An Ode to Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips

I consider myself pretty well versed when it comes to snacking. I love food. Always have and I always will. It is the best. It is good for comfort, for life, for the good and bad moments, for sporting events, for everything really. I do eat too much food, but that is neither here nor there. But one food I have been reintroducing to my diet is potato chips.

Let’s discuss.

I have read, and talked to a ton of runners, and they sing the praises of chips. They give you carbs, salt and help you continue to move for longer distances. And I love all chips, with dill pickle and ketchup flavor as the lone exceptions. A nice classic original, fantastic and salty. Cheddar and sour cream, a great combination. BBQ chips are sweet and spicy and great. Jalapeno adds a wonderful kick that I adore. Sweet Hawaiian Onion is so, so, so good. And all Doritos, especially cool ranch, they are the bomb. I even love a good Frito, Cheetos and definitely Takis. They are great. But it has come to my attention recently that Salt and Vinegar is the best chip flavor.

I don't have any science to back this up, except my tastebuds, but that helps me confirm that Salt and Vinegar rules. And it is across all brands of chips. I love Lay's version. Pringles make an excellent salt and vinegar. Cape Cod is crunchy and delicious and very flavorful. Hell, even Benton's Brand from Aldi are a total slam dunk. In fact the Benton's may be the best because they have the most dust, or flavoring, on the chip and the salt and vinegar taste really comes out. It is a make you pucker type taste. It is so awesome. I have eaten a small bowl with my lunch for the past couple of days, and it has been a delight. The mixture of salt and vinegar is just so tasty. It adds so much to my hot dogs or brats or whatever meat and cheese addition I have every day for lunch. It is the perfect compliment to the rest of my relatively low carb lunch.

Using these chips as fuel for a run, that takes it to a whole other level. As a runner, a distance runner at that, we are told to eat and drink, especially during anything over a half marathon. You need fuel to keep going. If you don't eat or drink anything your body will just stop doing what it has been trained to do. So I use Tailwind as my race drink and Nuun as a post race drink. Tailwind is filled with carbs and salt and electrolytes. It is like a healthy Gatorade. Nuun is a great post race drink, with its effervescence and sweet taste. And when it comes to food, I usually go for sweets too. I need the sugar. I love a good pack of gummy bears, Oreos, peanut butter filled pretzels, granola, and any kind of sweet food. But when it comes to salty, I find it hard to choke down most anything except for salt and vinegar chips. Straight up pretzels become too chalky. Burritos are too filling. Any sandwich that is not a PB&J, forget it. But salt and vinegar chips totally knock it out of the park. They make me salivate, which makes me drink more. I love the taste, so it is easier for me to choke them down. I like the grease. And I am a big, big fan of the extra salt they provide along with my Tailwind and salt in the sweet food. I have found myself gravitating more to the chips when doing a race at the aid stations. I also pack myself some to put in my pack or in my pocket. They are just too perfect.

For these reasons, and many, many others, Salt and Vinegar is hands down the best flavor potato chip. It is perfect. I dare you to eat one and not become addicted. They are that good.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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