flavors with mainstream snacks. Why not be bold and take a bite?
