You Can Eat Just One

[srhcb]

I recently had an exchange of emails with my sister's oldest friend, whose brother happened to be an old friend of mine. In the course of discussing "Old Times" the subject of my parent's house came up.

My sister's friend recalled a New Years Eve when she, my sister, and several of their classmates had a sleep-over at our house. Lay's Potato Chips was using the slogan, "Bet you can't eat just one" in their advertising, and the other girls had challenged her to do just that.

She had eaten just one chip that night, and as a matter of principle has never eaten another potato chip since. This was on New Year's Eve 1966!

I can certainly understand why my sister has kept her as a friend all these years!

SB (MFK Fisher, an inveterate potato "crisp" lover, would have been astonished)

[Megan Blocker]

HOW????

At least she didn't bet not to eat french fries. That would do me in.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Which brings to my mind a couple of things:

#1 what did she eat over the years instead of a Lay's potato chip? other brands? other snacks? made her own potato chips?

#2 why did she choose to stop after only one? bad flavor? great self control? didn't like chips at all?

#3 who called the Guinness Book of World Records to validate this claim? is she in their books? was there a prize for this self control?

[srhcb]

Which brings to my mind a couple of things:

#1  what did she eat over the years instead of a Lay's potato chip? other brands? other snacks? made her own potato chips?

#2  why did she choose to stop after only one? bad flavor? great self control? didn't like chips at all?

#3  who called the Guinness Book of World Records to validate this claim? is she in their books? was there a prize for this self control?

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#1 I don't know what her secret eating "vice" might be, but her family is blessed with the type of metabolism that allows them to eat just about anything and remain healthy without gaining any weight. (Her dad was a football coach, her mom a phy ed teacher and her brother, my friend, was an all-state athlete in several sports)

#2 That was the "bet". The other girls challenged her to do it because they knew she loved eating chips and other snack foods.

#3 It is an amazing example of self control. I suppose knowing you can do it is enough of a prize?

SB (likes, and eats many, potato chips)

[Rachel Perlow]

She had eaten just one chip that night, and as a matter of principle has never eaten another potato chip since. 

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Wait, she hasn't eaten any potato chips since that night? The commercial was for Lays, "Bet you can't eat just one (Lays) potato chip." Therefore, the bet should have been to never eat another Lays potato chip, she should have been allowed to eat other brands or homemade potato chips without violating the spirit of the bet. Besides, I always felt that "bet" was to only eat one at one sitting or one out of a bag or something, not that you could never again have another Lays potato chip. There's a bowl of chips out at a party, "bet you can't eat just one" that night, for example.

There was an episode of the late TV show Ed about this. The title character and his friend have a hook where they are always betting each other $10 to do weird/stupid/embarrassing things -- and you HAVE to do the thing, it was a macho dare contest. One time, out of spite, the friend bets Ed to eat a Lays potato chip. He takes a long time deliberating on this one, because he too once ate one Lays potato chip and hasn't eaten another one since. In the end, he did it, because the integrity of the tradition with his friend was more important than a vow he made as a teenager.

[Ling]

I have no problem stopping at one Lay's potato chip.

Kettle chips, on the other hand, usually meet a quick and untimely demise.

[godito]

I could easily give up on eating commercial potato chips for the rest of my life... as long as I can still make my own.

Anyway, there's always yuca chips or plantain chips (chifles) which I like better.

[~cayenne~]

Lay's has two new flavours here, Curry flavour and Wasabi flavour. Just saw them for the first time yesterday at the grocery store.

[SuzySushi]

Lay's has two new flavours here, Curry flavour and Wasabi flavour.  Just saw them for the first time yesterday at the grocery store. 

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Where is "here"?

[~cayenne~]

Lay's has two new flavours here, Curry flavour and Wasabi flavour.  Just saw them for the first time yesterday at the grocery store.  

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Where is "here"?

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Canada.

[KatieLoeb]

Good thing it wasn't the Kay & Ray's Dark (photo on far right, 3rd row down) kettle cooked lardy chips. Lordy. I just picked up two bags of these over the weekend out near Lancaster. These are "well done" dark chips that smell really potato-ey and are the best potato chips I've ever had. I pick them up whenever I'm out in Lancaster County. They're awesome and could defy even Herculean attempts at self-control.

[HungryChris]

OK, I have to bring up Trader Joe's Salt and Vinegar chips here. I recently heard about them on NPR. I tried them and make the 80 mile trip (one way) to TJ's in Framingham much more frequently now. Before that I was a one bag of chips a year guy. Jeeesh!

Cheers,

HC

[Jason Perlow]

This is a completely asinine topic. Like, we're talking about NOT eating potato chips?

[Lady T]

This is a completely asinine topic. Like, we're talking about NOT eating potato chips?

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Legitimate line of inquiry, I think, sir. I sure as hell don't understand the point of not eating good chips, but I'd guess it has a sort of horrid fascination for other folks.

Never attempted such a thing in all my days myself, though.

[Septemberdog61]

I don't know if it's a NY thing, but I can definately stop at one Lays chip, Wise brand is a problem for me. Whoppi Goldberg has a routine about NYC folk loving Wise and not the Lays brand. And honestly anytime I open a bag of Lays it smells like a bag of farts to me.

[MarketStEl]

I don't know if it's a NY thing, but I can definately stop at one Lays chip,  Wise brand is a problem for me.  Whoppi Goldberg has a routine about NYC folk loving Wise and not the Lays brand.  And honestly anytime I open a bag of Lays it smells like  a bag of farts to me.

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I can't recall the last time I ate a Lay's potato chip. It was probably at someone else's place; I never buy them. Why should I when even the most popular regular local brands are better?

But speaking of those brands, I must take issue with the dominant tastes of my fellow Philadelphians. I really don't understand why Herr's is so ubiquitous around here when Utz is so much better. Channeling my post over in Food Media & News about lower-sodium canned soup: Herr's are simply too salty. Utz chips have a light but potato-y flavor with about half the sodium of the other major brands. (And they've bragged about this on the backs of their bags for years now, in a marvelous piece of false modesty: "In recent years, sodium has become a health issue for some consumers. Long before that, Bill and Salle Utz believed that if a basic potato chip had good flavor, a little salt would enhance that flavor while a lot of salt would destroy it. The almost 75-year-old recipe you receive in this package is a time-tested standard in the potato chip industry, which also just happens to have the lowest sodium among all leading chip brands.* We have never advertised that fact, but thought those who are concerned about sodium intake would want to know." [* Until the Feds revised the guidelines for sodium intake, this passage read "...which just happens to meet the U.S. Government standard for low sodium."]

(An Utz regular chip has only 90 mg of sodium; most brands have twice that amount or more, as do Utz's flavored varieties. Conversely, and probably for this reason, Utz does not produce a "low sodium" or "lightly salted" potato chip, though it does have a "No Salt Added" variety.)

[Jake]

Lay's -- eh, could easily do without. I would, however, KILL for a bag of Old Dutch potato chips. Ahhh, just thinking about them. Must travel west soon.

[Jason Perlow]

I'm looking forward to going back to New Orleans in a month, to get me some Zapp's

[Mayhaw Man]

This is a completely asinine topic. Like, we're talking about NOT eating potato chips?

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Of course, your wife weighed in upthread with a few thoughtful comments.

So you're saying?

I mean, I'm just saying...

[Jake]

I'm looking forward to going back to New Orleans in a month, to get me some  Zapp's

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I can get Zapps here, but not Old Dutch. Zapps are good. I'm hungry.

[Jason Perlow]

Yeah, I can get Zapps here, but there's something about actually eating them in New Orleans with a 'Po boy, a bottle of Barq's and Hubig Pie that amplifies the experience.

[Daddy-A]

Lay's -- eh, could easily do without.  I would, however, KILL for a bag of Old Dutch potato chips.  Ahhh, just thinking about them.  Must travel west soon.

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Old Dutch??? Really? Them are ghetto chips out here! I suppose it's a case of "grass-is-greener" becasue you're not the first Easterner to mention a love for Old Dutch.

Back to Lays ... I remember the ads that featured Mark Messier (hockey player) doing the "betcha can't eat just one" schtick. Priceless!

Myself, I'm with Ling ... Kettle Chips ... or Miss Vickey's!

A.

[rockandroller]

I have to jump in here because the absolute best chips I have had ANYWHERE are only to be found in and around the tiny town of Mansfield, Ohio - Jones' chips. I grew up on them and took them for granted. NOBODY buys Lays or anything else there and if I ran into them, it was just weird, like someone having something that's "supposed to be" a potato chip at the house - like Munchos or Pringles or something, but not a real potato chip. I didn't know til I moved away from the area and couldn't find them, then went on an endless quest to find ANY acceptable chip replacement, and I've never found one. Kettle chips and flavored things are fine, but to me it's almost like another food, not like your basic potato chip.

I discovered Ballreich's late in life, from the Warren OH area and while they are ok, they are too greasy for me, like someone trying to imitate Jones' chips but not doing that great of a job.

Whenever anyone I know is going to Columbus from Cleveland, I always tell them to stop at any gas station about halfway down and buy two large bags of Jones', one for me, one for them. I've converted several people.

In Cleve, some tiny places carry other Jones' products but not the actual plain potato chip, which is truly bizarre to me because it's far and away their best product. I think it has something to do with the merger they had (not sure who bought whom) with another local company called Thomasson, whose chips also aren't as good as Jones.

If you're ever in that area, buy 2 bags - one for me, one for you. Get the big bag. www.joneschips.com

[srhcb]

Lay's -- eh, could easily do without.  I would, however, KILL for a bag of Old Dutch potato chips.  Ahhh, just thinking about them.  Must travel west soon.

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Old Dutch??? Really? Them are ghetto chips out here! I suppose it's a case of "grass-is-greener" becasue you're not the first Easterner to mention a love for Old Dutch.

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Here in Minnesota Old Dutch is the chip we grew up with. Their product has a real fine saltiness I haven't tasted on other chips. Lays, etc were "newcomers", and seemed rather bland in comparison.

Old Dutch is still a family owned company. The grandson of one of the owners has a fancy restaurant named Tryg's near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis.

SB (once resolved a trademark dispute with the company over their windmill logo)

Edited February 28, 2006 by srhcb (log)