Crushed Potato Chips - © fairyfoodmother.wordpress.com

‘Take This Chip And Chug It’ (I Ain’t Touching ‘Em No More’)

With apologies for the headline to Johnny Paycheck (Take This Job And Shove It (I ain’t working here no more…) ©1977), I ask you… Do we really want, much less need, ‘drinkable’ Chips? A Japanese snack company thinks we do, and has rushed to fill the perceived aching need…

One-Handed Chips - © Koike-yaOne-handed Chips also leave the other hand free for… Whatever.
But I still don’t see them catching on in the West.

Koike-ya, a notable Japanese maker of Salty, Starchy Snacks, has launched a new line of Chips designed to be consumed one-handed – so folks don’t get greasy, Salty residue on their hands and, by association, on their phones, game controllers and other gear.

Another ‘great’ idea from Asia…

Remember about a year ago when now-former Pepsico CEO Indira Nooyi told an interviewer that the company was looking at the idea of marketing so-called ‘Lady Doritos’, less-staining, less-greasy Doritos women could carry around in their purses for snacking anytime without the mess? It was her idea and she was proud of it, saying the Snack Industry needed to be more aware of, and cater more to the Snacking needs of today’s women. The idea drew only scorn and giggles from today’s women who weighed in on the loopy idea. Just for the record, Pepesico never came close to even test marketing Lady Doritos, much less marketing them across the board.

Now the inscrutable Asian Mind brings us something similar…

Koike-ya says it’s drinkable Chips are not really Chip flavours in a fluid form. In fact, you’ve probably already tried them. Who among us has not, at least one time or another, poured the last crumbs of any chip bag directly into their mouth? Believe it or not, the new product is merely pre-crushed Chips which can be poured from the bag into your mouth with just one hand, keeping your hands clean for… Whatever.

The idea is that your greasy hands will otherwise muck up your smart phone or tablet screen, or gum up your game controller. Some Japanese extreme gamers say they like the idea.

My take…

I grew up with Potato Chips – before there were Doritos, or Tostitos or flavoured Chips, or even ‘ruffled’ ones. I’ve always been disappointed by Chips which come ‘pre-crushed’ in any sense or to any degree. I think lots of people see Chips merely as a means to an end – the transportation device to move all kinds of tasty dips from bowl to mouth. I know that folks my age (a large and still-growing demographic) won’t give drinkable Chips a second thought. I also suspect that many younger folks who share my concept of Chips that are real Chips, not over-Salted shards, will shun them, too. Perhaps there are enough power gamers and smart phone snobs out there in Asia to make the product a success. But I don’t expect to see drinkable Chips in the rest of the world anytime soon, if ever.

By the way: Why not just buy regular Chips and give the bag a Gold’s Gym heavy-bag workout before opening it? If you really, really want crushed Chips…

Maggie J.