Chips (aka Crisps)

We were talking to the kids about planning a trip to the US (watch this space...), and Lily asked if they have crisps there. In the States, we refer to crisps as chips (which are thick cut french fries in the UK). I told Lily that yes, there are crisps in the US, but the flavors may be different than what she's used to.

That got me thinking about the differences in flavors, and I thought I'd share what seemed strange 2.5 years ago when we first arrived.

photo from wikihow.com

According to statistica.com, the top flavors of chips in the US last year included the following:

Plain
BBQ
Sour Cream & Onion
Salt & Vinegar
Cheese
Jalapeno


Those are all varieties I've tried before (and Ruffles Sour Cream and Onion are some of my favorite), and they probably all sound familiar.


I remember the first time we went into a convenience store in the UK, looking for a few staples to keep in the cupboard. The first thing I noticed was how the British like their meat-flavored crisps. That seemed really odd at the time, but having tried several varieties, they're actually pretty tasty.


A few common meat flavors are:

Roast Chicken (these actually taste like juicy roasted chicken)

Bacon (they're good, but don't taste like the bacon we're used to)

Prawn Cocktail (it took me 2 years to try these. They don't taste like shrimp so much as cocktail sauce, but they're not terrible)

Beef/Beef and Onion

Ham/Roast Ham/ some variation of this


There are also many flavors that are suitable for vegetarians:

Cheese and Onion (Lily's absolute favorite, and they're very good)

Tomato Ketchup

Marmite (hard no)

Thai Sweet Chilli (one of my favorites)

Salt & Vinegar

Ready Salted (which is plain to Americans)

Worcester Sauce

Paprika

Some kind of cheese and chutney


I'm not brave enough to try them all (I'm looking at you, ketchup, paprika, and Worcester), but it has been sort of fun and interesting to try different kinds. Last year there was a seasonal goats cheese and thyme flavor by Tyrrell's, which I loved. I think that Walker's has the most popular varieties (at least that's my impression), but we do also have Lay's and Pringles here. Also a small selection of Doritos, though Cool Ranch is known as Cool Original (due to the fact that ranch is not a UK institution like it is back home).

There's a brief and lighthearted overview of my experience with potato chips in England. Lily might be disappointed not to find Walker's Cheese and Onion crisps in the Midwest, but I'm sure she'll be willing to try new kinds. 😊