Lay's USA Kettle Cooked Wasabi Ginger

Crippling fear. That is what gripped me as I stared at this bag. My friend's had their cameras out, ready to film what they expected to be tears running down my face after one bite. I muscled up the courage to open the bag. Took a whiff... I definitely smelled potato... and, is that soy sauce? with a dash of ginger? My nose kept searching, there it was... WASABI. Uhoh. What am I doing? I silently asked myself this question.
My friends were still watching, cheering; I had to do it. I placed a chip on my tongue. NUCLEAR. Something, only God really knows what it was, scorched my tongue... but I didn't taste Wasabi... not yet. After the burn my face made so many twists I didn't know what was happening. Then I tasted the rich potato flavor of a Lay's Kettle Cooked chip... finally some relief... but it was short lived for me, as the flavor of Wasabi crept from the back of my tongue forward. Not spicy, just the aroma of Wasabi... and a hint of Ginger, reminding me that I would experience no relief.
...Snapchat sent...

Let me give you a little background... If you are new to this blog I am a self proclaimed "wuss". You want to know my favorite flavor of Lay's? Original. I do this blog because I am fascinated with the product line Lay's (Etc.) have launched world wide, and I was intrigued that no one had ever documented online what varietals of these homeland heroes people were eating overseas. I don't do this because I want to eat chips everyday, I do it because I am passionately curious.
Spicy chips will never be my thing. I whine a LOT about spice... but I've been trying to expand my spice horizons. However, although here in California I eat a TON of sushi, if even a little Wasabi touches my rolls, I have a little inner-body cry session.

SO. Wasabi Ginger.... I was terrified. And that first chip scared me. But, I have to admit. It actually wasn't that bad. And I'm gonna go out on a ledge and say, it's all to do with the magic Kettle Cooked chip. I've talked on here before about the Kettle Cooked Lay's chip. I think it's their most flavorful chip and has a great texture. That thick cut, more flavorful chip, stands up well to the shock seasoning in this bag. ALSO, I don't think that the Wasabi flavor was actually cranked up that high. It was almost like a modest version of what I had in my head. The Wasabi just kind of sneaks onto your palate after you've swallowed the chip. I'm guessing the real shock comes from Horseradish which is listed in the ingredients, and I am NOT a fan of that stuff. One of my friends who had it with me said she didn't feel like it was spicy at all. And she eats her sushi with Wasabi regularly, so it may have just been my being a big baby. BUT since this is my blog, it really just matters how I felt. The star of this bag is really the soy sauce. It added the right seasoning to the chip to make the heat and shock bearable. I've had bags before that made me stop eating after 1 chip... and this was not even close. I ate out of this bag, heat and all, for another few minutes. It's actually not too far from what Lay's already offer in their Jalapeno Kettle Cooked Chips.

If you are a fan of spice, don't look past this bag because it isn't Sriracha. As someone who NEVER thought they would like it, I really think Lay's did an awesome job with this bag. It made me a believer. Try it now before it disappears! And let us know in the comments what you think!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Thailand รสพริกเผาปรุงรส and รสเมี่ยงคำครบรส

 Lay's Thailand has just released 2 new flavors... "รสพริกเผาปรุงรส" aka "Spicy Chili Paste" and "รสเมี่ยงคำครบรส" aka "Miang". The Chili Paste is pretty straight forward... in Thailand Chili paste is made with Garlic, Shallots, Dried Red Chili flakes, Lime, Tamarind, and a hint of Fish or Shrimp Paste. Thai Chili Paste is used in Thai cuisine to spice up things like soups and noodles. The other new flavor is "Miang"; a little bundle of joy wrapped in a Wild Pepper Leaf. The leaf fillings include Roasted Coconut, Roasted Peanuts, Lime, Ginger, Shallots, Garlic, Thai Chilis, and Shrimp. YUMMO! 
As with most of Thailand's flavors, both of these seem well suited to the region.  So what do you think about these? Are you gonna hunt them down? Let us know in the comments section below :)

Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor 2013 finalists back for a limited time!

Lay's USA has re-released "Sriracha" and "Chicken & Waffles" for a LIMITED TIME. The two finalists disappeared for a minute after "Garlic Cheesy Bread" won the Do Us A Flavor contest... but I started to notice that a few of my friends were posting pictures of these yummy treasures on instagram still. Now, Lay's' Facebook page has made it official and announced a Limited Time return of the discontinued bags. If you read my blog a few weeks ago criticizing Lay's USA for pulling the regional flavors without any warning, you should appreciate this as much as I do. Not only has Lay's announced that these are back, but they let fans know that they are only back for a short time, and encourage fans to "stock up". So if you were missing these beauties, I encourage you to "stock up" as well... cuz once they're gone, I doubt they will be back for a 3rd round. #TeamChicken&Waffles.

Guest Chip Review! Lay's USA Sriracha

"Sriracha Lay's are one of the three new releases of Lay's you can find in stores now. They are a finalist in the Lay's USA "Do Us A Flavor" contest, along with Cheesy Garlic Bread (my favorite!) and Chicken & Waffles. I was really excited to try these chips considering I love the spicy flavor of Sriracha, a Thai Chili Paste that I put on everything! And so, I figured, Sriracha flavored chips should be awesome!! Well, opening the bag you're not getting that intense familiar smell of spice. It was kind of a let down :( And so was the taste... they kind of tasted just like the lemon and chili ones you can already buy right now.  Not impressed.  I wanted more kick and just had higher expectations. The hint of lime was gross too and unexpected since I hate lime.  All in all it was a good chip, but we already have a chili and lime chip so it's nothing new. I love the Cheesy Garlic Bread chips because they are unique and unlike anything Lay's already makes in the USA.
My vote is going to Cheesy Garlic Bread all the way! #TeamCheesyGarlicBread"
-EricRox
(EricRox is a food lover who grew up working and eating in his parents Japanese restaurant. He is also a Sriracha lover and Chip fan.)

I personally love the "Chili and Lime" chips here in the States and consider them one of the best flavors we have. I have yet to have a chance to try the Sriracha flavor, but if EricRox calls them a dupe of "Chili & Lime", he may have a point. Do we really need two similar flavors in the lineup? Right now, I'm still torn, but I've felt we needed a good Chicken flavor in the USA lineup for a while, so I think I'm going to be giving my vote to Chicken & Waffles in the end. #TeamChickenAndWaffles
-GinaGina

Lay's Do Us A Flavor Contest Finalists Revealed!

THEY'RE HERE!!
Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Lay's USA Do Us A Flavor Finalists have finally been revealed and they are BASICALLY the best 3 flavors I've ever heard of.

Drumroll please...

Cheesy Garlic Bread

Chicken & Waffles

 

Sriracha

Wow. I am just So impressed with these finalists. For awhile, reading all the potential contenders online like "Beer Battered Onion Rings" I thought this contest was going to be a let down, but seeing who was ultimately chosen has now gotten me excited. These are flavors that I think reflect uniquely American tastes (yes, I know Sriracha is Thai, but it is beloved here in the states on every type of food). 

Firstly, we've got "Cheesy Garlic Bread", one of my all time favorite foods. Rich, decadent, garlic-y, buttery, cheesy, bread... mmmm. To me, its the ultimate comfort food; just fat and carbs. It's as authentically Italian as The Olive Garden, but lord knows, when I order Italian take-out food, I'm getting Garlic Bread lol. I don't know how it will play on chips though. I've said it before, the chips here in the States lack a lot of potato flavor, and are great for emulating bread. So I could see this chip tasting more like a garlic and cheddar flavored chip... with a cheesy flavor like we already get on cheddar chips and the addition of garlic, with the chip playing the place of bread. But that's my speculation.

Then there is "Chicken & Waffles"; "Chicken & Waffles" are an American soul-food classic. Hot, fresh, waffles, covered in syrup, served with crispy, spiced, crunchy, Fried Chicken...yummmmmm. These are a novelty here in Los Angeles, but across the Southern states these are a staple. I imagine again, that the chip will play the part of the waffle in this bag... then all they need to do is hit it with some chicken flavor and something sweet. This has the potential to be insanely good. I love the combo of sweet and savory. Can't wait to try it!

Lastly, there is "Sriracha". Everyone I know has a bottle of this in their house. Period. Sriracha is a Thai hot-sauce made of chili paste, garlic paste, sugar, and salt. Although it was originally made in Thailand to spice up seafood dishes, here in California it can be found in Asian restaurants, Mexican restaurants, and anything in between. We usually use the "Tương Ớt Sriracha" brand with the rooster on the front and the green lid. That's not necessarily a brand we need to see alongside it though, like "Heinz" Ketchup,... knowing  the flavor is "Sriracha" is enough to stir up memories of hot, spicy, tangy, deliciousness. I can imagine this one will have the most authentic flavor, because it's just a seasoning that needs to be applied to the chips, but we'll have to see.

I can't wait to start the hunt for these, and then hoard my favorite flavor in case it doesn't win lol.

So far so good America! Happy Hunger Games!

IM SO EXCITED, YOU DONT EVEN KNOW!! o_0

Lay's Thailand Hot and Spicy Crab

How cool is this bag??!
My cousin regularly visits Thailand for work and I finally realized I should ask him to bring me back some chips! DUH!
Here is Hot and Spicy Crab! This bag clearly is meant to appeal to local tastes. Not only is it a seafood flavor, which is common in Asian snack foods, but it also features a hot and spicy seasoning that is very typically Thai. This bag is made for daring foodies. The bag opens up with a very rich aroma of crab and spice. The first taste you get is a sweet chili taste, but that fades quickly to a strong aromatic spice... a HOT, strong, aromatic spice. You get some chili, spring onion, garlic, and maybe a bit of ginger. This is where the pure Thai flavor comes through. Finally near the end there is a vaguely crab flavor. It is subtle and plays second fiddle to the chili mix. The potato chip is a nice thickness. It's thinner than Walkers but not as flakey thin as Lay's USA. They look EXACTLY like the chip depicted on the bag but are covered in red orange seasoning. The potato taste is light next to the strong seasoning. This bag is like the stronger, older brother of Walker's Thai Sweet Chili... and although it packs a HUGE punch, I still think fans of Thai Sweet Chili might enjoy it. Now, I'm a weakling when it comes to spicy food, so I could only eat a couple of these... but if you can handle the heat, these are worth hunting down. I've seen them multiple times on ebay and Amazon... so they can't be too hard to track down here in the states. I have a lot of respect for the complexity of flavor in this bag and highly recommend them. I'm really grateful I got the chance to try these. They are another amazing example that Lay's can be a crash course to a Nation's food culture. Very cool!

Gotta Get At This: Lay's Peru Salsa Mania

 

Lay's Peru has just started running a new promotion known as "Salsa Mania"! Salsa Mania brings sauce packets like Ketchup and Mayo inside your bag of Classic Salt Lay's.
To make it clearer, check out Exhibit A:

 

Step 1: Open your Lay's

Step 2: Look for your favorite sauce

Step 3: Put sauce on your Lay's

Step 4: Enjoy them how you like!

Each bag of chips contains one surprise sauce packet. The 3 sauces you can stumble across are Mustard, Ketchup, and Hot Sauce.

If this promotion sounds familiar, you may have seen it in some other South American nations. Youtube has some old commercials from some country enjoying Salsa Mania on ridged Lay's. I'm not sure what country it is.... and I would LOVE to know! But this is the first time the promotion has made it's way to Peru.

It sounds interesting. Sound off in the comments below. Does this sound good? Which sauce would you put on your chips?