Monday, June 16, 2014

Mardi Gras in a Bag: Zapp's NOLA Kettle Chips

I watch a lot of Bizarre Foods. Not only because Andrew Zimmern is such a character, or because I enjoy watching people squirm as they eat balut for the first time, but also because I enjoy learning about different cultures. There's a reason Bizarre Foods, a consistently entertaining and educational show, is on the Travel Channel and not FN. I've seen Andrew eat homemade pho in Phucket, Thailand, filled my senses with the smells and sounds of a Chinese seafood marketplace. And some of the most fun (and best food) I've vicariously experienced (and eaten) was when he went to good ol' New Orleans, The Big Easy. 


Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style Spicy Cajun Crawtators (aka Potato Chips)

Break out your Mardi Gras beads (however many or few you have lying around. No judgment here), we're headin' to Louisiana! Ok, maybe not really, but when you eat these chips and close your eyes, you can be transported to the street where the party never ends. Just the right amount of salty and spicy, they have a big Old Bay spice flavor, which does tend to dominate the food profiles of the Gulf Coast. Are they better than our original Old Bay Herr's Chips? I'm not quite sure. Perhaps this calls for a taste-off! 
For now, put on some brassy jazz and crunch away. 
Rating: 8. Welcome to NOLA.

Zapp's New Orleans Kettle Style Cajun Dill Gator-Tators (they don't bite)

You didn't think we'd stop at just one kind of chip, did you?? Introducing Gator-Tators (though these chips have nothing to do with alligators. At all. But it does rhyme!), crunchy and flavored with a very pungent dill spice dusting, reminiscent of Salt & Vinegar chips, if you were to dunk them in pickle juice. The scent really does travel down the hallway, inciting you to try just one... Surprisingly, they're very tasty! The word "zing" comes to mind, sharp and sour on the tongue but not overwhelmingly so like War Heads (is your mouth watering?). If you can't afford the trip down to New Orleans for some gumbo, this just might be the next-best thing. 
Rating: 9. Definitely better than balut. 

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