I don't eat potato chips much. Rather, I don't allow myself to eat potato chips much, because an
open bag will inevitably become an empty bag in the course of a single 30 minute sitting. Trust me,
that is not an exaggeration.
But when I saw this bag of Tim's cascade-style potato chips at the grocery store, I ignored my inner Jenny Craig and just bought them. Besides, with a club card, they were half price.
The chips are flavored with wasabi, and though wasabi flavored snacks are something I have been eating for years (especially those Japanese little deep-fried peas), seeing it on a non-Asian snack was new (though I have seen wasabi-flavored Funyuns before).
At first, the chips had only a faint flavor of wasabi, and an oddly bitter sensation on my tongue. I ate a few more, and decided I didn't like them all that much, but I couldn't stop eating them. By no means was I wolfing them down, but I continued to eat them. There has got to be some yet-to-be-discovered chemical in wasabi that makes people crazy - I mean what else can explain why people want to feel a burn so high and deep in their head that they cry, and why else would I keep eating these chips until *ahem* the bag is empty?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
1-07-2006 @ 9:15PM
Jacob Casey said...
this could be because those chips contain MSG.
Reply
1-07-2006 @ 9:17PM
Huffy said...
I fell victim to these vile potato chips several months ago, and like you, wasn't overly enthused at first bite. Then I had the second bite, and a third, then another, and then . . .
Whatever chemical it contains, wasabi can indeed be addictive; and like chile peppers' capsaicin, I've found there's no going back.
Huffy
Reply
1-08-2006 @ 2:12AM
sarah said...
i didn't want to believe you, jacob, but i looked at the ingredient list and yes, you are right. there it is M S G!!!
sheesh.
evil chips.
Reply
1-08-2006 @ 4:36AM
Kelley Ritchey said...
Given real wasabi is rarely seen outside Japan, I assume the wasabi flavor comes from low-end horseradish or some flavor vaguely reminiscent of same.
So maybe it is the MSG!
Reply
1-08-2006 @ 5:43AM
Bruce Dearborn Walker said...
My brother sent me some habanero flavored popcorn for Christmas.
I'm afraid....
Reply
1-08-2006 @ 2:50PM
Huffy said...
Gaa! MSG??!? Who'd a thunk it??
And I'm usually an inveterate lable reader, too; this time, however, I succumbed to the lure of the packaging, and my familiarity with the brand.
Huffy, aka Sucker
Reply
1-08-2006 @ 3:39PM
Fazal Majid said...
Not even low-end horseradish. The package in the photo clearly states "artificially flavored"...
Reply
1-09-2006 @ 12:13AM
sarah said...
but i suppose if i wanted real, not-artificial wasabi-flavored potatoes sans msg, i'd have made mashed potatoes with frehly grated wasabi root myself ;)
Reply
1-21-2006 @ 6:49PM
yelena said...
ok, i was just wondering...
what exactly is msg and how exactly is it harmful.
i just wanna know because when i told my aunt that i was trying to cut all msg out of my diet she looked at me like i was crazy and proceeded to claim that msg was only bad for you if u are allergic. help me out with this, if u can.
Reply