Above shows a photo of last year’s options in the Lay’s “Do us a Flavor” competition, which included bacon macaroni and cheese as a flavor option, a coincidence as UConn student Luke Gatti, or “Mac and Cheese Kid,” grows in internet infamy. (Mike Mozart/Flickr)
In America, citizens are afforded many freedoms. We have the freedom to elect our leaders. We have the freedom to speak our minds. And, we have the freedom to create our own potato chip flavors – and then vote for our favorite! It all comes back to democracy.
For the third year, Lay’s Potato Chips are allowing fans to submit their ideas for new flavors, and then pick four finalists to release into stores. Over the next few months, you can vote for your favorite flavor of the four, and the winning entry will receive $1,000,000.
So which of the four flavors reigns supreme? I tried them so you don’t have to.
Kettle Cooked Greektown Gyro
Right off the bat, you’re probably saying “how could this chip possibly taste like meat?” It doesn’t really even try. The gyro chip is more focused on the spices that accent the meat, which is fine, but it takes this idea a bit too far. The yogurt taste of staple ingredient tzatziki sauce drowns in the pure scent and power of the spices, which are not good enough to carry the chip on their own. Greektown Gyro is an admirable attempt and a good-tasting chip, but not something to revisit more than once.
Wavy West Coast Truffle Fries
I will have to admit a truth here, and that truth is that I’ve never actually tried truffle fries. In my defense, Connecticut isn’t exactly close to the West Coast.
I’d guess that truffle fries taste something like sour cream and onion potato chips. That’s what the truffle fry-flavored chips taste like. It really is that simple. It also begs this question – why would you get chips that taste somewhat like sour cream and onion chips when you can get actual sour cream and onion chips?
New York Rueben Sandwich
Capturing the taste of meat in a potato chip is a tall task. As a result, flavors like Greektown Gyro and Rueben Sandwich tend to taste mostly like the accompaniments to the sandwich, rather than the best part of the sandwich. Rueben Sandwich is an even more egregious offender than Greektown Gyro in this regard. It should be called “Sauerkraut and Rye Bread.” If that sounds like a chip you’d love to eat, be my guest.
Southern Biscuits and Gravy
Last year, one of the submitted flavors was Cappuccino, which masterfully captured that flavor in the form of powder applied to a Lay’s potato chip. This year, the dead ringer is Southern Biscuits and Gravy, which is far more palatable in this form than cappuccino. No offense to those who have coffee running through their veins.
Southern Biscuits and Gravy nails the nuances of its titular taste, other than the fluffiness of the biscuit, but you can’t blame creator Hailey Green for that. They also have the highest replay value, defined here as the ease in which the taster can consume the entire bag in one sitting. If you need to recreate Thanksgiving using only snack foods, this chip should be priority number one. It’s the clear standout of the four flavors, but does America agree? The only way to resolve this is to let the voters decide.
Tyler Keating is a staff writer for The Daily Campus, covering UConn women’s soccer. He can be reached via email at tyler.keating@uconn.edu.
