Thai chips not bland and boring enough for Americans (VIDEO)
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- Maybe if they had more than five points of reference, Americans could discuss flavor without comparisons to “Lunchables,” “Fruit Loops” and “farts.”

In a video series featuring young Americans stepping out of their comfort zone of pizza and chicken wings, Buzzfeed staffers sample exotic “Thai chips” in the latest episode posted Thursday.

“Thai chips” being in quotation marks because they’re the flavor-glocalized creations of a U.S.-based snack company owned by PepsiCo.

The video shows six Americans trying Lay’s products from Thailand including Seaweed, Cream-cheese Salmon, Hot Chili Squid, and Miang Kham-flavored chips.

And the result is what you expect from 20-something Americans who pride themselves on never traveling anywhere not prefixed with “Six Flags.” (Sorry, those 24 hours in Tijuana don’t count.)

"I wouldn't buy it with my hard-earned cash," some American girl with bad hair says of the seaweed chips. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co//2014/11/03/thai-chips-not-bland-and-boring-enough-americans-video

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-11-03

That "news" story was a bunch of idiotic American bashing. I know supposed to be funny, but based on total ignorance of the author. Today's Americans love spicy food and challenging flavors. Hot and spicy Mexican salsa and "Thai/Viet" Sricracha sauce in, ketchup out. They are going on very dated stereotypes that haven't been true for decades. Even the headline is messed up. The taster complained one of the chips was TOO BLAND, not bland and boring enough.

As far as international travel, did you know you can easily get much better Vietnamese food in the USA than in Thailand? Odd considering if you look at a map. Americans are NOT provincial eaters. THAIS on the other hand ...

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by Jingthing

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

"Today's Americans love spicy food and challenging flavors."

So it's working at last! Keep it up guys and we'll make real people out of these Americans yet.

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

Yep. You always have bastardised the English language .. aluminium is a case in point :-D

They are crisps. These are chips :-D

Also America SHOULD have better Vietnamese food .. you have more Vietnamese people living in the USA than Thailand!

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by casualbiker

The spin on this story is contradicted by the winner of the Lays 2014 contest for selecting the new chip flavor. This year's winner, wasabi ginger. https://www.dousaflavor.com/ Lays Thailand makes awful chips by the way. The flavors are OK but the chips are terrible.

"Today's Americans love spicy food and challenging flavors."

So it's working at last! Keep it up guys and we'll make real people out of these Americans yet.

Ha ha.

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

That's because so many grow up with a great variety of quality INTERNATIONAL flavors it being a country of immigrants.

I would include Canadians with that.

That makes for a different palate than less multicultural countries.

American tastes of course are always evolving:

Recently, the general public, especially younger people in the cities, have begun to embrace strong flavors previously thought of as icky, like bitterness, fermentation, funk, fat and umami, which are now all prized flavors.

http://www.theawl.com/2014/10/eat-spinach-not-kale

Really the author of this piece doesn't have the tiniest clue about American food culture. You know, I don't mind criticism of the U.S. when it is based on reality. But that article is based on ignorance.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by Jingthing

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

Yep. You always have bastardised the English language .. aluminium is a case in point :-D

They are crisps. These are chips :-D

Also America SHOULD have better Vietnamese food .. you have more Vietnamese people living in the USA than Thailand!

Better Chinese food as well.

Better Malaysian food as well.

Better Burmese food as well.

Better Cambodian food as well.

Better Indian food as well.

etc., etc.

What do Thais like beyond Thai?

Fake Japanese food.

Fake Italian food.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by Jingthing

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

I almost choked on my gway dio when I read that!

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Are the people in the video NOT American???

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

Yep. You always have bastardised the English language .. aluminium is a case in point :-D

They are crisps. These are chips :-D

Also America SHOULD have better Vietnamese food .. you have more Vietnamese people living in the USA than Thailand!

Let a Dutch uncle tell you that the OP is on 'chips', we Dutch call them thus. The stuff in the basket looks like "french fries" (aka patates frites = fried potatoes) rather than English chips as they don't seem thick enough

PS WIKI pages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_chip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fries

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by rubl

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

Yep. You always have bastardised the English language .. aluminium is a case in point :-D

They are crisps. These are chips :-D

Also America SHOULD have better Vietnamese food .. you have more Vietnamese people living in the USA than Thailand!

Those are fries in the picture, not chips.

America has some really good Vietnamese food and lots of it. You know not of what you speak.

An opinion from anyone that eats a full English breakfast is useless.

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

I almost choked on my gway dio when I read that!

When was the last time you ate around a major American city with a local American "foodie" guide to tell you where to go, what to order? My guess: NEVER.

Some U.S. cities are up there with the top destinations in the world for culinary based travel.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by Jingthing

Here's a cute ad from a country where they like chips on a plate and not out of a packet.

Potato Chips or crisps, French Fries or Chips who cares, it's personal taste that counts.

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

I almost choked on my gway dio when I read that!

When was the last time you ate around a major American city with a local American "foodie" guide to tell you where to go, what to order? My guess: NEVER.

How could he the ONLY reputable Foodie guide lives in Pattaya. When you going home next???

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Are the people in the video NOT American???

Only an idiot would think that a few douche bags in a video represent all American. No more representative of all Americans than Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are of all English people, or are they?

I'm curious how someone can be a member for 11 months and you posted more than 3000 comments. That's 275 a day and not much that was useful.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by aguy30

These are not chips, they are crisps.

A lesson to my dearest Americans, by a Greek.

Wrong. In the U.S., they are chips. Get a grip ... different countries, different usage.

Yep. You always have bastardised the English language .. aluminium is a case in point :-D

They are crisps. These are chips :-D

Also America SHOULD have better Vietnamese food .. you have more Vietnamese people living in the USA than Thailand!

Let a Dutch uncle tell you that the OP is on 'chips', we Dutch call them thus. The stuff in the basket looks like "french fries" (aka patates frites = fried potatoes) rather than English chips as they don't seem thick enough

PS WIKI pages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potato_chip

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_fries

Can I have a second opinion from a Belgian.

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Are the people in the video NOT American???

Only an idiot would think that a few douche bags in a video represent all American. No more representative of all Americans than Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are of all English people, or are they?

I'm curious how someone can be a member for 11 months and you posted more than 3000 comments. That's 275 a day and not much that was useful.

So their NOT American? Ok thanks for clearing that up.

As for the post count. I sometimes have conversations with other posters. Strange huh!

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by casualbiker

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Are the people in the video NOT American???

Only an idiot would think that a few douche bags in a video represent all American. No more representative of all Americans than Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are of all English people, or are they?

I'm curious how someone can be a member for 11 months and you posted more than 3000 comments. That's 275 a day and not much that was useful.

Hope you are not representative for all Americans when it comes to math!!

From Alaska by any chance??

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by JOC

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

JT, I am 100% sure that you have a very sophisticated palette. But judging from the attitude of hundreds of US citizens from all walks of life who have ate at my hotels over the past 10 years, I have zero confidence that your statement above is anywhere near the truth.

The USA sure has plenty of excellent restaurants, but that doesn't mean the diners have sophisticated palettes...

BTW, I'm not saying that the Brits have sophisticated palettes, (I don't think they do). But when I was in New York last time, (granted a few years ago), I was 'knocked' off the 'sidewalk'; by the girth of the average American.

Did they get that fat as a result of their sophisticated palette???

Makes perfect sense that Yaya is on the chips with cheese.

I believe that many of the people that often put down American have never been to America. Just talking out their "sun don't shine" place.

Surprising that no one has said anything about the douche bag people in the video. Who cares what they think?

Are the people in the video NOT American???

Only an idiot would think that a few douche bags in a video represent all American. No more representative of all Americans than Mr. Bean and Benny Hill are of all English people, or are they?

I'm curious how someone can be a member for 11 months and you posted more than 3000 comments. That's 275 a day and not much that was useful.

So their NOT American? Ok thanks for clearing that up.

As for the post count. I sometimes have conversations with other posters. Strange huh!

You're too kind with him.

Myself I would have averaged 11 months into 330 days and do a mental calculation of 3000/330 coming to a result of approximately 9.090909 post per day. But then, I'm known to be nasty at times

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by rubl

Americans have some of the most sophisticated palates on the planet.

JT, I am 100% sure that you have a very sophisticated palette. But judging from the attitude of hundreds of US citizens from all walks of life who have ate at my hotels over the past 10 years, I have zero confidence that your statement above is anywhere near the truth.

The USA sure has plenty of excellent restaurants, but that doesn't mean the diners have sophisticated palettes...

BTW, I'm not saying that the Brits have sophisticated palettes, (I don't think they do). But when I was in New York last time, (granted a few years ago), I was 'knocked' off the 'sidewalk'; by the girth of the average American.

Did they get that fat as a result of their sophisticated palette???

If you think New Yorkers are fat, go to Texas!! Houston especially!! America has by far the fattest people. Fact.

Best explanation of the crisps or chips debate.

http://www.propercrisps.co.nz/2009/01/the-origin-of-potato-crisps/

They were called crisped chips, the Brits shortened it one way and the Americans the other (the one that was easier to spell )

All these new flavours of crisps.yes they are crisps,

are made in laboratories from who knows what chemicals,

with far too much salt on them,for my liking,they need to go

back to the little blue bags of salt in every bag.

regards Worgeordie

These Thai companies have a real cheek

1. They blow the bag up with air so you cannot tell what is actually inside

2. When you open the bag (not an easy task) and look inside it is 90% empty

3. The flavours aren't that bad.

But seriously they are the biggest rip off in this country - a bag full of air for 30-40 baht..........never again

Some grammar and language police nonsense posts and replies have been removed.

All these new flavours of crisps.yes they are crisps,

are made in laboratories from who knows what chemicals,

with far too much salt on them,for my liking,they need to go

back to the little blue bags of salt in every bag.

regards Worgeordie

Remember in the cinema , bag of crisps munching away until you realized you were chewing that blue salt bag...555555 ha . In England at the time I think the company was Smiths. Good really because they gave you the option of salting or not.

Edited November 3, 201411 yr by ginjag