February 2012
19 posts
7 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 23
Featured snack: Reese’s Crispy Crunchy bar
Rating: 13 Bart Simpson endorsements
Review:
I’ve always liked Butterfinger. For a long time, it was my go-to vending machine choice. The problem is that Butterfingers are so dense and one-dimensional that you kind of lose your taste for one by the time you are 3/4 of the way through it (they are also really big). Plus,...
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 22
Featured snack: Fig Newton (by Nabisco)
Rating: 14 “It’s not a cookie, mother, it’s a Newton”s
Review:
Figs are such an unlikely fruit to include in a snack. In fact, I think the only other time that I ever had a fig was once at a fancy party and it was wrapped in bacon. Or maybe that was a date. No, it was a party.
I’m tempted to end this post after that...
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 21
Featured snack: Gourmet Cheddar Gladcorn
Rating: 101 A-maizing corn mazes
Review: Sometimes I get questions from readers of the snack blog about why certain snacks or certain types of snacks aren’t included for consideration on the blog. Is it that I don’t consider them to be a snack? I decided that for NSFM2012, I would stick exclusively to what I’ve been calling...
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 20
Featured snack: Trader Joe’s Pumpernickel Pretzel Sticks
Rating: 74 Lederhosen
Review:
I don’t think it is controversial to suggest that salt is the best and most useful of all the spices. Of course, what makes salt so great is its ability to enhance the flavors around it instead of being its own flavor. It is like the John Paul Jones of spices in that way.
This is what has...
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 19
Featured snack: (Limited Edition) Coconut M&M’s
Rating: 2 1/2 blocks
Review:
Mars Corporation is well-known for constantly adapting, improving, and spinning-off its various products to create buzz and boost sales. Well, I fell for it again the other night.
I have always been a sucker for coconut in all of its artificial or natural forms so it was a pretty safe bet that I would...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 18
Featured snack: Trader Joe’s Falafel Chips
Rating: 26 orders of extra hummus
Review:
There have been a couple of forces in the last 10 years that have changed the snack game pretty profoundly and TJ’s is definitely one of them. Their trail mix section literally paralyzed me this morning. Seriously, some Lakeview lady was like, “Um, are you going to decide soon because me and my...
NSFM2012 - Day 17
Featured snack: “Dirty” brand Sweet Potato chips
Rating: 3
Review. Why would you name your snack brand “Dirty?” Why?
We know potatoes grow in the ground. With dirt. We know that.
Anyway, these chips were ok. There are better sweet potato chips.
Happy snacking,
Seth
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 16
Featured snack: Pollito Alvbro
Rating: Quince Paletas Ricas
Review:
In the interest of performing a public service for Chicago snackers, I thought I would try to clear up a mystery that has plagued many of my snack-shy friends and acquaintances.
The question: what do those little chicken-shaped suckers from the bodega taste like? Do they really taste like chicken?
Answer: They taste like a...
8 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 15
Featured snack: Little Debbie’s Nutty Bars
Rating: 26 grade school cafeterias
Review:
Like their biggest competitor Hostess, Little Debbie has been producing affordable, individually-wrapped cookies, cakes and pastries for sweet-toothed post-war Americans on the go for decades. And they’ve been doing it at a price point consistently lower than their candy competitors one aisle...
7 tags
NSFM2012 - Days 9-14
Featured snacks:
Sizzlin’ Hot Cheesy Corn, Cool Ranch Crunchy Kurls, Sizzlin’ Hot Salt n’ Sour Potato Chips, Hot n’ Spicy Corn Chips, Jalapeno Nuggets, Kosher Dill Pickle Potato Chips
Rating: Midterm Report Cards
Review:
Well, it has been a busy week but I’ve managed to spend some of it with an array of Vitner’s-produced snacks (and some pals)....
NSFM2012 - Day 8
A bit of an editorial change of pace here on The Snack Blog today. In order to call myself an “Online Snack Journalist,” I should sometimes report on news and events relevant to the snack beat. Well, early this year, it was reported that longtime Chicago snack brand Vitner’s was being sold to the Los Angeles-based snack producer and distributor Snak King. While both parties have...
4 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 7
Featured snack: String Cheese
Rating: 5 After-School Specials
Review:
There are plenty of snacks that involve cheese but very few that are cheese. That’s what makes String Cheese one of the best snacks ever - it makes it okay to just straight up eat a big old hunk of cheese.
Now, there’s nothing wrong with cheese and crackers - C&C’s place in The Snack Hall of Fame...
8 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 6
Featured snack - Premium Mixed Nuts (CVS brand)
Rating: 1,000,000 Credit Default Swaps
Review:
Honestly, I can’t believe how long it has taken me to say this out loud: one of the great triumphs of modern capitalism is the $5.99/10 oz. canister of Premium Mixed Nuts (no peanuts!). There is literally no snacking problem in the world that can’t be solved with this singular but...
9 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 5
Featured snack: “Salsa Rio” Doritos (Limited Edition!)
Rating: XLVI confused looks
Review:
Today is not only the 5th day of National Snack Food Month 2012 but the day of the 46th Super Bowl, a day that has become, for many, the most important single snacking event of the year. For my featured snack today I chose the mass-market snack that has arguably been the most closely...
NSFM2012 - Day 4
Featured snack: Pearson’s Maple Bun
Rating: 100 those were the days
Review:
This product practically leaped out at me from the candy aisle of my local convenience store tonight. Amongst the shiny Peanut Butter Snickers and Reese’s Fast Breaks, it looked like it had been mistakenly transported from another decade. Of course, I was drawn not only to the quaint simplicity of the...
8 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 3
Featured snack: 7/11 brand Hot Dog flavored potato chips
Rating: 1,060 Holy cows!
Review: When I first saw this product at the 7-11 near my place of employment, I actually looked around the store in disbelief like, “Is anyone else seeing this right now?” I literally couldn’t believe it.
Little did I know that many people nation-wide were not only seeing it, but writing about...
5 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 2
Featured snack: Black Cherry Almond Clif Bar
Rating: 14 Carob-biners (see what I did there?)
Review: Here’s the thing: I like Clif Bars. I eat them on purpose because I think they taste good. I’m speaking mostly of my favorite variety, “Black Cherry Almond” which has a nice cross section of chocolateyness, chewiness, and nuttiness that is very satisfying and definitely...
6 tags
NSFM2012 - Day 1
Featured snack: Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Crackers
Rating: 100 yums
Review: I thought I would kick off NSFM 2012 with a Classic. That’s with a capital C. The designation of Classic is reserved for those snacks that, no matter how many times you encounter them, never steer you wrong.
Speaking of steering, I feel it is my duty to make sure my readers know that the idea that real goldfish...
National Snack Food Month 2012 - Mission statement
Hello snacking friends.
It’s February, which means that, according the Snack Food Association of America, it is National Snack Food Month (henceforth NSFM). Ever since my friend Ellen first told me about this fake holiday invented by industry insiders in order to boost sales during a typically slow season, I’ve decided to, each February, make it a personal goal to eat a different...
October 2011
1 post
Happy trails
Snack Blog reader Mercedes writes:
“Do you make your own trail mix, and if so, what do you put in it?”
Weirdly enough, I have never bothered to make my own trail mix although it seems like a great idea. Trail mix is one of my favorite snacks but it rarely has all of the ingredients I crave. I do know that if I ever did mix my own, there are things that would definitely be high on...
April 2011
4 posts
7 tags
Snack tour: Honorable mentions
Well, I’m back home from tour and I thought I would write a quick post to mention some of the great snacks I had the pleasure of enjoying all over the eastern side of the country on my trip.
In Brooklyn, I found a flavor of potato chip that I didn’t even know existed: Red Wine Vinegar. Unlike certain other brands that use vinegar flavoring, these chips by Boulder Canyon have the...
8 tags
Snack tour: Za edition
Something momentous happened in NYC that will change everything forever and it’s all thanks to snacks.
The decades long argument about the superiority of Chicago pizza to NY pizza can be resolved with one observation that my band mate Gillian uttered on our way into NY.
“A NY slice is a snack” she said.
Yes! Chi and NY za aren’t even in the same category. There is...
7 tags
Snack tour (Atlanta and Gainesville)
In Atlanta, we split up for dinner. I went to a Jamaican place where they had a nice selection of plantain chips - one of my favorite savory snacks. The ones I chose were actually “Maduritos” or sweet plantain chips. They were from Colombia and they were delicious. I left the restaurant with every intention of sharing them with my bandmates but when I got to the club - they were...
6 tags
Snack tour continues
First of all, sorry about the lull. I came down with a non-snack-related illness about 5 days into the tour and it has set me back as far as my online snack journaling. I will do my best to catch you all up. Thanks for reading.
One of the reasons people love to read The Snack Blog is because I can admit when I am wrong. In my last post, I insisted that in all cases, it is better to go for the...
March 2011
4 posts
Snack Tour pt. 2
At a gas station in Kentucky I picked up something I’ve been looking for for a long time. Ketchup Chips!!! Sorry that there’s no graphic - they were a not very well known brand called The Flavor Mill. They were awesome. They had so much flavor! Ever wonder what it’s like to dip your potato chips in ketchup? Wonder no more! Sweet and savory with a slight vinegar tang. Thankfully,...
Snack Tour 2011
While I’m on tour for the next couple of weeks with my band Roommate, I’ll be blogging about the many and various road snacks that I encounter across the American South and Easter Seaboard.
First up is a new Nabisco product I found at a gas station outside of Toledo, Ohio. They are called Ritz Munchables and they claim to be a hybrid between a pretzel and a Ritz cracker. Now, Ritz are rightly...
6 tags
Reach Out and Snack Someone
Writing or otherwise contacting a snack company can be rewarding and fun. Most companies are happy to get honest feedback and will often reciprocate with free product or swag. The smaller the company, the more fruitful the correspondence might be. Let’s all use this wonderful example by my friend and bandmate, the amazing Luther Rochester as inspiration.
Of course, if you have any...
Snack manifesto
As an Online Snack Journalist, the question I get more than any other is, “Seth, what makes a snack a snack?” Actually, it usually takes the form of, “Is {blank} a snack?” or “I don’t think {such-and-such} is/should be a snack. Or is/should it?” There seems to be a general uncertainty and difference of opinion about what kind of food should be classified...
7 tags
National Snack Food Month - Day 28
Featured snack: Sesame Sticks
Rating: 76 noms
Review: I’ve reserved the last day of NSFM 2011 for one of my all-time favorites. Hearty, adaptable, satisfying, not unhealthy - one might make the argument for the Sesame Stick being the perfect snack.
Another thing I appreciate about sesame sticks is that there has never (to my knowledge) been a nationally distributed brand. They are...
February 2011
42 posts
6 tags
NSFM - Day 27
Featured snack: Pizzeria Pretzel Combos
Rating: 999 Looks like we made its
Review: I’ve written about my love of Combos before so I won’t spend time here detailing the many ways that they encapsulate and reinforce my snacking values. Instead, I’ll just simply point out that after 26 days of regular daily snacking, as I was trolling the aisles of 7-11 to find a snack to...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 26
Featured snack: Salsitas salsa chips
Rating: 16 Read My Lips
Review: Those of you that follow The Snack Blog might have noticed that there tend to be a lot of Frito-Lay products featured. Lest you think me some sort of mouthpiece for the most popular and successful savory snack producer in the world, I will try to be as clear as I can with today’s review:
DO NOT EAT DORITOS. EAT...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 25
Featured snack: Kale chips
Rating: 77 coughs
Review: Kale chips are great. So great. So great that if they had run for Mayor of Chicago, they totally would have won. They have so many of the qualities one hopes for in a snack. They are crispy but also chewy. They have the obligatory craving-satiating salt and oil but with real flavor underneath. And even though everyone I’ve seen on the...
8 tags
NSFM - Day 24
Featured snack: Wheat Thins Crunch Stix (Fire Roasted Tomato flavor)
Rating: 36 yawns
Review: Wheat Thins are good but let’s face it, they are boring. Like most good crackers, their value comes from their adaptability. This being the case, it makes no sense to make them into a different “fun” shape, put them in a new “fun” package, and sprinkle them with an...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 23
Featured snack: Keebler Fudge Shoppe “Coconut Dreams”
Rating: 1,000 About F*cking Times!
Review: These cookies should just be called Keebler “No Brainers”. Why should the Girl Scouts of America have such control over us? It’s not fair. Finally, a way out of what is possibly the most abusive relationship in snacking.
Thing is - I can’t really tell if these...
7 tags
NSFM - Day 22
Featured snack: Turbos Flamas
Rating: Catorce “Ay Chihuahuas!”
Review: At first glance these appeared to simply be “Flamin’ Hot” Fritos that happen to be marketed toward Latino Americans. What I failed to realize is that “Turbos Flamas” bring something altogether new to the Frito-Lay family of snacks.
Although Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are the most...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 21
Featured snack: Snyder’s of Hanover brand Honey Mustard & Onion flavored “Pieces”
Rating: 18 breath mints
Review: I’ll be honest with you guys: I’m not crazy about pretzels. Yes, the shape is fun and aesthetically pleasing, but the flavor department is severely understaffed. Also, do we really need the excessively large grains of salt?
This product, courtesy...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 20
Featured snack: Ants on a Log
Rating: Ants on a motherf*cking log!
Review: Yes, you can combine the crisp crunch of fresh celery with the nutty goodness of your favorite peanut butter and have a very fine snack. But when you spend the effort to add that little row of raisins, a kind of mysterious magic kicks in and the whole becomes more than the sum of its parts. Now you are eating ants....
8 tags
NSFM - Day 19
Featured snack: TGI Friday’s brand Cheddar and Bacon Potato Skins
Rating: Oh, the things I do for you my Dear Readers.
Review: Maybe I’m not clear on the premise. Are these supposed to emulate a dish from the namesake Crappy Restaurant Franchise? I’ve never been to said Crappy Restaurant Franchise but it seems like the kind of place that would use a sharpie to draw grill...
8 tags
NSFM - Day 18
Featured snack: Austin brand “Zoo” Animal Crackers
Rating: 36 decapitations
Review: While not the more popular Barnum’s (Nabisco) brand Animal Crackers that come in the iconic cardboard circus train car, Austin (Kellogg’s) brand are often easier to find and, in my humble O, just as (if not more) tasty. However, let’s get to what really matters:
Barnum’s...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 17
Featured snack: Charleston Chews Mini
Rating: 13 PG-13s
Review: Who wants to eat a whole Charleston Chew by themselves? Nobody, that’s who. Now who wants to sneak in a box of Charleston Chew minis to split with their friend during a crappy movie at the Logan? Everybody.
4 tags
NSFM - Day 16
Featured snack: Pretzel M&M’s
Rating: 13 Key demos
Review: Big snack companies are always trying to find ways to put a new spin on an old product to boost their sales. In most cases, if the new variety of snack doesn’t take off in a couple fiscal quarters, it’s off the market. In this case, however, I can’t blame the Mars corporation for their (relatively) new...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 15
Featured snack: Terra Brand Sweet Potato Chips (Crinkle cut style)
Rating: 27 Whole Foods parking lots
Review: I always thought Terra chips were for snobs and yuppies. Then I had these at my nephew’s birthday party (Happy birthday Alex!) and they were really really good. They achieve what few mass marketed snacks can: They are savory without being too salty. They are hearty but not too...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 14
Featured snack: Conversation Hearts
Rating: 14 QT Pies
Review: In lieu of a review, let’s try a hypothetical thought experiment:
Suppose you gave a young child a disgusting sugary chalk to eat one day a year for every year of its childhood.
Suppose the child, through a combination of tradition, social norms and its own sentimental tendencies, came to associate the taste of this...
4 tags
NSFM - Day 13
Featured snack: Kit Kat “Big Kat”
Rating: 44 gimme a breaks
Review: Why mess with a classic? Kit Kat’s original design of 4 connected bars is elegant, fun, and one of a kind. The lightness of each individual bar along with the perfectly balanced proportion of wafer to chocolate make you almost want to hold out your pinkie as you enjoy each small I-beam of goodness. In...
NSFM - Day 12
Featured snack: Lundberg’s Pico de Gallo flavored Rice Chips
Rating: 99 finger licks
Review: These are delicious. They are a nice go-to if you want a nicely flavored chip with a little spice that you don’t have to dip. I’ve said it before and I will say it again: rice chips and crackers make superior snacks. Their light texture and non-greasiness make you wonder why the...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 11
Featured snack: Chick-o-Stick
Rating: 20 cavities
Review: I can see why this candy has been around since the Depression*. It is simple, satisfying, and best of all: cheap (retails for around $0.35 at your local liquor store). It was described to me as, “like the inside of a Butterfinger, but with a little bit of dried coconut coating the outside.” Sign me up! It’s a shame...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 10
Featured snack: Rice Krispies Treats Crunch Mix (Classic variety)
Rating: 40,000 gags
Review: RKT’s might be in my all-time top 10 (homemade, of course) but this snack fails on EVERY front. There is not a single element that isn’t disgusting. The only ingredient that could and should be it’s salvation (the Rice Krispie Treats clusters) are small, unsatisfactory, gross,...
5 tags
NSFM - Day 9
Featured snack: An orange
Rating: Even I have my limits
Review: The packaging gets a -12 but everything else is a 100. It really is like eating sunshine.
NSFM - Day 8
Featured snack: “Flamin’ Hot” Funyuns
Rating: 1,000 OMGs
Review: They did it. They created the perfect snack. The words, “two great tastes that taste great together” have lost all meaning. These get a 10 in flavor, balance, and texture. Seriously you guys, it’s only a matter of time before some enterprising young chef uses these as a panko substitute on some...
6 tags
NSFM - Day 7
Featured snack: Cheez-it brand cheese crackers
Rating: 100 pinkie sweeps*
Review: How can you go wrong with Cheez-its? This one is a classic that will never die. Although please do me a favor and don’t confuse Cheez-its with Nabisco’s Cheese Nips. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME!
* Stay tuned to The Snack Blog for an explanation and analysis of the pinkie sweep manuever
