I will confess that I have no idea who is even in the World Cup this year, much less who should be favored to win it. So, I’m no credible analyst when it comes to futbol. But, I have to say, I do love the event. Every four years, I love turning the games on during the day. It just feels important and I appreciate that. But, I would also liken it to a cat that likes to watch the garbage man pick up the trash in the morning. The cat is amused even if it has no idea of what is actually going on. So, I’m excited for the World Cup to kick off in a week. But, when I found out that Lay’s made special chips for the World Cup, my excitement ratcheted up a notch. I am pleased to announce that I got my hands on all three flavors. I’ve tried each, and am here to do some actual journalism – my report:
Argentinian-style Steak with Chimichurri – I got a whiff of raw meat when I opened the bag, but that first bite was exquisite. The flavor is frontloaded with that charred taste of a good sear on a steak. There’s a little bit of tang on the back end that gives it quite the nice pop for a finish. It is a quite good combination, however, the more that I eat, stacking chip after chip, the heavier that meat taste weighs on my palate. After half a bag, the “chimichurri” starts to taste more “sour cream and onion.” I would crush a handful of these, but I can’t see myself devouring an entire bag. The complexity of the flavor and the balance between steak and chimichurri is deep and reach. Rating: 3/5 – would snack again, but not crushable.
Brazilian-style Garlic Sauce – What is this Brazilian style garlic sauce you speak of? I’ve never heard of such a thing. I had to look it up, and apparently, it’s just a combination of garlic, mayo, some type of oil, and lemon juice? That’s wild. This is a STRONG flavored potato chip. It’s quite pungent when you open the bag. That first bite is an explosion. It’s like someone added garlic to the sour cream and onion flavor and dialed it up to a hundred. It’s intense and overbearing. But, the wild thing about this chip is that it finishes like movie theater butter to me. So, yes…to be clear, I get garlic up front and movie theater butter on the back end. It’s like a sour cream and onion chip and a handful of popcorn had a baby. Just unreal variance. But, with that traditional Lay’s texture, this thing is super crushable. I’m going to devour this entire bag. Rating: 4/5 – if it wasn’t SO tangy up front, this would’ve been an ELITE elite chip experience.
French Onion Soup – That first bite was quite strange because of how accurately they got the flavor of French onion soup down. It’s hard to explain, but from a flavor standpoint, it was as if someone solidified a spoonful of French onion soup. The second chip is where things started to go south. It’s a very rich flavor once it builds up, almost like sucking on a bouillon cube or something. It’s like I decided to chug an entire packet of French onion seasoning that you’d put on a Sunday roast or something. The more I ate, the more bitter the onion flavor came to be. Rating: 2/5 – will not snack again.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, second on Football & Other F Words, analyst for Stacking The Inbox, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, the NFL Draft, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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