My mother loved to watch sports. Especially golf. She knew all the players, was a member of Arnie's Army, but only warmed up to Nicklaus when he won a major in his forties, old people cheer on old people. And when we were on the phone today, I told her I was going to watch the Belmont Stakes.
Not that I'm a fan of horse racing. I've only been to the track once.
But I'm a fan of dominance. To see those triumph again and again and again. It's lonely at the top, it's hard to be king, although as Tom Petty sang when he was channeling Mel Brooks, it's good too!
But I didn't want to view all the pomp and circumstance. I just wanted to see the race. To find out whether Justify could capture the Triple Crown. But when I turned on the TV at the appointed hour, I saw the east coast.
We don't have days like this in Los Angeles. Grey. Cloudy. Threatening rain. Humid as hell. It's an east coast thing. And watching Belmont Park, I yearned to be there. That's the conundrum, you leave your past behind, but you never forget it, old girlfriends, old haunts, you want to go back, but it's better to do so in your mind.
And this is a day when the spotlight shines on horse racing and its minions. Normally, they're second-class citizens, but today... Justify's trainer was there in his blue jacket. The grass was green and lush. And the horses...
Were the star attraction.
None seemed as big as Secretariat. Some actually seemed damn small. But they emerged from the paddock and the tension began to build, this was sports.
Sports, irrelevant but everything. Self-contained. With a definitive winner. A metaphor for life, as Bob Costas, the host here, once said. You think you're over the races and games, you think you don't care, and then you're brought right back, it's in your blood.
And as the horses are wandering to the gate, I'm thinking about the Warriors, how they got cheated two years ago, how they should have won that series, if one of their stars hadn't been banished from a game. And then they would have won four straight, what an accomplishment that would have been.
And I'm thinking of the last time I watched the Belmont Stakes, when a horse was up for the Triple Crown, he didn't make it. Because it's hard to make it. It's a mighty long road just to be included, to be on the track, to win?
And Justify's jockey is 52 years old, I'm rooting for him like my mother rooted for Nicklaus.
And I read in the "Times" that he's on the pole, and this is harder.
And I've got nothing on the line, I'm not a betting man, my money means too much to me, and then...
THEY'RE OFF!
And Justify pulls into the lead. Can he keep it?
This is the longest race, this is the one wherein horses run out of gas.
And Gronkowski is an also-ran, but he's pulling up, but as they approach the checkered flag...
Justify sustains, he holds on HE WINS!
I was not there, but I saw it. My adrenaline was pumping. I felt I could will Justify on, like my innards were commingled with his. Like we shared the same brain, I was saying, run, run RUN!
And now...
Euphoria.
Does the horse know he's won?
That's what Felice asked, I don't think so, but I don't know.
But the feeling that went through Mike Smith the jockey, that was one I was familiar with. It's uncommon, but when you experience it... A triumph. Based upon hard work, years of practice when no one was paying attention. Sure, the feeling will fade, but for now...it doesn't even matter that the whole world is watching, because you're at the center of the universe, you're at one with God.
You're a champion.
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Saturday, 9 June 2018
Friday, 8 June 2018
Howard Stern On Letterman On Netflix
Netflix is a club.
Just like Howard Stern's radio show. Occasionally Howard makes news, mostly while interviewing celebrities, the gossip columns go wild, but mostly if you don't listen, you've got no idea what's going on.
But those who do...
Kind of like Netflix.
Now some news outlets noted that Howard's appearance was going live last week. But I saw no reviews. It wasn't deemed NEWS! That's right, despite all the hype about the internet, the Long Tail, the major and the minor, the truth is something different. We've returned to the sixties. There's a burgeoning underground, even though those in control of the major media outlets deny this.
Kind of like network television. Kind of like Fox. Kind of like Disney.
If you read the so-called news outlets, Howard Stern's radio show doesn't exist. And despite the appearance of Obama on Letterman's Netflix debut, the follow-up episodes had no fallout in the culture.
Unless you were a member of the club.
Now pay attention here. This is very important. This is the now, this is the FUTURE!
The MTV generation, the monoculture paradigm, existed for so long, dominated for so long, that most still see the world through that lens. But that's over.
You can see this in politics. Where not only do we have different opinions, they're fed to us by different news outlets, most people don't even cross sides to see what the others think. Why should it be any different in entertainment?
What its competitors don't realize is Netflix has established a clubhouse. No different from the one in "The Little Rascals." You watched that show, right? You had a crush on Darla, Miss Crabtree, you loved Spanky and Alfalfa, BUT IT WAS A KID THING! Kinda like Nickelodeon, kinda like MTV itself, but now EVERYTHING'S A KID THING!
We're not even reacting to the mainstream, we're just going our own way.
So my car is in the shop, and I cannot listen to Howard, the loaner doesn't have Sirius. So I'm listening to terrestrial radio, the non-comm stations, you can't listen to the for profit ones, they're too jive, there are too many commercials, but as you listen to KCRW and KCSN you realize they have communities. So when I go to a show and wonder how everybody found out, the manager or the promoter says PUBLIC RADIO!
But I'm out of the loop. I don't have time. I've got to listen to Howard. I feel part of that club.
And I lament that I have less time to listen to music, but Howard has hooked me, and millions more.
So the movie business is dominated by Marvel movies, superheroes. But the truth is there's a huge swath of the public who will never ever go to see one. Reading the news reports would have you believe otherwise, but it's just like hip-hop. Hip-hop is the biggest musical genre, but no one forces you to listen to it, most people have never even heard Kanye West, EVER!
Once again, the news media tells us otherwise.
But the news media doesn't like this. Because the news media believes if they don't report on it, it didn't happen. But what we've realized in the past ten years is oftentimes stories are broken online.
Now, forget about alternative news sources. Real news costs money. So we've got clickbait and gossip. But the truth is even that doesn't get much attention, we're all down in our little niches.
So I feel proud when I watch some show on Netflix, the same way I felt proud watching W.C. Fields films back in the sixties. They weren't for everybody, just a few of us, and we felt good being a member of the club.
Appealing to everybody is death. That's how network television got into this problem.
So if you're playing for world domination... There's no world to dominate, there's no one place everybody's paying attention. You've got to realize your audience is limited. And you must either build your own club or join another. If you're on Howard Stern, you're a star in his hemisphere, you're a made man or woman. If you're on "Stranger Things" or even...
But the media is slow to everything on Netflix. They didn't realize "Stranger Things" was a phenomenon, they had to wait until parents reacted to "13 Reasons Why" to weigh in. And Netflix didn't blink, because it has to be true to its audience, not some judge and jury outside the paywall.
Sure, HBO gets ink, but when it comes to Amazon and Hulu and Netflix...
Same deal with music. Just look at the festivals. Most of them ARE NOT hip-hop dominated, even though some of the big ones are. Proving the audience wants more.
Also, the festivals have become bigger than the acts, they're clubs in their own right. Coachella sustains, the acts come and go. And the experience is similar no matter who plies the boards.
So you're waiting for acknowledgement, you're waiting for approval, you're waiting for some committee to anoint you, most often the mainstream media.
But you've already made it.
And those playing the publicity game, the hype game, spamming, fall flat on their face. In a narrow, monoculture world we all pay attention to the few morsels that come our way. In an infinite world, we ignore them, or view them like a drive-by car wreck, interesting for a second, but they don't stick with us.
P.S. If you're a Stern fan, you won't learn much new here, because Howard is so honest on his show. Which is a good thing, which is what made him. Although to see him visually imitate his parents is priceless.
P.P.S. Be sure to stay to the end, when Letterman goes to Utah to explore the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which Trump eviscerated protection of. Letterman's taking a stand, one view of the landscape will close you, but chances are you were closed already. This is the echo chamber. But Letterman is now more honest, he even uses the F-word, you're bonded to him in a way you never were before, he may be playing to fewer people, but he has more impact. And he realizes the old game is dead. SNL gets all the ink, but it's a circle jerk for the New York media elite. And the show's main problem, other than rarely being funny, is that we no longer share the same reference points, we don't get the jokes because we don't know the backstory, we're all deep into our own clubs. This is the way it is now.
P.P.P.S. Netflix recently added a bonus episode of Seinfeld interviewing Letterman, recorded live at Raleigh Studios, which I attended and wrote about here: https://bit.ly/2sIurA5 I have not seen a single article about the availability of this show in big time media, never mind a review, you've got to be a Netflix subscriber and a Letterman fan to find it, AND IT'S WORTH IT! But even more, it proves my point...you're either a member of the club or you're not. And FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is so last decade, nobody can see, watch and experience everything. You've made your choices, you're open to new things, but you're already overbooked so it's hard for new things to break through. Which is why if you're a producer, it's best to be a member of a club.
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Just like Howard Stern's radio show. Occasionally Howard makes news, mostly while interviewing celebrities, the gossip columns go wild, but mostly if you don't listen, you've got no idea what's going on.
But those who do...
Kind of like Netflix.
Now some news outlets noted that Howard's appearance was going live last week. But I saw no reviews. It wasn't deemed NEWS! That's right, despite all the hype about the internet, the Long Tail, the major and the minor, the truth is something different. We've returned to the sixties. There's a burgeoning underground, even though those in control of the major media outlets deny this.
Kind of like network television. Kind of like Fox. Kind of like Disney.
If you read the so-called news outlets, Howard Stern's radio show doesn't exist. And despite the appearance of Obama on Letterman's Netflix debut, the follow-up episodes had no fallout in the culture.
Unless you were a member of the club.
Now pay attention here. This is very important. This is the now, this is the FUTURE!
The MTV generation, the monoculture paradigm, existed for so long, dominated for so long, that most still see the world through that lens. But that's over.
You can see this in politics. Where not only do we have different opinions, they're fed to us by different news outlets, most people don't even cross sides to see what the others think. Why should it be any different in entertainment?
What its competitors don't realize is Netflix has established a clubhouse. No different from the one in "The Little Rascals." You watched that show, right? You had a crush on Darla, Miss Crabtree, you loved Spanky and Alfalfa, BUT IT WAS A KID THING! Kinda like Nickelodeon, kinda like MTV itself, but now EVERYTHING'S A KID THING!
We're not even reacting to the mainstream, we're just going our own way.
So my car is in the shop, and I cannot listen to Howard, the loaner doesn't have Sirius. So I'm listening to terrestrial radio, the non-comm stations, you can't listen to the for profit ones, they're too jive, there are too many commercials, but as you listen to KCRW and KCSN you realize they have communities. So when I go to a show and wonder how everybody found out, the manager or the promoter says PUBLIC RADIO!
But I'm out of the loop. I don't have time. I've got to listen to Howard. I feel part of that club.
And I lament that I have less time to listen to music, but Howard has hooked me, and millions more.
So the movie business is dominated by Marvel movies, superheroes. But the truth is there's a huge swath of the public who will never ever go to see one. Reading the news reports would have you believe otherwise, but it's just like hip-hop. Hip-hop is the biggest musical genre, but no one forces you to listen to it, most people have never even heard Kanye West, EVER!
Once again, the news media tells us otherwise.
But the news media doesn't like this. Because the news media believes if they don't report on it, it didn't happen. But what we've realized in the past ten years is oftentimes stories are broken online.
Now, forget about alternative news sources. Real news costs money. So we've got clickbait and gossip. But the truth is even that doesn't get much attention, we're all down in our little niches.
So I feel proud when I watch some show on Netflix, the same way I felt proud watching W.C. Fields films back in the sixties. They weren't for everybody, just a few of us, and we felt good being a member of the club.
Appealing to everybody is death. That's how network television got into this problem.
So if you're playing for world domination... There's no world to dominate, there's no one place everybody's paying attention. You've got to realize your audience is limited. And you must either build your own club or join another. If you're on Howard Stern, you're a star in his hemisphere, you're a made man or woman. If you're on "Stranger Things" or even...
But the media is slow to everything on Netflix. They didn't realize "Stranger Things" was a phenomenon, they had to wait until parents reacted to "13 Reasons Why" to weigh in. And Netflix didn't blink, because it has to be true to its audience, not some judge and jury outside the paywall.
Sure, HBO gets ink, but when it comes to Amazon and Hulu and Netflix...
Same deal with music. Just look at the festivals. Most of them ARE NOT hip-hop dominated, even though some of the big ones are. Proving the audience wants more.
Also, the festivals have become bigger than the acts, they're clubs in their own right. Coachella sustains, the acts come and go. And the experience is similar no matter who plies the boards.
So you're waiting for acknowledgement, you're waiting for approval, you're waiting for some committee to anoint you, most often the mainstream media.
But you've already made it.
And those playing the publicity game, the hype game, spamming, fall flat on their face. In a narrow, monoculture world we all pay attention to the few morsels that come our way. In an infinite world, we ignore them, or view them like a drive-by car wreck, interesting for a second, but they don't stick with us.
P.S. If you're a Stern fan, you won't learn much new here, because Howard is so honest on his show. Which is a good thing, which is what made him. Although to see him visually imitate his parents is priceless.
P.P.S. Be sure to stay to the end, when Letterman goes to Utah to explore the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, which Trump eviscerated protection of. Letterman's taking a stand, one view of the landscape will close you, but chances are you were closed already. This is the echo chamber. But Letterman is now more honest, he even uses the F-word, you're bonded to him in a way you never were before, he may be playing to fewer people, but he has more impact. And he realizes the old game is dead. SNL gets all the ink, but it's a circle jerk for the New York media elite. And the show's main problem, other than rarely being funny, is that we no longer share the same reference points, we don't get the jokes because we don't know the backstory, we're all deep into our own clubs. This is the way it is now.
P.P.P.S. Netflix recently added a bonus episode of Seinfeld interviewing Letterman, recorded live at Raleigh Studios, which I attended and wrote about here: https://bit.ly/2sIurA5 I have not seen a single article about the availability of this show in big time media, never mind a review, you've got to be a Netflix subscriber and a Letterman fan to find it, AND IT'S WORTH IT! But even more, it proves my point...you're either a member of the club or you're not. And FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) is so last decade, nobody can see, watch and experience everything. You've made your choices, you're open to new things, but you're already overbooked so it's hard for new things to break through. Which is why if you're a producer, it's best to be a member of a club.
--
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Thursday, 7 June 2018
I Wanna Be Your Lover
https://spoti.fi/2JoDfkJ
Prince didn't live up to the hype.
Supposedly he was 16 or 17, certainly under twenty, and recorded all the instruments himself and produced too, we were unimpressed. McCartney had performed this trick almost a decade previously, sans the age, and the wizard, the true star known as Todd Rundgren, specialized in doing the hat trick, writing, performing and producing, this seemed like a gimmick.
Kinda like today. When kids who haven't reached puberty are promoted as the next big thing. They haven't lived yet, where's the experience, never mind the talent?
So Prince's initial album, sold to the rock market, didn't. Yes, Prince was on Warner Brothers, known for white music, not black. He got press in "Rolling Stone." And he had no impact, until...
It was 1979. Death to Disco time. If you could dance to it, rockers wanted nothing to do with it, there'd been too much Bee Gees, too much white suits, too much of everything rockers hated. This was before the Ramones became a cultural institution, their backlash didn't permeate beyond New York City and London. This was before Blondie broke through. This was before MTV. This was just as the music business crashed.
But suddenly Prince had a hit on black radio, with a track known as "I Wanna Be Your Lover," which most white people never heard, since it made not a dent on AOR. As a matter of fact, it was years before Prince truly got traction in the white world. "Dirty Mind" made minor inroads, and then with "Controversy" he opened for the Stones and was booed off the stage. Musicians are ahead culturally, although retarded when it comes to business.
Anyway, my car is in the shop. Long story, don't ask.
And they gave me a loaner.
With no Sirius and a standard sound system. The sound is tinny. The stations bogus. And I'm surfing the dial until I come to Jason Bentley and "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW. And he's right in the middle of the new single by Bob Moses, "Heaven Only Knows," which resonates immediately.
It doesn't even have a million streams on Spotify, it's got even fewer on YouTube, but if you're the target audience, you'll get it.
But who's the target audience?
This is the modern world, Kanye sucks all the air out of pressdom, and if you're not a rapper, you get no notice. Unless you're an obscure, flavor of the moment, which print gives attention to to seem hip. But those acts plowing ahead with careers, under the radar, are ignored.
Like Bob Moses.
But KCRW has acolytes. These bands sell tickets in Los Angeles. There's a subculture, if not an industry.
And I'm contemplating all this as I drive to Santa Monica, where it's not yet summer. That's right, it's a hundred degrees in Texas, kids are out of school, but it might as well be the beginning of spring out here, dark and cloudy. And I stop at 365 to stock up on provisions and when I emanate and turn on the radio in the Crosstrek, I hear...
"I Wanna Be Your Lover."
"I ain't got no money
I ain't like those other guys you hang around"
But it's the riff that engages me, that hooks me. What is that, a guitar? It's completely different from what the rockers were employing at the time, but it's the same instrument. And the repeated riff is nearly as strong as the one in "Smoke On The Water," and it keeps repeating, until you get to the subtle bridge and then the chorus.
"I want to be the only one you come for"
We listened to Frank Zappa records to hear this scatological stuff, to hear limits tested, but you could get away with this in the world of R&B, of urban radio, when all the attention was not pointed at it, before MTV, before Michael Jackson truly crossed over.
"It's kinda funny
But they always seem to let you down"
This is a theme in Prince's music, the man who makes it on PERSONALITY! And art. He ain't got money, he can't compete with the usual suspects, trading on their cars and their cash, but if you give him the time of day, he'll give you the ride of your life.
That's right, musicians always wanted to make money, but they used to know they were the other, far from the mainstream, and if you dug their act, you couldn't get it anywhere else.
"There ain't no other
That can do the things I'll do to you"
Confidence. Today's acts beg you for attention. But Prince believed if you just turned your head, had a look, went on the trip, there'd be no challenge, no other, it would only be HIM!
"And I get discouraged
'Cause you treat me just like a child
And they say I'm so shy, yeah
But with you I just go wild, ooo, ooo, ooo"
This is the fantasy, as you lie in your bed, wondering why you're not popular, why you can't get a date. The foundation of music used to be the outsiders, the football captain, the homecoming queen, got no traction, it was the oddballs who led in this sphere. And they believed, if they only got a chance, they'd win.
"I don't want to pressure you baby, no"
He's just laying it all out. It's almost subtle. But the track is irresistible.
And I'm sitting there parked, as the sun comes out, and I cannot turn "I Wanna Be Your Lover" off. I'm thinking what a loss Prince was. He was one of the few who could still surprise us, who still might make us notice, who still might have a hit. He didn't chase trends, he might embrace them now and again, but he was always just a bit off center, doing his own thing, and we never stopped paying attention.
We still are.
Bob Moses "Heaven Only Knows": https://spoti.fi/2kRPVpI
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Prince didn't live up to the hype.
Supposedly he was 16 or 17, certainly under twenty, and recorded all the instruments himself and produced too, we were unimpressed. McCartney had performed this trick almost a decade previously, sans the age, and the wizard, the true star known as Todd Rundgren, specialized in doing the hat trick, writing, performing and producing, this seemed like a gimmick.
Kinda like today. When kids who haven't reached puberty are promoted as the next big thing. They haven't lived yet, where's the experience, never mind the talent?
So Prince's initial album, sold to the rock market, didn't. Yes, Prince was on Warner Brothers, known for white music, not black. He got press in "Rolling Stone." And he had no impact, until...
It was 1979. Death to Disco time. If you could dance to it, rockers wanted nothing to do with it, there'd been too much Bee Gees, too much white suits, too much of everything rockers hated. This was before the Ramones became a cultural institution, their backlash didn't permeate beyond New York City and London. This was before Blondie broke through. This was before MTV. This was just as the music business crashed.
But suddenly Prince had a hit on black radio, with a track known as "I Wanna Be Your Lover," which most white people never heard, since it made not a dent on AOR. As a matter of fact, it was years before Prince truly got traction in the white world. "Dirty Mind" made minor inroads, and then with "Controversy" he opened for the Stones and was booed off the stage. Musicians are ahead culturally, although retarded when it comes to business.
Anyway, my car is in the shop. Long story, don't ask.
And they gave me a loaner.
With no Sirius and a standard sound system. The sound is tinny. The stations bogus. And I'm surfing the dial until I come to Jason Bentley and "Morning Becomes Eclectic" on KCRW. And he's right in the middle of the new single by Bob Moses, "Heaven Only Knows," which resonates immediately.
It doesn't even have a million streams on Spotify, it's got even fewer on YouTube, but if you're the target audience, you'll get it.
But who's the target audience?
This is the modern world, Kanye sucks all the air out of pressdom, and if you're not a rapper, you get no notice. Unless you're an obscure, flavor of the moment, which print gives attention to to seem hip. But those acts plowing ahead with careers, under the radar, are ignored.
Like Bob Moses.
But KCRW has acolytes. These bands sell tickets in Los Angeles. There's a subculture, if not an industry.
And I'm contemplating all this as I drive to Santa Monica, where it's not yet summer. That's right, it's a hundred degrees in Texas, kids are out of school, but it might as well be the beginning of spring out here, dark and cloudy. And I stop at 365 to stock up on provisions and when I emanate and turn on the radio in the Crosstrek, I hear...
"I Wanna Be Your Lover."
"I ain't got no money
I ain't like those other guys you hang around"
But it's the riff that engages me, that hooks me. What is that, a guitar? It's completely different from what the rockers were employing at the time, but it's the same instrument. And the repeated riff is nearly as strong as the one in "Smoke On The Water," and it keeps repeating, until you get to the subtle bridge and then the chorus.
"I want to be the only one you come for"
We listened to Frank Zappa records to hear this scatological stuff, to hear limits tested, but you could get away with this in the world of R&B, of urban radio, when all the attention was not pointed at it, before MTV, before Michael Jackson truly crossed over.
"It's kinda funny
But they always seem to let you down"
This is a theme in Prince's music, the man who makes it on PERSONALITY! And art. He ain't got money, he can't compete with the usual suspects, trading on their cars and their cash, but if you give him the time of day, he'll give you the ride of your life.
That's right, musicians always wanted to make money, but they used to know they were the other, far from the mainstream, and if you dug their act, you couldn't get it anywhere else.
"There ain't no other
That can do the things I'll do to you"
Confidence. Today's acts beg you for attention. But Prince believed if you just turned your head, had a look, went on the trip, there'd be no challenge, no other, it would only be HIM!
"And I get discouraged
'Cause you treat me just like a child
And they say I'm so shy, yeah
But with you I just go wild, ooo, ooo, ooo"
This is the fantasy, as you lie in your bed, wondering why you're not popular, why you can't get a date. The foundation of music used to be the outsiders, the football captain, the homecoming queen, got no traction, it was the oddballs who led in this sphere. And they believed, if they only got a chance, they'd win.
"I don't want to pressure you baby, no"
He's just laying it all out. It's almost subtle. But the track is irresistible.
And I'm sitting there parked, as the sun comes out, and I cannot turn "I Wanna Be Your Lover" off. I'm thinking what a loss Prince was. He was one of the few who could still surprise us, who still might make us notice, who still might have a hit. He didn't chase trends, he might embrace them now and again, but he was always just a bit off center, doing his own thing, and we never stopped paying attention.
We still are.
Bob Moses "Heaven Only Knows": https://spoti.fi/2kRPVpI
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Wednesday, 6 June 2018
WWDC
https://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2018/
It was a nerdfest.
The gold rush is over, tech is commonplace, the big companies won, you're a user, not an early-adopter, and maybe you use Apple products.
Or maybe you don't.
It's the theme of our nation. The haves and the have-nots. It runs through politics and education and tech. Can you afford a Mac? Do you want to spend that much? Can you afford a BMW? Do you want to spend that much?
And if you lease your cars, you know that there's an advantage to staying with one brand, they overlook mileage overages, they give you a good deal, they call this RETENTION!
And that's what Apple is now all about.
And software.
Shiny gadgets are done. And Americans just cannot get over this. In a consumer society, they want to buy something they can show off, say they have, ergo the iPhone upgrade mania, you wanted to be branded by what you possessed. But now only the most sophisticated watchers, those who viewed this presentation, can tell the difference. Now it's all about what your gadgets can DO!
And what they can now do is an incremental advancement, not revolutionary.
Memojis. Sounds bogus until you watch it demonstrated. Apple makes it easy to create an image of yourself.
Walkie Talkie. It's almost enough of an innovation to make you get an Apple Watch, and force all of those close to you to do so too.
But you need cellular service for it. That's right, you've got to pay, and most won't, because they can't afford it, or won't spend for it.
Now you might be an Android person, you might worship at the feet of Google, which is a mighty impressive company. Then again, Apple doesn't exclude Google or Facebook or Amazon or Microsoft, it plays with all of them. So the issue is, if you're not in the Apple universe, you cannot partake of little features the Apple people can. Like iMessage, which acknowledges delivery. Now I don't want to get into a debate of which platform is better, all I'm going to say is we've entered an era of tech Balkanization, which reflects our country at large. You're in one camp or the other, and to a great degree both camps look down on each other.
The music business runs on Apple. It's rare that you see someone with an Android device.
The rest of the world, outside the U.S., is dominated by Android.
And they ain't gonna merge.
Apple people are not leaving, they're too tied up in the system. And most Google people are tied into that company's wares. And then there are those so poor they go for the cheapest option, which is Android.
Now I'm not writing this for the zealots, who will point out that this is a developer conference, and not for the general public. And I'll retort that devices have been introduced at previous WWDCs. And there we have the argument with no resolution. There we have America in a nutshell. Opposing viewpoints, with both sides having contempt for each other.
But if you are not a zealot...
Chances are your life will be easier if you go all Mac. And if you've got an iPhone and a PC, you're missing out. Tight integration of Apple devices yields bonuses, like the synching of Messages via iCloud recently announced.
And if you're waiting for the new iPhones in the fall, you're missing the point. The point is the power, your devices are tools. What can you do with them?
You're on your own. You've got to figure it out yourself. But so many people can.
And you want a device that can harness these software features. iOS 12 will work with devices back to the 5S, but if you've got one of those, you've got a screen so small with a chip so slow you can't do much. Ditto the Mac.
So where we are now is the software era. "Consumer Reports" criticizes Tesla for long stopping distances with the Model 3 and Tesla writes new code and pushes it out over the air to update cars in the field so they stop faster. Yup, this is how you do it.
Your iPhone and Mac are updated constantly.
Your Android operating system is not, or to be more clear, it's difficult to update your Android phone.
And now I'm devolving into geekdom.
But the point is a door has closed, a window too.
Used to be you lived for tech, it was a pursuit, you purchased new devices to catch up.
Now tech is de rigueur. Startups can't start, the behemoths won't let them, or will buy them. It's kinda like television... Once everybody had one, once the cool factor was over, the question became...WHAT'S ON?
Of course we ended up with color and the Trinitron and the flat screen, but it was less about hardware than software, the shows.
And we're in that tech era now.
So, the geeks get it. They go into tech to fulfill an inner dream, to play in that sandbox more than to get rich.
And the rest of us don't speak their language but benefit from the fruits of their labor.
But their tools are empowering.
What can you do with them? What WILL you do with them?
It's personal and it's artistic. What power will you extract from your phone, which you barely talk on and is really a computer.
What will you create with these tools. Everybody's building stuff, poorly, but for those who reach the pinnacle of artistic and scientific excellence, rewards still rain down.
But the mania is history
Now we're in our silos. Rich/poor. Democrat/Republican. Apple/Android. We're just arguing, complaining, when the truth is we can change the world if we just employ the tech tools delivered to us. The sexiness isn't the hardware, or even the software, but the PRODUCTION! The oohs and ahhs don't come from a new box, but the end result.
People, start your engines.
And chances are, unless you're a techie yourself, your journey will be easier on Apple devices.
P.S. Tim Cook handed most of the presentation to Craig Federighi, GOOD MOVE!
P.P.S. Many women demonstrated software, and quite well. Why is it that Apple got the #MeToo memo and the entertainment business is still struggling with it?
P.P.P.S. It's the little things that make the difference, like the automatic authorization with Apple TV. People rarely recorded with their VCRs, it was too difficult for them. But the DVR made it easy. Sure, you can use an app on your smart TV, but the authorization of apps is a stumbling block, Apple just took that block away.
P.P.P.P.S. The reality distortion field still exists. This presentation did not deliver huge breakthroughs, some can be done on other platforms, but never underestimate the power of sizzle and the ability to make computing easier. But you've got to pay for it.
--
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--
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It was a nerdfest.
The gold rush is over, tech is commonplace, the big companies won, you're a user, not an early-adopter, and maybe you use Apple products.
Or maybe you don't.
It's the theme of our nation. The haves and the have-nots. It runs through politics and education and tech. Can you afford a Mac? Do you want to spend that much? Can you afford a BMW? Do you want to spend that much?
And if you lease your cars, you know that there's an advantage to staying with one brand, they overlook mileage overages, they give you a good deal, they call this RETENTION!
And that's what Apple is now all about.
And software.
Shiny gadgets are done. And Americans just cannot get over this. In a consumer society, they want to buy something they can show off, say they have, ergo the iPhone upgrade mania, you wanted to be branded by what you possessed. But now only the most sophisticated watchers, those who viewed this presentation, can tell the difference. Now it's all about what your gadgets can DO!
And what they can now do is an incremental advancement, not revolutionary.
Memojis. Sounds bogus until you watch it demonstrated. Apple makes it easy to create an image of yourself.
Walkie Talkie. It's almost enough of an innovation to make you get an Apple Watch, and force all of those close to you to do so too.
But you need cellular service for it. That's right, you've got to pay, and most won't, because they can't afford it, or won't spend for it.
Now you might be an Android person, you might worship at the feet of Google, which is a mighty impressive company. Then again, Apple doesn't exclude Google or Facebook or Amazon or Microsoft, it plays with all of them. So the issue is, if you're not in the Apple universe, you cannot partake of little features the Apple people can. Like iMessage, which acknowledges delivery. Now I don't want to get into a debate of which platform is better, all I'm going to say is we've entered an era of tech Balkanization, which reflects our country at large. You're in one camp or the other, and to a great degree both camps look down on each other.
The music business runs on Apple. It's rare that you see someone with an Android device.
The rest of the world, outside the U.S., is dominated by Android.
And they ain't gonna merge.
Apple people are not leaving, they're too tied up in the system. And most Google people are tied into that company's wares. And then there are those so poor they go for the cheapest option, which is Android.
Now I'm not writing this for the zealots, who will point out that this is a developer conference, and not for the general public. And I'll retort that devices have been introduced at previous WWDCs. And there we have the argument with no resolution. There we have America in a nutshell. Opposing viewpoints, with both sides having contempt for each other.
But if you are not a zealot...
Chances are your life will be easier if you go all Mac. And if you've got an iPhone and a PC, you're missing out. Tight integration of Apple devices yields bonuses, like the synching of Messages via iCloud recently announced.
And if you're waiting for the new iPhones in the fall, you're missing the point. The point is the power, your devices are tools. What can you do with them?
You're on your own. You've got to figure it out yourself. But so many people can.
And you want a device that can harness these software features. iOS 12 will work with devices back to the 5S, but if you've got one of those, you've got a screen so small with a chip so slow you can't do much. Ditto the Mac.
So where we are now is the software era. "Consumer Reports" criticizes Tesla for long stopping distances with the Model 3 and Tesla writes new code and pushes it out over the air to update cars in the field so they stop faster. Yup, this is how you do it.
Your iPhone and Mac are updated constantly.
Your Android operating system is not, or to be more clear, it's difficult to update your Android phone.
And now I'm devolving into geekdom.
But the point is a door has closed, a window too.
Used to be you lived for tech, it was a pursuit, you purchased new devices to catch up.
Now tech is de rigueur. Startups can't start, the behemoths won't let them, or will buy them. It's kinda like television... Once everybody had one, once the cool factor was over, the question became...WHAT'S ON?
Of course we ended up with color and the Trinitron and the flat screen, but it was less about hardware than software, the shows.
And we're in that tech era now.
So, the geeks get it. They go into tech to fulfill an inner dream, to play in that sandbox more than to get rich.
And the rest of us don't speak their language but benefit from the fruits of their labor.
But their tools are empowering.
What can you do with them? What WILL you do with them?
It's personal and it's artistic. What power will you extract from your phone, which you barely talk on and is really a computer.
What will you create with these tools. Everybody's building stuff, poorly, but for those who reach the pinnacle of artistic and scientific excellence, rewards still rain down.
But the mania is history
Now we're in our silos. Rich/poor. Democrat/Republican. Apple/Android. We're just arguing, complaining, when the truth is we can change the world if we just employ the tech tools delivered to us. The sexiness isn't the hardware, or even the software, but the PRODUCTION! The oohs and ahhs don't come from a new box, but the end result.
People, start your engines.
And chances are, unless you're a techie yourself, your journey will be easier on Apple devices.
P.S. Tim Cook handed most of the presentation to Craig Federighi, GOOD MOVE!
P.P.S. Many women demonstrated software, and quite well. Why is it that Apple got the #MeToo memo and the entertainment business is still struggling with it?
P.P.P.S. It's the little things that make the difference, like the automatic authorization with Apple TV. People rarely recorded with their VCRs, it was too difficult for them. But the DVR made it easy. Sure, you can use an app on your smart TV, but the authorization of apps is a stumbling block, Apple just took that block away.
P.P.P.P.S. The reality distortion field still exists. This presentation did not deliver huge breakthroughs, some can be done on other platforms, but never underestimate the power of sizzle and the ability to make computing easier. But you've got to pay for it.
--
Visit the archive: http://lefsetz.com/wordpress/
--
http://www.twitter.com/lefsetz
--
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http://www.lefsetz.com/lists/?p=subscribe&id=1
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Tuesday, 5 June 2018
Final Potato Chips
Hey Bob —
The McKeons are lifelong, addicted chip experts, trained by our snack loving mother, Anna Mae. After decades of unending research, here's my carefully curated Top 5 for you.
Tim's Cascade Style from the Pacific Northwest are my #1 by mile and are (as the bag says) truly 'extra thick and extra crunchy', best washed down with a pint of Redhook. Maui Kitch'n Cooked are my #2, still small batch cooked on Maui, my veiled home for 7 years. Best accompanied by a pint of Kona Brewing Longboard Island Lager. Cape Cod Chips are #3. Oddly, Cape Cod's 40% Reduced Fat variety are just about as delish as their full fat original. These three brands all are somewhat similar in style - kettle cooked method, thicker, crispier, and hold up to dip beautifully without having to resort to ridges for tensile strength.
In my Hall of Fame category are Charles Chips, of course, which were delivered weekly to our house in Cleveland just in time for the weekend. By Monday, they were a memory till the next Friday delivery. the final choice is an old Michigan brand call Krun-chee. My brother Mike had a summer job delivering Krun-chee to taverns and small markets in Detroit in the early 70s. I was working at legendary, hard - rockin' WWWW-FM as APD and mid-day personality. Mikey would swing by every few days and mysteriously (not so) a large box of Krun-chee Chips products would 'fall' out the back of this delivery truck and the air-staff happily snacked till his next visit. Happy DJs played every request brother Mike had that summer, favoring Iggy Pop and Pink Floyd.
I'm with you. Best you finish the whole bag in one sitting. With a couple of brews. Wouldn't want them to go stale on us now would we?
Jim McKeon
PS/ I worked at Stroh's Ice Cream factory in Detroit during my college summers and can opine on that, too. But that's another column, another day. Be well.
________________________________
Do The Palm's cottage fries qualify as chips?
Deee-licious!
Tom Werman
________________________________
Wondering if you remember Connecticut potato chips, with the red,whitw, and blue bag. You are from Fairfield and these chips were the best. Oh yeah, my dad owned the company!!
Every religious group, scouting group and school groups visited the factory which was on the post road in Norwalk. They were in business until the late 60's
Love the blog
jeffry Steinberg
________________________________
Chips and snacks. In your mail bag about chips someone mentioned ring dings and devil dogs. My grandfather drove a Drake's truck for 40 years. Every other Sunday he would drive out to our home on Long Island from his in Brooklyn. And he would stock us up! Ring Dings that were twice the size of what you get today and wrapped in aluminum foil not flimsy plastic. Devil Dogs so fresh you could smell them through the box! Yodels and Funny Bones, apple and cherry pies and the all-time great coffe cakes! Now that I think about it I guess it wasn't such a coincidence that my friends would always knock on my door to come play when his car was parked in front of our house. He was a great soul. Thanks for the memory. Mike Ruggiero
________________________________
It's amazing.
Politics
Health
Medicine
Music business
Streaming
On and on.
And what makes your readers
Happiest.
POTATO CHIPS
THAT IS TRUELY EVIDENCE
BASED RESEARCH!!
Neil Lasher
________________________________
Made me think of these
https://www.lindencookies.com/pages/about-lindens
Don Strasburg
________________________________
I was trying to find the picture of me as a kid on my grandfather's Wise potato chip truck. He started out with Charles Chips. Then moved on/up to Wise. If you at a Wise potato chip in Syracuse, New York in the 60's, my grandfather put it there. His delivery truck was parked in our driveway. As kids, we could choose a snack from any box that was already opened. Thanks for the memory Bob..
Liz Nowak
________________________________
Free chips??? You are truly connected to the world which now includes Kaley Elliot. If we were all 10, this would be the coolest thing ever. Still, it can be monitized without selling your soul. You're not being paid to sell something when it's after the fact.
Funny, but I got into radio because you got every record for free and then you got to play them. Any money was a bonus.
John Brodey
________________________________
Here's one for you.
Entenmann's (before they went national and turned into junk) vs. Ebinger's (makers of the divine "Blackout Cake"). The day the latter went out of business was indeed a sad day. Entenmann's last saving grace was Walnut Danish Ring, and I haven't seen that for ages.
From Wikipedia: "Blackout cake, sometimes called Brooklyn Blackout cake, is an American chocolate cake filled with chocolate pudding and chocolate cake crumbs, and frosted with chocolate icing. It was invented during World War II by a Brooklyn bakery chain named Ebinger's, in recognition of the mandatory blackouts to protect the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After the war, the name persisted for a very dark chocolate cake and became common across the American Midwest.[2] Ebinger's variety was very popular and became a signature offering, popular with Brooklyn residents,[3] until the chain of more than fifty locations closed in 1972."
Live and learn.
Read the history of Entenmann's corporate life, it tells you everything about the rise and fall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entenmann%27s
And for those of us from eastern Westchester who drove into NYC on the Major Deegan, the wafting of the wonderful aroma from the Stella D'oro factory into the car never went unnoticed. I wonder if that bakery is still there.
Myles Silton
________________________________
Thanks for writing about Charles Chips.....Reminds me of my Dad and I chomping on those out of the big tin in Ohio back in the day on the weekend, when he came home from playing golf. They were great and even if they weren't - they were wonderful. That big tin was always special in our house. Been years since I thought of them. Thank you (and thanks Dad, miss you and our special chip eating sessions!) Elisa
Elisa Miller-Burda
________________________________
If Kaley Elliott from Wise wants to send you some products. Make sure you ask her for a package of Wild Bill's Beef Jerky. That stuff is delicious especially when fresh out of the bag!
Brian Kelly
________________________________
What sociologist can explain to us why an idle muse about potato chips
has become your most viral post ever?
Best,
C Darryl Mattison
________________________________
sorry im late. best ever chips....Conn's Potato Chips from my hometown, Zanesville, Ohio.
Robert Merriam
________________________________
What, no Utz love?
(...."time for Utz..... some day they'll be....)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utz_Quality_Foods
With Gratitude,
Matt Peyton
________________________________
Wise don't taste the same like we knew growing up. Watch. Jerry Greenberg
________________________________
I grew up on Wise Potatoe Chips .. still my favorite!!!
Joseph Carvello
________________________________
I wish they'd make the "burned" ones
So good!!
Jeff Harris
________________________________
Wise potato chips.
For all who grew up on them and need a fix here in Los Angeles, they are available along with other amazing treats from our youth at the Malibu Kitchen and Gourmet Deli in Cross Creek on PCH in Malibu. They are the sole distributor west of the Rockies for Wise products. And, the food is amazing; both Jerry Seinfeld and Phil Rosenthal have done episodes of Comedians and I'll Have there. Best damn fudge brownies you will ever eat.
Cathy Goodman
________________________________
Tangent but same line of delicacy
Planters cheez balls
In the 1980s as a kid at my aunt and uncle's house in Shippan point (Stamford CT) for fancy cocktail parties they were served as a LEGITIMATE appetizer - so long as you used a toothpick and not your fingers
They beat Cheetos and any cheese variety snack food by a mile ... but alas they are gone
http://www.kristinehendricks.com/ever-happened-planters-cheez-balls/
Patrick W. Ryan
________________________________
This made me go see if we had chips in the house. Now I'm 10 down with no end in sight!
-Falzone
________________________________
Ya have to understand..I'm a Baltimore boy.(pronounced "balmer")...so...there...is....only...ONE...potato chip.....UTZ!!! Hanover PA...sorry dude but Wise were way inferior to the UTZ...now of course up on the Cape there a tourist trap up there at the Cape Cod chip factory... they're a close 2nd to UTZ...IMO
BALTIMORE BOB
________________________________
Hawkins Cheezies up in Canada. Ask Jake Gold to send you some. The best. When i was teaching in Japan my mom and dad asked me what i wanted for Christmas as a care package/Christmas present. I said send me Cheezies. As many as you can. Maybe one of my favourite Christmas mornings.
Todd Devonshire
________________________________
Thanks Bob - just ordered a tin of Charley's Chips. They should be sending you a commission!
Mitch Tuchman
________________________________
We just moved to Charlotte NC from too way many years in Los Angeles. Fresh Market (Charlotte's version of Bristol Farms) carries Charles Chips IN BAGS! My husband and I freaked out. Will gain 10 pounds each if we don't watch it!
Lynn Hock
________________________________
Zapps Spicy Crawtators
Craig Davis
________________________________
I love Cape Cod chips, salt and vinegar. And it blows me away that they were for sale everywhere in North Dakota during a recent visit. Cape Cod in North Dakota, just wouldnt expect. One big bag got me through my whole vision quest trip through the ND Badlands.
Greg McLoughlin
________________________________
If you like those, you'll LOVE Goods (red bag). I live in south east PA and can attest to the greatness of our snacks. Reading, PA is still the pretzel capital of the US!
Clint Weiler
________________________________
It's the summer playing season on the Outer Banks, so I'm catching up on your newsletter.
I've had'em all.
But the best ever is the Saguaro potato chip from my years in Tucson. I haven't had one in 20 years, but I just Googled the little fuggers and they still exist. I'm getting ready to place an order. If they have maintained the quality of their product, I will be on happy mofo.
If not, fuck it. I still have my memories.
Scott Sechman
P.S. Scratch that. Apparently, they went out of business. Hard to compete with the behemoth corporations.
________________________________
That's beautiful! You get an email from the rep of your chip company!!
Now if payday would put out the peanut butter avalanche bar again. They are so good I want one in my coffin just in case I wake up and need a snack....haha
All the best
Jeff Harris
________________________________
The whole world's watching!
Doug Pomerantz
--
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-- powered by phpList, www.phplist.com --
The McKeons are lifelong, addicted chip experts, trained by our snack loving mother, Anna Mae. After decades of unending research, here's my carefully curated Top 5 for you.
Tim's Cascade Style from the Pacific Northwest are my #1 by mile and are (as the bag says) truly 'extra thick and extra crunchy', best washed down with a pint of Redhook. Maui Kitch'n Cooked are my #2, still small batch cooked on Maui, my veiled home for 7 years. Best accompanied by a pint of Kona Brewing Longboard Island Lager. Cape Cod Chips are #3. Oddly, Cape Cod's 40% Reduced Fat variety are just about as delish as their full fat original. These three brands all are somewhat similar in style - kettle cooked method, thicker, crispier, and hold up to dip beautifully without having to resort to ridges for tensile strength.
In my Hall of Fame category are Charles Chips, of course, which were delivered weekly to our house in Cleveland just in time for the weekend. By Monday, they were a memory till the next Friday delivery. the final choice is an old Michigan brand call Krun-chee. My brother Mike had a summer job delivering Krun-chee to taverns and small markets in Detroit in the early 70s. I was working at legendary, hard - rockin' WWWW-FM as APD and mid-day personality. Mikey would swing by every few days and mysteriously (not so) a large box of Krun-chee Chips products would 'fall' out the back of this delivery truck and the air-staff happily snacked till his next visit. Happy DJs played every request brother Mike had that summer, favoring Iggy Pop and Pink Floyd.
I'm with you. Best you finish the whole bag in one sitting. With a couple of brews. Wouldn't want them to go stale on us now would we?
Jim McKeon
PS/ I worked at Stroh's Ice Cream factory in Detroit during my college summers and can opine on that, too. But that's another column, another day. Be well.
________________________________
Do The Palm's cottage fries qualify as chips?
Deee-licious!
Tom Werman
________________________________
Wondering if you remember Connecticut potato chips, with the red,whitw, and blue bag. You are from Fairfield and these chips were the best. Oh yeah, my dad owned the company!!
Every religious group, scouting group and school groups visited the factory which was on the post road in Norwalk. They were in business until the late 60's
Love the blog
jeffry Steinberg
________________________________
Chips and snacks. In your mail bag about chips someone mentioned ring dings and devil dogs. My grandfather drove a Drake's truck for 40 years. Every other Sunday he would drive out to our home on Long Island from his in Brooklyn. And he would stock us up! Ring Dings that were twice the size of what you get today and wrapped in aluminum foil not flimsy plastic. Devil Dogs so fresh you could smell them through the box! Yodels and Funny Bones, apple and cherry pies and the all-time great coffe cakes! Now that I think about it I guess it wasn't such a coincidence that my friends would always knock on my door to come play when his car was parked in front of our house. He was a great soul. Thanks for the memory. Mike Ruggiero
________________________________
It's amazing.
Politics
Health
Medicine
Music business
Streaming
On and on.
And what makes your readers
Happiest.
POTATO CHIPS
THAT IS TRUELY EVIDENCE
BASED RESEARCH!!
Neil Lasher
________________________________
Made me think of these
https://www.lindencookies.com/pages/about-lindens
Don Strasburg
________________________________
I was trying to find the picture of me as a kid on my grandfather's Wise potato chip truck. He started out with Charles Chips. Then moved on/up to Wise. If you at a Wise potato chip in Syracuse, New York in the 60's, my grandfather put it there. His delivery truck was parked in our driveway. As kids, we could choose a snack from any box that was already opened. Thanks for the memory Bob..
Liz Nowak
________________________________
Free chips??? You are truly connected to the world which now includes Kaley Elliot. If we were all 10, this would be the coolest thing ever. Still, it can be monitized without selling your soul. You're not being paid to sell something when it's after the fact.
Funny, but I got into radio because you got every record for free and then you got to play them. Any money was a bonus.
John Brodey
________________________________
Here's one for you.
Entenmann's (before they went national and turned into junk) vs. Ebinger's (makers of the divine "Blackout Cake"). The day the latter went out of business was indeed a sad day. Entenmann's last saving grace was Walnut Danish Ring, and I haven't seen that for ages.
From Wikipedia: "Blackout cake, sometimes called Brooklyn Blackout cake, is an American chocolate cake filled with chocolate pudding and chocolate cake crumbs, and frosted with chocolate icing. It was invented during World War II by a Brooklyn bakery chain named Ebinger's, in recognition of the mandatory blackouts to protect the Brooklyn Navy Yard. After the war, the name persisted for a very dark chocolate cake and became common across the American Midwest.[2] Ebinger's variety was very popular and became a signature offering, popular with Brooklyn residents,[3] until the chain of more than fifty locations closed in 1972."
Live and learn.
Read the history of Entenmann's corporate life, it tells you everything about the rise and fall. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entenmann%27s
And for those of us from eastern Westchester who drove into NYC on the Major Deegan, the wafting of the wonderful aroma from the Stella D'oro factory into the car never went unnoticed. I wonder if that bakery is still there.
Myles Silton
________________________________
Thanks for writing about Charles Chips.....Reminds me of my Dad and I chomping on those out of the big tin in Ohio back in the day on the weekend, when he came home from playing golf. They were great and even if they weren't - they were wonderful. That big tin was always special in our house. Been years since I thought of them. Thank you (and thanks Dad, miss you and our special chip eating sessions!) Elisa
Elisa Miller-Burda
________________________________
If Kaley Elliott from Wise wants to send you some products. Make sure you ask her for a package of Wild Bill's Beef Jerky. That stuff is delicious especially when fresh out of the bag!
Brian Kelly
________________________________
What sociologist can explain to us why an idle muse about potato chips
has become your most viral post ever?
Best,
C Darryl Mattison
________________________________
sorry im late. best ever chips....Conn's Potato Chips from my hometown, Zanesville, Ohio.
Robert Merriam
________________________________
What, no Utz love?
(...."time for Utz..... some day they'll be....)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utz_Quality_Foods
With Gratitude,
Matt Peyton
________________________________
Wise don't taste the same like we knew growing up. Watch. Jerry Greenberg
________________________________
I grew up on Wise Potatoe Chips .. still my favorite!!!
Joseph Carvello
________________________________
I wish they'd make the "burned" ones
So good!!
Jeff Harris
________________________________
Wise potato chips.
For all who grew up on them and need a fix here in Los Angeles, they are available along with other amazing treats from our youth at the Malibu Kitchen and Gourmet Deli in Cross Creek on PCH in Malibu. They are the sole distributor west of the Rockies for Wise products. And, the food is amazing; both Jerry Seinfeld and Phil Rosenthal have done episodes of Comedians and I'll Have there. Best damn fudge brownies you will ever eat.
Cathy Goodman
________________________________
Tangent but same line of delicacy
Planters cheez balls
In the 1980s as a kid at my aunt and uncle's house in Shippan point (Stamford CT) for fancy cocktail parties they were served as a LEGITIMATE appetizer - so long as you used a toothpick and not your fingers
They beat Cheetos and any cheese variety snack food by a mile ... but alas they are gone
http://www.kristinehendricks.com/ever-happened-planters-cheez-balls/
Patrick W. Ryan
________________________________
This made me go see if we had chips in the house. Now I'm 10 down with no end in sight!
-Falzone
________________________________
Ya have to understand..I'm a Baltimore boy.(pronounced "balmer")...so...there...is....only...ONE...potato chip.....UTZ!!! Hanover PA...sorry dude but Wise were way inferior to the UTZ...now of course up on the Cape there a tourist trap up there at the Cape Cod chip factory... they're a close 2nd to UTZ...IMO
BALTIMORE BOB
________________________________
Hawkins Cheezies up in Canada. Ask Jake Gold to send you some. The best. When i was teaching in Japan my mom and dad asked me what i wanted for Christmas as a care package/Christmas present. I said send me Cheezies. As many as you can. Maybe one of my favourite Christmas mornings.
Todd Devonshire
________________________________
Thanks Bob - just ordered a tin of Charley's Chips. They should be sending you a commission!
Mitch Tuchman
________________________________
We just moved to Charlotte NC from too way many years in Los Angeles. Fresh Market (Charlotte's version of Bristol Farms) carries Charles Chips IN BAGS! My husband and I freaked out. Will gain 10 pounds each if we don't watch it!
Lynn Hock
________________________________
Zapps Spicy Crawtators
Craig Davis
________________________________
I love Cape Cod chips, salt and vinegar. And it blows me away that they were for sale everywhere in North Dakota during a recent visit. Cape Cod in North Dakota, just wouldnt expect. One big bag got me through my whole vision quest trip through the ND Badlands.
Greg McLoughlin
________________________________
If you like those, you'll LOVE Goods (red bag). I live in south east PA and can attest to the greatness of our snacks. Reading, PA is still the pretzel capital of the US!
Clint Weiler
________________________________
It's the summer playing season on the Outer Banks, so I'm catching up on your newsletter.
I've had'em all.
But the best ever is the Saguaro potato chip from my years in Tucson. I haven't had one in 20 years, but I just Googled the little fuggers and they still exist. I'm getting ready to place an order. If they have maintained the quality of their product, I will be on happy mofo.
If not, fuck it. I still have my memories.
Scott Sechman
P.S. Scratch that. Apparently, they went out of business. Hard to compete with the behemoth corporations.
________________________________
That's beautiful! You get an email from the rep of your chip company!!
Now if payday would put out the peanut butter avalanche bar again. They are so good I want one in my coffin just in case I wake up and need a snack....haha
All the best
Jeff Harris
________________________________
The whole world's watching!
Doug Pomerantz
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Daniel Glass-This Week's Podcast
"Now it's a mighty long way down rock 'n' roll
Through the Bradford cities and the Oreoles"
From Regine's to the Hollywood Bowl, that's right, Daniel Glass started out in the streets and made it all the way to the top, with a few bumps along the way, but unlike so many of his contemporaries, he's SURVIVED!
In this podcast recorded live at the Music Media Summit in Santa Barbara you'll hear his story all the way from Brooklyn and pre-med to a career within the same few blocks in Manhattan. Building up Chrysalis, surfing the wave at SBK and being a journeyman executive until he decided to do it all for himself, with Glassnote Records and Phoenix and Mumford & Sons and CHVRCHES, and now Jade Bird and so many more!
Listen to the story of a man who did it HIS way.
You'll dig it.
A snippet: https://bit.ly/2Jk2JQm
Mott the Hoople's "All The Way From Memphis" (the song quoted above): https://spoti.fi/2sxb24K
Listen to Daniel Glass on...
TuneIn: https://listen.tunein.com/danielglassletter
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-glass/id1316200737?i=1000413055661&mt=2
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dkdtuw5psbkkdneajptiqgsrp6y?t=Daniel_Glass-The_Bob_Lefsetz_Podcast
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bob-lefsetz/daniel-glass-26
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/+LBr9k8Hjw
Acast: https://www.acast.com/theboblefsetzpodcast/daniel-glass
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Through the Bradford cities and the Oreoles"
From Regine's to the Hollywood Bowl, that's right, Daniel Glass started out in the streets and made it all the way to the top, with a few bumps along the way, but unlike so many of his contemporaries, he's SURVIVED!
In this podcast recorded live at the Music Media Summit in Santa Barbara you'll hear his story all the way from Brooklyn and pre-med to a career within the same few blocks in Manhattan. Building up Chrysalis, surfing the wave at SBK and being a journeyman executive until he decided to do it all for himself, with Glassnote Records and Phoenix and Mumford & Sons and CHVRCHES, and now Jade Bird and so many more!
Listen to the story of a man who did it HIS way.
You'll dig it.
A snippet: https://bit.ly/2Jk2JQm
Mott the Hoople's "All The Way From Memphis" (the song quoted above): https://spoti.fi/2sxb24K
Listen to Daniel Glass on...
TuneIn: https://listen.tunein.com/danielglassletter
Apple: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/daniel-glass/id1316200737?i=1000413055661&mt=2
Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/m/Dkdtuw5psbkkdneajptiqgsrp6y?t=Daniel_Glass-The_Bob_Lefsetz_Podcast
Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-bob-lefsetz-podcast
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/bob-lefsetz/daniel-glass-26
Overcast: https://overcast.fm/+LBr9k8Hjw
Acast: https://www.acast.com/theboblefsetzpodcast/daniel-glass
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Ye's Album Length
It's got seven songs and it's twenty three minutes long. This form factor is more important than the songs contained therein, which have unfortunately gotten mediocre reviews.
Yes, you self-satisfied white rockers, you need to admit it, you're behind the curve. While rappers embraced the internet, giving their music away for FREE I say, HOW COULD THEY?, most famously on Soundcloud, the holier-than-thou white rockers, especially the aged, complained that the internet was ruining music and streaming was the devil.
But now streaming is single-handedly rejuvenating record companies, although most of the spoils are going to hip-hop.
When the future comes, EMBRACE IT!
You're an artist not a startup. You don't need double-digit millions from a VC to play, with your laptop and some skills you can post your music instantly online. Getting attention, that's another thing. But let's say you've already got attention...
Kanye's making a bunch of these twenty minute albums, most famously with Pusha T, who's riding a railroad of success he has not experienced in years. Next comes NAS, Teyana Taylor and a collaboration with Kid Cudi. That's right, Kanye's not worried about maximizing revenue, beating songs to death, touring them to hoover up all possible dollars, he's gonna step on his own solo project by doing one with Cudi, HOW 2018!
Are you living in 2018? Do you know it's about satiating fans, releasing frequently, like Drake, being innovative?
Let's review history.
Albums came from 78s, a collection was called an "album."
33 1/3 LPs contained twenty five to forty minutes of music and were then called "albums."
CDs held 80 minutes of music and by god, the players filled them with execrable crap, justifying robbers on Napster who were sick of overpaying for one good track.
And now we've got streaming and an album can be INFINITE!
Think about that, it allows you to reinvent the format. Do you really want to put out 80 minutes of music in an era where even babies are overscheduled? No, you need to make it bite-sized, digestible.
Now the fascinating thing about "ye" is each track has almost the same number of listens, from 10-16 million on Spotify. Meaning people are not cherry-picking tracks, they're listening to them all.
As opposed to Taylor Swift's "Reputation," whose hits have 100-300 million streams on Spotify, but whose album cuts have maybe 20-odd million streams, meaning most people are not listening to them, they're cherry-picking the hits!
And I bring up Taylor because she actually had hits on her album, and "Reputation" has 15 songs and is 55 minutes long.
Back to Pusha T. His 5 song "Daytona" has from 4.7 to 7.7 million streams of each cut on Spotify, meaning people ARE LISTENING TO THE WHOLE THING!
Shinedown is experiencing a resurgence. Their 14 song 50 minute long 2018 album "Attention Attention" has got attention for the hit, but after that... "Devil" has 8 million streams on Spotify, a bunch of the album cuts don't even break a million.
And it's true, some heritage and niche acts have new albums with a relatively even number of streams, but that number is POSITIVELY ANEMIC! Meaning the hard core fans are streaming the whole thing and everybody else is ignoring it.
You can spend 23 minutes listening to Kanye's new LP and be an expert, express your opinion, weigh in. But to have an opinion on almost anybody else, you've got to spend an hour listening to mostly crappy music. Furthermore, music seeps into your brain with repetition, and the shorter something is, the more times you can play it, and end up loving it.
This is big news. Hip-hop is pushing the envelope when it comes to format, which is another reason why it's winning.
You can get on board now or be permanently left behind.
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Yes, you self-satisfied white rockers, you need to admit it, you're behind the curve. While rappers embraced the internet, giving their music away for FREE I say, HOW COULD THEY?, most famously on Soundcloud, the holier-than-thou white rockers, especially the aged, complained that the internet was ruining music and streaming was the devil.
But now streaming is single-handedly rejuvenating record companies, although most of the spoils are going to hip-hop.
When the future comes, EMBRACE IT!
You're an artist not a startup. You don't need double-digit millions from a VC to play, with your laptop and some skills you can post your music instantly online. Getting attention, that's another thing. But let's say you've already got attention...
Kanye's making a bunch of these twenty minute albums, most famously with Pusha T, who's riding a railroad of success he has not experienced in years. Next comes NAS, Teyana Taylor and a collaboration with Kid Cudi. That's right, Kanye's not worried about maximizing revenue, beating songs to death, touring them to hoover up all possible dollars, he's gonna step on his own solo project by doing one with Cudi, HOW 2018!
Are you living in 2018? Do you know it's about satiating fans, releasing frequently, like Drake, being innovative?
Let's review history.
Albums came from 78s, a collection was called an "album."
33 1/3 LPs contained twenty five to forty minutes of music and were then called "albums."
CDs held 80 minutes of music and by god, the players filled them with execrable crap, justifying robbers on Napster who were sick of overpaying for one good track.
And now we've got streaming and an album can be INFINITE!
Think about that, it allows you to reinvent the format. Do you really want to put out 80 minutes of music in an era where even babies are overscheduled? No, you need to make it bite-sized, digestible.
Now the fascinating thing about "ye" is each track has almost the same number of listens, from 10-16 million on Spotify. Meaning people are not cherry-picking tracks, they're listening to them all.
As opposed to Taylor Swift's "Reputation," whose hits have 100-300 million streams on Spotify, but whose album cuts have maybe 20-odd million streams, meaning most people are not listening to them, they're cherry-picking the hits!
And I bring up Taylor because she actually had hits on her album, and "Reputation" has 15 songs and is 55 minutes long.
Back to Pusha T. His 5 song "Daytona" has from 4.7 to 7.7 million streams of each cut on Spotify, meaning people ARE LISTENING TO THE WHOLE THING!
Shinedown is experiencing a resurgence. Their 14 song 50 minute long 2018 album "Attention Attention" has got attention for the hit, but after that... "Devil" has 8 million streams on Spotify, a bunch of the album cuts don't even break a million.
And it's true, some heritage and niche acts have new albums with a relatively even number of streams, but that number is POSITIVELY ANEMIC! Meaning the hard core fans are streaming the whole thing and everybody else is ignoring it.
You can spend 23 minutes listening to Kanye's new LP and be an expert, express your opinion, weigh in. But to have an opinion on almost anybody else, you've got to spend an hour listening to mostly crappy music. Furthermore, music seeps into your brain with repetition, and the shorter something is, the more times you can play it, and end up loving it.
This is big news. Hip-hop is pushing the envelope when it comes to format, which is another reason why it's winning.
You can get on board now or be permanently left behind.
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Monday, 4 June 2018
E-Mail Of The Day
I work with Wise Snacks and we would love to send you potato chips and other product. What is the best address to send to?
Thank you in advance.
Kaley Elliott
______________________________________
In the late sixties when the Charles chip delivery came to our house it usually signaled my parents were throwing a cocktail party with the neighbors.
One memorable occasion was when the Charles chip guy decided to take a short cut across our lawn while delivering several cans of chips.
What no one noticed was that he had stepped in a big pile of dog crap and unwittingly paraded it through our living room to the kitchen.
Adding insult to injury, my father had brand new carpet installed the week before.
I'm still amazed to this day how he kept his cool with the delivery guy since his anger could parallel Ralph Kramden's when he blew his fuse.
Best,
g.robey
PS - Charles chip did pay to have the carpet professionally cleaned.
______________________________________
We in Hawaii have Maui Chips. Greasy, thick, crunchy tasty morsels of goodness.
Come visit Hawaii and enjoy a bag or order them online.
You will not be disappointed!
Lin in Paradise
______________________________________
So. I am from Lancaster. My family has lived there for almost 300 years. We have like six local brands of potato chips, a) most prepared with lard, which offers a crunchy yet transluscent goodness mere vegetable oil simply can't provide and b) the idea of small-batch, local chips was a cherished tradition since at least the 70's (you can buy unbranded home made chips at Lancaster Central Market and the branded versions might be 5 flavors per brand)—Utz, Gibble's, Gordon's, etc.
As for pretzels, Hammond's rule. Available in salted or not salted, whole or broken. Better than Wise, Wege's and other bigger brands.
There's a reason why Pennsylvania is alone in having its own Snack Food Commission.
Happy to discuss!
Henry Eshelman
Managing Director
PMG-Platform Media Group
______________________________________
dude.....you are really bringing back memories. I grew up on Long Island. makes me think of other things....like Old London Cheez Doodles, which were pre chee-tos. and Quinlan pretzels....the ones that were hand rolled or at least looked like it and had that bright white salt just like soft pretzels. I am pretty sure Wise still exists but I haven't been back there since my dad passed four years ago.
Mike Farley
P.S. sometimes I get these which are made by a local food truck but sold in stores too:
http://www.slidefoodcart.com/chips.html
they're very authentic and thick cut
______________________________________
Stew Leonard's from your old neck of the woods makes phenomenal potato chips
in-store. Recently went from having only regular and sweet-potato to now
offering salt & vinegar and one other flavored chip.
Quite tasty and worth the trip.
If pretzels might be your thing, in Akron PA, just a bit northeast of
Lancaster on Rt.222, is Pretzel Nirvana. It is called Martins Pretzels
https://www.martinspretzelspa.com/ . Amish women (women only) make the
pretzels fresh 7 days a week. If you catch them at the right time, there are
copious quantities of broken pretzels available for $1.50 a lb., and if you
ask nicely for a couple warm ones from the back, they always oblige.
The warm ones literally crunch and melt into a salty blissful taste in your
mouth. Nothing quite like it
Jon Lerner
______________________________________
Seeing your potato chip piece got me thinking about the chips we were forced to sell door to door in my Indianapolis Cub Scout den.
They were Red Dot out of Madison, Wisconsin and I'm pretty sure they were the best chips ever created.
Red Dot was sold to Lay which later that same year (1961) merged with Frito to become Frito-Lay.
Three years later I was sent to a military academy where I'd meet the owner's daughter;
Dorothy Lay...
actual name.
Man was she cute !
Be well, Kevin Teare
P.S. Chesty was THE brand of chips in Indiana in the 50's...more than my faves: Red Dot... both were eclipsed by Charles Chips...
______________________________________
Awesome! Imagine some of us feel the way that you do because we grew up with the intoxicating vinegar pucker of Kettle salt & vinegar. If I think about them for too long, the craving gets too intense. Because yeah... no one can eat just one.
Ryan Trask
______________________________________
Wondering whether the original Maui chips still exist? Those were the best I ever tasted! (Shep must know.:).
Regards,
Larry Heller
______________________________________
I enjoy your insightful and fun newsletters. Thank you.
FYI, Charlie Chips are still available http://www.charleschips.com/shop-chips.php
I believe I even recently saw them recently at Costco, Duane Reade, or another retailer (likely in the east coast)
Barry J. Heyman
______________________________________
My father comes from Central PA, near Amish country; a hot-bed for potato chip consumers & companies. You should explore some of the VAST offerings from PA, such as Gibbles (fried in ACTUAL pork lard!!!), Herr's, UTZ, Bickel's, or Martin's... to mention a few; Herr's being the red-headed stepchild of the group.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time visiting my family in the area, each of whom had a similar penchant / proclivity for PLAIN (salted) chips from the aforementioned manufacturers... other flavor variations were frowned upon, at best. Needless to say, I am a Luddite when it comes to potato chip 'flavors' given my upbringing. A plain UTZ chip is so paper thin, it is like eating a host at Mass, but far more delectable & crisp.
Whenever I bite into a chip from one of those producers, particularly Martin's or Gibbles, I am immediately transported to my grandmother's kitchen table, eating other unusual PA items like pickled eggs, dried beef & horseradish, souse, together with delicious PA potato chips.
Thank you,
Michael H.
Baltimore, MD
______________________________________
The #1 choice here in WV is "Mister Bee" (any flavor). Definitely worth a try.
Stephen Harvey
______________________________________
I have to underline ZAPPS. Glad to see someone wrote it in. We have cases of them shipped in to Vegas for the whole crew at the beginning of every run. Jalapeno is so freaking good.
Kim Bullard
______________________________________
All this chip talk has prompted me to remember my favorite all time potato chip throughout my life. The sacred combo at gatherings in the 50s-60s as a kid, cocktail parties or cookouts, any occasion where people gathered, was krinkle-cut potato chips and onion dip.
Even after going on the health food kick for life at age fifteen, there have been times when I've recreated that combo using organic sour cream, organic onion dip mix, and natural krinkle-cut kettle chips. It's the bullet train to divinity!
Melissa Ward
______________________________________
My favorites growing up in Brooklyn in the '70s and '80s were BonTon potato chips. I think Utz took them over. Not the same. But what is, nowadays?
Rob Maurer
______________________________________
I always looked forward to the arrival each week of the Charles Chip truck in my neighborhood in Nutley, NJ. Just like milk and the Newark Star Ledger newspaper, potato chips, pretzels and cookies were delivered door to door. It was a happier time.
Lou Maresca
______________________________________
Look at those responses! Dem Chips be serious...#kettlechips #saltandvinegar I agree with you, Cape Cod chips remind me of the sea.
Thank You For This Post,
Jaylaan
______________________________________
Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
Eric Bazilian
______________________________________
As potato and potato chip lovers, my wife and I just returned from 2 weeks of travel in Spain to your column on chips. First, in Spain chips are the typical side car to most tapas and even entrees everywhere other than the very top restaurants. French fries? Not so much.
Tapas got boring in the 2 weeks in Spain, because from Seville to Madrid to Barcelona the cafes pretty much all have the same tapas menu, except in Girona (the Season 6 Game Of Thrones setting), where our palates were rewarded with ones different enough to make them special, mixing seafood with jamon. The chips though? Pretty spectacular throughout the land. However, still not as good as our favorite brand in the US, which is my second point.
As a 65-year old raised in the NYC area on Wise and one who only ate Lays or Pringles later when really desperate (I'd choose UTZ as the best second place finisher) and later still not a fan of all the numerous varieties that followed, I was shocked when you made no mention of a brand I'd expect you'd know of and love. Then, only a single letter came in touting them from Lance Grode.
How do you not know of, or love, the best no frills chips anywhere? Trader Joe's Ode To The Classic Potato Chip at $1.99 for a large bag are not only a bargain, but blow away the taste of everything else. Frankly, they're perfect.
After your column and needing to restock the pantry after 2 weeks away, we hit TJ's for 2 bags yesterday. I hope Lance's letter and this second recommendation get them the attention warranted, though hope it doesn't cause a run on them. Quite simply, they are the best chip out there; you can just forget the rest.
Andrew Blackman
West Orange, NJ
______________________________________
'Betcha can't eat just one!
I grew up on Wise (Bronx boy). Of course I love the freshly made ones served on the Santa Monica pier.
Bruce Garfield
______________________________________
Send me a mailing address and I'll send you a collection of Zapps. They are pretty awesome . . . we get them here in Nashville. Never was a fan of State Line. Vermont Country Store still sells Charles Chips AND the tins!
Wonder if they still make Maui chips. Those were pretty awesome, too.
The best thing about being an adult is that you can now eat potato chips for breakfast!!
Best,
Lee in Nashville
______________________________________
When I was young in Brooklyn in the 1960's Wise was the chip of choice however there was a point where it didn't make a difference because all I needed was a bag of chips and some Heinz ketchup and I would eat the chips with Ketchup...a staple although not the healthiest of my diet....if I ate that now it would be chips with ketchup with a TUMS chaser
Peace,Jason Miles
______________________________________
You can still get Wise potato chips at Big Lots from time to time. From what I understand they still make them back east though they're a shadow of their former deliciousness. They also made the best cheese doodles on the planet. Charles' Chips and pretzels were awesome too. Other awesome snacks from a bygone era were Tasticakes and Drakes Ring Dings and Devil Dogs.
Chris Lagemann
______________________________________
Wise still has a bag for $0.99 at the convenience store. I think the Lays are $1.49.
Tom Quinn
______________________________________
The WISE Potato Chip - Are Still Around
...I believe predominantly on the east coast, my friend. I'm from New York and always see the company's banner while watching the Mets.
Wise, TastyKake and Drake's Cakes. All vestiges of my Huntington, Long Island upbringing.
Matthew Warren
______________________________________
Wise Chips still exist, made in Berwick PA.
www.wisesnacks.com
You can buy online!
By the way, I enjoy the letters and your no BS perspective.
Regards,
Rich O'Brien
______________________________________
Wise available at hot dog carts throughout San Diego
Mike Wallin
______________________________________
Wise Potato Chips still rule!!
http://www.wisesnacks.com/
jdcapshew
______________________________________
I remember reading all the time that potato chips were bad for me so I stopped reading.
Jonathan Schneider
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Thank you in advance.
Kaley Elliott
______________________________________
In the late sixties when the Charles chip delivery came to our house it usually signaled my parents were throwing a cocktail party with the neighbors.
One memorable occasion was when the Charles chip guy decided to take a short cut across our lawn while delivering several cans of chips.
What no one noticed was that he had stepped in a big pile of dog crap and unwittingly paraded it through our living room to the kitchen.
Adding insult to injury, my father had brand new carpet installed the week before.
I'm still amazed to this day how he kept his cool with the delivery guy since his anger could parallel Ralph Kramden's when he blew his fuse.
Best,
g.robey
PS - Charles chip did pay to have the carpet professionally cleaned.
______________________________________
We in Hawaii have Maui Chips. Greasy, thick, crunchy tasty morsels of goodness.
Come visit Hawaii and enjoy a bag or order them online.
You will not be disappointed!
Lin in Paradise
______________________________________
So. I am from Lancaster. My family has lived there for almost 300 years. We have like six local brands of potato chips, a) most prepared with lard, which offers a crunchy yet transluscent goodness mere vegetable oil simply can't provide and b) the idea of small-batch, local chips was a cherished tradition since at least the 70's (you can buy unbranded home made chips at Lancaster Central Market and the branded versions might be 5 flavors per brand)—Utz, Gibble's, Gordon's, etc.
As for pretzels, Hammond's rule. Available in salted or not salted, whole or broken. Better than Wise, Wege's and other bigger brands.
There's a reason why Pennsylvania is alone in having its own Snack Food Commission.
Happy to discuss!
Henry Eshelman
Managing Director
PMG-Platform Media Group
______________________________________
dude.....you are really bringing back memories. I grew up on Long Island. makes me think of other things....like Old London Cheez Doodles, which were pre chee-tos. and Quinlan pretzels....the ones that were hand rolled or at least looked like it and had that bright white salt just like soft pretzels. I am pretty sure Wise still exists but I haven't been back there since my dad passed four years ago.
Mike Farley
P.S. sometimes I get these which are made by a local food truck but sold in stores too:
http://www.slidefoodcart.com/chips.html
they're very authentic and thick cut
______________________________________
Stew Leonard's from your old neck of the woods makes phenomenal potato chips
in-store. Recently went from having only regular and sweet-potato to now
offering salt & vinegar and one other flavored chip.
Quite tasty and worth the trip.
If pretzels might be your thing, in Akron PA, just a bit northeast of
Lancaster on Rt.222, is Pretzel Nirvana. It is called Martins Pretzels
https://www.martinspretzelspa.com/ . Amish women (women only) make the
pretzels fresh 7 days a week. If you catch them at the right time, there are
copious quantities of broken pretzels available for $1.50 a lb., and if you
ask nicely for a couple warm ones from the back, they always oblige.
The warm ones literally crunch and melt into a salty blissful taste in your
mouth. Nothing quite like it
Jon Lerner
______________________________________
Seeing your potato chip piece got me thinking about the chips we were forced to sell door to door in my Indianapolis Cub Scout den.
They were Red Dot out of Madison, Wisconsin and I'm pretty sure they were the best chips ever created.
Red Dot was sold to Lay which later that same year (1961) merged with Frito to become Frito-Lay.
Three years later I was sent to a military academy where I'd meet the owner's daughter;
Dorothy Lay...
actual name.
Man was she cute !
Be well, Kevin Teare
P.S. Chesty was THE brand of chips in Indiana in the 50's...more than my faves: Red Dot... both were eclipsed by Charles Chips...
______________________________________
Awesome! Imagine some of us feel the way that you do because we grew up with the intoxicating vinegar pucker of Kettle salt & vinegar. If I think about them for too long, the craving gets too intense. Because yeah... no one can eat just one.
Ryan Trask
______________________________________
Wondering whether the original Maui chips still exist? Those were the best I ever tasted! (Shep must know.:).
Regards,
Larry Heller
______________________________________
I enjoy your insightful and fun newsletters. Thank you.
FYI, Charlie Chips are still available http://www.charleschips.com/shop-chips.php
I believe I even recently saw them recently at Costco, Duane Reade, or another retailer (likely in the east coast)
Barry J. Heyman
______________________________________
My father comes from Central PA, near Amish country; a hot-bed for potato chip consumers & companies. You should explore some of the VAST offerings from PA, such as Gibbles (fried in ACTUAL pork lard!!!), Herr's, UTZ, Bickel's, or Martin's... to mention a few; Herr's being the red-headed stepchild of the group.
Growing up, I spent a lot of time visiting my family in the area, each of whom had a similar penchant / proclivity for PLAIN (salted) chips from the aforementioned manufacturers... other flavor variations were frowned upon, at best. Needless to say, I am a Luddite when it comes to potato chip 'flavors' given my upbringing. A plain UTZ chip is so paper thin, it is like eating a host at Mass, but far more delectable & crisp.
Whenever I bite into a chip from one of those producers, particularly Martin's or Gibbles, I am immediately transported to my grandmother's kitchen table, eating other unusual PA items like pickled eggs, dried beef & horseradish, souse, together with delicious PA potato chips.
Thank you,
Michael H.
Baltimore, MD
______________________________________
The #1 choice here in WV is "Mister Bee" (any flavor). Definitely worth a try.
Stephen Harvey
______________________________________
I have to underline ZAPPS. Glad to see someone wrote it in. We have cases of them shipped in to Vegas for the whole crew at the beginning of every run. Jalapeno is so freaking good.
Kim Bullard
______________________________________
All this chip talk has prompted me to remember my favorite all time potato chip throughout my life. The sacred combo at gatherings in the 50s-60s as a kid, cocktail parties or cookouts, any occasion where people gathered, was krinkle-cut potato chips and onion dip.
Even after going on the health food kick for life at age fifteen, there have been times when I've recreated that combo using organic sour cream, organic onion dip mix, and natural krinkle-cut kettle chips. It's the bullet train to divinity!
Melissa Ward
______________________________________
My favorites growing up in Brooklyn in the '70s and '80s were BonTon potato chips. I think Utz took them over. Not the same. But what is, nowadays?
Rob Maurer
______________________________________
I always looked forward to the arrival each week of the Charles Chip truck in my neighborhood in Nutley, NJ. Just like milk and the Newark Star Ledger newspaper, potato chips, pretzels and cookies were delivered door to door. It was a happier time.
Lou Maresca
______________________________________
Look at those responses! Dem Chips be serious...#kettlechips #saltandvinegar I agree with you, Cape Cod chips remind me of the sea.
Thank You For This Post,
Jaylaan
______________________________________
Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
Eric Bazilian
______________________________________
As potato and potato chip lovers, my wife and I just returned from 2 weeks of travel in Spain to your column on chips. First, in Spain chips are the typical side car to most tapas and even entrees everywhere other than the very top restaurants. French fries? Not so much.
Tapas got boring in the 2 weeks in Spain, because from Seville to Madrid to Barcelona the cafes pretty much all have the same tapas menu, except in Girona (the Season 6 Game Of Thrones setting), where our palates were rewarded with ones different enough to make them special, mixing seafood with jamon. The chips though? Pretty spectacular throughout the land. However, still not as good as our favorite brand in the US, which is my second point.
As a 65-year old raised in the NYC area on Wise and one who only ate Lays or Pringles later when really desperate (I'd choose UTZ as the best second place finisher) and later still not a fan of all the numerous varieties that followed, I was shocked when you made no mention of a brand I'd expect you'd know of and love. Then, only a single letter came in touting them from Lance Grode.
How do you not know of, or love, the best no frills chips anywhere? Trader Joe's Ode To The Classic Potato Chip at $1.99 for a large bag are not only a bargain, but blow away the taste of everything else. Frankly, they're perfect.
After your column and needing to restock the pantry after 2 weeks away, we hit TJ's for 2 bags yesterday. I hope Lance's letter and this second recommendation get them the attention warranted, though hope it doesn't cause a run on them. Quite simply, they are the best chip out there; you can just forget the rest.
Andrew Blackman
West Orange, NJ
______________________________________
'Betcha can't eat just one!
I grew up on Wise (Bronx boy). Of course I love the freshly made ones served on the Santa Monica pier.
Bruce Garfield
______________________________________
Send me a mailing address and I'll send you a collection of Zapps. They are pretty awesome . . . we get them here in Nashville. Never was a fan of State Line. Vermont Country Store still sells Charles Chips AND the tins!
Wonder if they still make Maui chips. Those were pretty awesome, too.
The best thing about being an adult is that you can now eat potato chips for breakfast!!
Best,
Lee in Nashville
______________________________________
When I was young in Brooklyn in the 1960's Wise was the chip of choice however there was a point where it didn't make a difference because all I needed was a bag of chips and some Heinz ketchup and I would eat the chips with Ketchup...a staple although not the healthiest of my diet....if I ate that now it would be chips with ketchup with a TUMS chaser
Peace,Jason Miles
______________________________________
You can still get Wise potato chips at Big Lots from time to time. From what I understand they still make them back east though they're a shadow of their former deliciousness. They also made the best cheese doodles on the planet. Charles' Chips and pretzels were awesome too. Other awesome snacks from a bygone era were Tasticakes and Drakes Ring Dings and Devil Dogs.
Chris Lagemann
______________________________________
Wise still has a bag for $0.99 at the convenience store. I think the Lays are $1.49.
Tom Quinn
______________________________________
The WISE Potato Chip - Are Still Around
...I believe predominantly on the east coast, my friend. I'm from New York and always see the company's banner while watching the Mets.
Wise, TastyKake and Drake's Cakes. All vestiges of my Huntington, Long Island upbringing.
Matthew Warren
______________________________________
Wise Chips still exist, made in Berwick PA.
www.wisesnacks.com
You can buy online!
By the way, I enjoy the letters and your no BS perspective.
Regards,
Rich O'Brien
______________________________________
Wise available at hot dog carts throughout San Diego
Mike Wallin
______________________________________
Wise Potato Chips still rule!!
http://www.wisesnacks.com/
jdcapshew
______________________________________
I remember reading all the time that potato chips were bad for me so I stopped reading.
Jonathan Schneider
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Run Away From The Mainstream
I listened to Ry Cooder's new album. It doesn't sound like anything else in the marketplace.
Then again he never did.
But back in the seventies you needed a major label to play, which he had, and he was the beneficiary of the Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders, double album samplers for two bucks. And with fewer records in the marketplace, he got press attention, although little airplay, and he built a career.
Today, today everybody's chasing trends. In an era where the barrier to entry is low and there are so many media messages the consumer is overwhelmed.
What to do?
Run to the fringe!
Now this is not for the wannabe, this is not for the faint of heart, this is for the lifers, the truly dedicated who believe in themselves. Forget everything you've heard, all the metrics, the data, the social media hype, you've got to focus first and foremost on the music. It must sound DIFFERENT from everything else in the marketplace. Now, don't change your sound to be different, you've got to be different to begin with, you've got to have a VISION, your time is NOW!
That's right, if you're experimenting, if you know where you want to go, if you don't sound like the Top 40 or any radio format, this is your time, the people are hungry for you.
You see, today is the beginning of a burgeoning UNDERGROUND!
The anti.
Don't confuse this with the long tail. We're not talking marginal niche. We're talking something that could explode if everybody heard it. Which they won't immediately, because that's not how hype works. What we're talking about is something that starts slow but burns hot. That gains adherents immediately. Passionate ones, who support you. Something that you only need to hear once, or maybe twice, to be converted. This was the Beatles. This was Queen. This was Hendrix. This was seemingly every legendary act of yore.
Whereas today we're loaded up with Me Too acts.
Playing pop.
Pursuing rap.
Making metal.
If you're easily classifiable, forget it, it's about the UNCLASSIFIABLE!
And my goal here is not to inspire those who are nowhere, but to encourage those who feel defeated because they don't fit in.
We lived in a monoculture in the MTV era. Before that we weren't all listening to the same thing. And the irony is, now we're not listening to the same thing anymore either. Despite all the Kanye hype, despite all the hype about Beyonce at Coachella, many people are not paying attention and don't even know their music. As for the white rock acts, their audience is even smaller. And I'm not telling you the new left field music will be even bigger than they are, then again Hendrix was never on the Top 40, Bobby Sherman was much bigger.
You don't create a new search engine. You don't create a new social network. You don't create a new shopping site. You don't create a new dating site. BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN DONE! Why are you replicating the music that's already out there? Business people don't do this. Artists should be leaders. And just that, artists as opposed to business people. Artists test limits, go to unexplored areas, wait for the public to catch up with them, as opposed to being lowest common denominator trendmongers.
It can happen. And it will happen. It's just a matter of when.
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Then again he never did.
But back in the seventies you needed a major label to play, which he had, and he was the beneficiary of the Warner/Reprise Loss Leaders, double album samplers for two bucks. And with fewer records in the marketplace, he got press attention, although little airplay, and he built a career.
Today, today everybody's chasing trends. In an era where the barrier to entry is low and there are so many media messages the consumer is overwhelmed.
What to do?
Run to the fringe!
Now this is not for the wannabe, this is not for the faint of heart, this is for the lifers, the truly dedicated who believe in themselves. Forget everything you've heard, all the metrics, the data, the social media hype, you've got to focus first and foremost on the music. It must sound DIFFERENT from everything else in the marketplace. Now, don't change your sound to be different, you've got to be different to begin with, you've got to have a VISION, your time is NOW!
That's right, if you're experimenting, if you know where you want to go, if you don't sound like the Top 40 or any radio format, this is your time, the people are hungry for you.
You see, today is the beginning of a burgeoning UNDERGROUND!
The anti.
Don't confuse this with the long tail. We're not talking marginal niche. We're talking something that could explode if everybody heard it. Which they won't immediately, because that's not how hype works. What we're talking about is something that starts slow but burns hot. That gains adherents immediately. Passionate ones, who support you. Something that you only need to hear once, or maybe twice, to be converted. This was the Beatles. This was Queen. This was Hendrix. This was seemingly every legendary act of yore.
Whereas today we're loaded up with Me Too acts.
Playing pop.
Pursuing rap.
Making metal.
If you're easily classifiable, forget it, it's about the UNCLASSIFIABLE!
And my goal here is not to inspire those who are nowhere, but to encourage those who feel defeated because they don't fit in.
We lived in a monoculture in the MTV era. Before that we weren't all listening to the same thing. And the irony is, now we're not listening to the same thing anymore either. Despite all the Kanye hype, despite all the hype about Beyonce at Coachella, many people are not paying attention and don't even know their music. As for the white rock acts, their audience is even smaller. And I'm not telling you the new left field music will be even bigger than they are, then again Hendrix was never on the Top 40, Bobby Sherman was much bigger.
You don't create a new search engine. You don't create a new social network. You don't create a new shopping site. You don't create a new dating site. BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY BEEN DONE! Why are you replicating the music that's already out there? Business people don't do this. Artists should be leaders. And just that, artists as opposed to business people. Artists test limits, go to unexplored areas, wait for the public to catch up with them, as opposed to being lowest common denominator trendmongers.
It can happen. And it will happen. It's just a matter of when.
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Sunday, 3 June 2018
Re-Potato Chips
Our first psychedelic drum circles were pounding on Charlie Chips cans! We loved that sound!!
Harvey Leeds
_________________________________
Being a native of York/Adams Counties where the potato chip and pretzel reigns supreme; I have first hand knowledge of chip making when chips were really GOOD ( and I don't mean just the GOOD label ), I mean the taste.
When I was a wee youngster, I lived behind Martin's Potato Chip Factory. I would go down with my siblings and they would give us chips right off the assembly line. When I was 12 ( yes, I know , it was probably illegal ) , I would clean the cans for them and get chips as a reward ( sometimes even a few coins ) . My children remember when the B-B-Que chip came to be and they followed in my footsteps of walking to the factory when we would visit my parents. The smells were divine .
The secret , of course , to all chips in those days ( pre- 1965 ) was LARD . The wonder "drug" that made chips taste like a real treat instead of like stale dough. There were at least 8 famous chip brands that had their origin in York , Berks, Lancaster and/or Adams Counties , probably more.
The chip was not only delicious ,but when you got a pound of chips, you got a pound of food , not air. I remember filling the bags up to the rim with chips and then having the girls on the line staple them shut and put them into boxes for shipping to locations.
What in the world happened.................I need not really ask, as the answer is the health patrol and nutrition gods who dictated what is edible and what was not. Pooey , I say.
I won't eat chips now ............... there is not a potato chip made today that is any good.
Cathy
_________________________________
dr karlsberg my doc too…used to be we shared dealers ..now its doctors haha
Shep Gordon
_________________________________
I am so with you.
The artisanal chip is a wonderful thing. I too can't eat just one.
In Chapala-Ajijic, Mexico, outside of Guadalajara you can get these chips that come in a clear bag with hot sauce and the chips themselves are magnificent. I'm orthodox, don't want anything on my chip so I don't care about the hot sauce but my grand daughter goes crazy for the salsa. I was in Mexico City looking high and low for potato chips only to realize slowly that it's a regional thing! The great chips are from the state of Jalisco, which also gave us tequila.
I often stay my hand from buying Rusty's or whatever hand made chip is on sale at Gelsons .... but sometimes I don't.
Wendy Waldman
_________________________________
So funny.
2 things.
First. Michael Kornweiser told us if smashed up the bag we'd get more chips.
Keep in mind we were all six and Michael was seven making him the oldest so naturally we believe Him. And yes wise was the potato chip of choice.
But the funny thing for us Bronx kids is when one of the dads would take us fishing up in Connecticut we would buy Connecticut potato chips that was the brand name. Whether or not they were better than wise made no difference the fact that they were from Connecticut made them exotic
Neil Lasher
_________________________________
Hi Bob! This was a great Sunday read. I remember when I was younger, my favorite potato chip was Jays. They've been around forever!
Their packaging was simple white and blue, nothing fancy. The chips were delicious! My mom always got them as a treat for my brother and I from the old Jewel Food Stores in Chicago. I abhorred the imperfect chips with either green or dark brown edges. I thought those "bad" chips would sicken me, so I always threw them out! It!
Jays Chips are now a part of the Snyder-Lance family of snacks. Glad to see they're still around. And you're absolutely right: the little moments are what make our lives worth living.
Thanks so much for this wonderful post, and have a great week ahead.
Aaron Koral
_________________________________
Oh Bob.... Charles Chips.... I grew up in North Jersey in the 50's and 60's... still live there. The Charles Chips man would deliver the can... it was a beige-y yellow with the logo knocked out of a brown background. I ate to satiation, as you say. Then, my parents who were children of the Depression saved a can and used it to house store-bought chips because they were, of course, less expensive. And hell, you had a great can to store them in. The can was in use in that house until my dad passed away in 2012....
Heading out for a bag of salt and vinegar....
John Mucha
_________________________________
Thanks for all your information and entertainment!
?
HAHA, Charles Chips. It was the summer of 1961 and once again, I had disobeyed my mom and returned home wet and muddy from playing in "the Crick", my own private Amazon Jungle river that ran through the new split-level housing development in Cherry Hill NJ., teeming with the diverse wild life of a turtle, a frog, a grimy rat or two, and the banks lined with a beautiful shiny leafed plant called poison ivy. I had been warned there would be punishment if I continued to "go down the Crick" although nothing specific was mentioned. This time, instead of a crack on the backside, mom outfitted me in a white, fluffy dress with big, red polka dots and shoved me out the front door and locked it. I realized right away I wasn't getting back in the way I went out and to add urgency to the situation, I spied the Charles Chips delivery truck coming down the street so it was to the back of the house I ran. The back door was locked too and I heard the metallic slam of the Charles Chips truck. I was waiting to hear the truck continue on it's delivery route when I heard footsteps coming around to the back patio. I scooted under the wooden picnic table just outside our back door to wait out the delivery. My view was a pair of legs in brown shorts (maybe he moonlit for UPS too) black shoes and black socks that went halfway up his calves. As I watched him almost walk by, my greatest fear was realized when he stopped at the picnic table and bent down with a tin of Charles Chips under each arm and said "Mark? What are you doing there?". I tried to shoo him away with my hand but my mom opened the back door and after a quick exchange, he went on his way. Had lot of good laughs about that one with my mom. Those Charles Chips were GOOD!
Nah, it didn't keep me from going down "the Crick".
Mark Hobbs
_________________________________
Your potato chip post really brought back some memories Bob! I believe we are exactly the same age, so we are on the same timeline (that's why I relate to your music posts so much as well). Wise and Charles Chips were a part of my youth growing up in Bethesda, Maryland. I will also add Utz potato chips in a plastic bag inside a big red, white and blue cardboard box - I remember those as being especially good too. Utz is still around (their Pub Mix has been a fave for years), yet it seems they got out of the potato chip business.
Best Regards,
Bobby Poe, Jr.
_________________________________
Cape Cod potato chips are the best! Had them for the first time in Nantucket and they used to come with a little packet so you could make the dip. Everyone in CT ate Wise but they were too dark / burned tasting and too oily for me. When I moved to California, I would bring back a few bags every trip. Now I can get them at Smart and Final! All these decades later, they're still my favorite!
Lisa Battista
_________________________________
Remember Dipsy Doodles? Like Fritos but saltier and sweeter. The basement of Houston Hall at Penn has vending machines then, the high point of my day was a little bag of said chips and can of 7 Up. Yes, the little things.
Eric Bazilian
_________________________________
I still have my Charlie chip can. The all mustard color can had the chips and the brown one had the pretzels.
It's insane to think they just dumped so many chips into one container.
I guess the idea was they would get stale, but not before they dropped off more next week.
What a name thought, Charlie's chips.
Jared Polin
_________________________________
As Michael Pollan says:
"The banquet is in the first bite"
Taking this adage to heart will help you enjoy your food and eat more slowly. No other bite will taste as good as the first, and every subsequent bite will progressively diminish in satisfaction. Economists call this the law of diminishing marginal utility, and it argues for savouring the first bites and stopping sooner than you otherwise might. For as you go on, you'll be getting more calories, but not necessarily more pleasure.
John Paluska
I loved this and now I'm off to buy some chips!!!!!!
Kate O'Laughlin
_________________________________
But then....you have to have another one, just to enrich the moment a bit longer.
John Brodey
_________________________________
Love your blog. I hope you had a chance to taste the best chips ever, Golden Sun made in Slatington, PA.
The best ever! Long gone. Check out their FB page.
Andy McKittrick
_________________________________
Thought you might find this interesting. When I was a kid my family lived nextdoor to Joe Murphy's brother and so had an endless supply of Tattoo.
Ken Kiernan
In an idea originated by the Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd, formed in 1920, Frank Smith packaged a twist of salt with his chips in greaseproof paper bags, which were sold around London.[19] The potato chip remained otherwise unseasoned until an innovation by Joe "Spud" Murphy, the owner of the Irish crisps company Tayto, who in the 1950s developed a technology to add seasoning during manufacture. After some trial and error, Murphy and his employee Seamus Burke produced the world's first seasoned chips: Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar.[20]Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto's technique.[21]
The first flavored chips in the United States, barbecue flavor, were being manufactured and sold by 1954.[22][23][24] In 1958, Herr's was the first company to introduce barbecue-flavored potato chips in Pennsylvania.
_________________________________
As a youth, I had chip envy. That's right, my parents didn't order Charles Chips and most of our neighbors did. I'd use an excuse to visit my neighbor and friend across the street so I could invade their tins. It didn't matter if it was potato chips or pretzels, I needed a fix. Either was pretty damn perfect. And don't get me started on the seltzer guy. You know, seltzer filled and refilled in glass bottles also delivered door to door. One could make an absolutely perfect egg cream. Sigh, we didn't have seltzer delivered to our house either. I guess I had somewhat of a deprived childhood. We did have a milkman, but as a kid that hardly cut it. Calcium doesn't taste as good as salt.
Stuart K. Marvin
_________________________________
You made my mind wander back to my days growing up in South Georgia. Since Bear Bryant represented Alabama made Golden Flakes chips that was our brand of choice. Every Sunday on his Bama highlight show explaining how his team man handled whomever they played he would always take time out to enjoy some Golden Flake chips and suggest that we do the same. I did have a rich cousin that had Charles Chips delivered in the UPS looking truck but we didn't want nor could afford all that.
Years later both of my beautiful daughters attended Alabama and 4 National Championships later they both graduated .
Thanks for the memories and Roll Tide.
Tom Giddens
_________________________________
You really do write about all the important stuff. Case in point: potato chips. Though I have a stronger point re loving Wise.
I am waiting for the "kettle" chip backlash to begin.
The obsession with maximum crunch has ruined potato chips. Since when did we need everything we consume to crunch with such fierceness? If I wanted to break rocks I would've robbed a bank.
You need the jaw compression strength of a doberman to eat these things.
Is it the entertainment value? Are we such amped up stim-junkies now that even potato chips have to have some level of performance to them? An attribute that was formerly just part of an enjoyable culinary experience had to be tweaked up to peak performance levels on some test chart?
And they're everywhere! You can never find a "regular" potato chip at a party, or at a deli anymore.
That might be good for my health, as I can eat a bag of Wise practically in one bite.
But Jeez, I'm exhausted after eating those things. And none of them taste like potatoes!
Paul Gigante
_________________________________
Oh my god Bob - thank you!!
This is the best writing about potato chips and it just clobbered me as I sit here and eat a piece of toast for the first time in years. I had forgotten about the green spots - why are there no green spots anymore?!?
Absolutely made my morning.
Thank you for all the excellent writing, but this one put a smile on my face. I'm also stealing the Orthodox vs. Reformed chip lines.
Kind regards,
Paul Steckler
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Having grown up in NEPA not far from the town of Berwick I never realized that it was a gentleman named Earl Wise that started the company. I always thought it was just a catchy/heady name for a chip company. Charles Chips came along a few tears later. Once a year my pilgrimage back East must include a trip to Hank's for a hoagie with a bag of Wise potato chips. Still quality products!
Richard King
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Great memories. You're a CT boy. No State Line chips?
Rob Falk
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I feel that way about a pina colada.
Lizzz Kritzer
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Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, I fondly recall those weekly Charles Chips deliveries. Now, in NY, it's UTZ Dark Russets. Impossible to have just one.
All best,
Michael Paoletta
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What a totally honest and beautiful piece you have written here.
Amanda Trees
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Thank you for this. It's among the best.
Danny Broussard
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You've been on the West Coast too long...or did you just forget about Utz Chips and pretzels?!
tutz
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Maui chips!
Michael Leon
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In Cleveland...
In the 60's...
It was Wise in the store...
And Charles at your door...
Marty Bender
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Bob...you could try this, as it is my food
mantra: watch what I eat during the week and on Sunday all bets are off.
I eat whatever I want - including potato chips!
Sari
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So agree Bob!!!!
It's the crunch for me
Also I've recently gone jalapeño kettle oh my
Dr. Blaine Leeds DDS
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ahhhhhhh....we need the crunch
...think about enjoying vegetables that grow above ground vs those from below - far less sugar content
...this brings us to the potato chip vs the bean chip
so ya wanna indulge.....here ya go: check out Beanitos Black Bean Chips
Joanne Smale
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Try Zapp's from New Orleans. Crawtators https://www.target.com/p/zapp-s-new-orleans-kettle-style-spicy-cajun-crawtators-potato-chips-9-5-oz/-/A-47086582
And, the most sublime "Voodoo" https://www.target.com/p/zapp-s-new-orleans-kettle-style-voodoo-potato-chips-9-5oz/-/A-47086581?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Grocery+Essentials+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9007768&gclid=CjwKCAjwo87YBRBgEiwAI1Lkqf7M83AE4-sh15MIu12g8qc2AuHtin40G5OGOZ8sk3L2DlV85eAidhoCB3MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Andrew Schwartz
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NEVER cared for Lays or Pringles as they seemed to only technically
qualify as potato chips, scientifically processed and pounded into
flawless chips, from potato remnants like McD's chicken˛ nuggets.
Particularly unappealing if you were raised on Wise.
Not sure if these are available on the West Coast but Utz Kettle Classic
Gourmet Dark Russets Potato Chips are amazing.
They earned the coveted Zero Willpower Ban at my house as we were eating them like well, like potato chips.
William Nollman
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I'm a Reform Jew, but I'm an Orthodox chip eater.
!!!
Scott
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Your testament to the Reuben a year or so back had me out hunting one down for lunch. Will it be a bag of chips today?
Stuart Gray
The struggle is REAL brother
Matt Hays
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Nothing like a bag of Wise Potato Chips with a Sabrett Dog, and a Yoo-hoo to wash it all down. I'll leave the Tang for the Astronauts.
Regards,
John Conard
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You can still get Charles Chips at Cracker Barrel (restaurants/country stores) on the east coast—Cracker Barrels are at almost every highway exit, especially the exits on Interstates. I store my plugs and cords in a Charles Chips tin. Ah the memories. We weren't financially sound enough to get the chips delivered to our house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My friends all were, though, in the late 60s and early 70s.
If you want me to send you a Charles Chips tin, I'd be happy to do so. With or without chips. Their chips aren't so tasty though. Wise are much better. Maybe I could put a bag of Wise in the tin for you and send it along? Happy to do so. My treat...
Wendy Day
P.S. Wise still exists on the east coast. We get them in Atlanta, too. They are still my first choice for chips. The Wise Honey BarBQue chips are crack!!
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I appreciate your worship of the potato chip.
Take my advice: order a 30 count case of lightly salted, plain Route 11 potato chips from Mount Jackson, Virginia. The perfect combination of kettle cooking, salt and crispness. Not too salty, not too greasy, not too dense. I discovered them while living in Chicago and now I order a case every 3 months or so.
http://www.rt11.com/
30 2 oz. bags for $29 delivered. Can't beat it.
https://www.amazon.com/Route-11-Salted-Potato-Chips/dp/B00KPTN58U/ref=sr_1_5_a_it
You'll thank me.
Dave Curtis
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Bob, you can try Target on Sepulveda north of Burbank.
https://www.target.com/p/wise-174-all-natural-potato-chips-10oz/-/A-47086746
Gary Einhorn
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The Superior Potato Chip rules in Michigan.
Loren Parkins
P.S. Bert Lahr's Lay's Potato Chips commercials....
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Check out Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food by Rachel Herz
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34068474
Hank Stone
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They still make Wise chips.
The real great find is Trader Joe's ode to the Classic Potato Chip--$1.99 a bag, and no scheping to Costco.
Lance Grode
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Your writing so on point, grew up on wise, preferred onion and garlic. Still have Charlie Chip tin on fridge. East coast memories...
salemtower19
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YES. Yesyesyes...
if i was linguistically able, and could put words to paper/pixels, i could have written this. you understand the complex life-long relationship i've had with potato chips.
and here i thought i was the only one...
-f.
--
frank ozaki
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Bob: the below really put smiles on our faces. My Brit wife in particular - they like to claim salt and vinegar as their own. Thank you for this.
Bernie Cahill
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Wise is still around in the Northeast. I can't resist when I go home - same thing for Devil Dogs, which aren't distributed in California, but the odd NY-style pizza place in the Bay Area might order from Amazon and resell them, even though they're not supposed to.
Now if only I could find a Hoodsie...
Jennifer Carney
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You cannot get in between a man and his potato chips. It's a deal breaker
Gary Spivack
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You have to remember the old Lay's motto
"You can't just eat one"
Which is pretty much true....
Tom Hedtke
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Beautiful.
Wayne Callahan
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I'm an Utz girl myself but don't buy them for the same reason!
Terri Haram
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Very happy with Miss Vickies chips
Bob Stevens
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Hello Bob, I still have a couple of Charles Chips metal tins. Two different sizes. Still sturdy, still intact. Thanks for this one, brought back memories. Cara
Cara Trimboli
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That first chip, just as you open the bag, is sublime. This made my mouth water and solidified my plans to eat a bag of chips today. Thank you!
Tim
Midd '89
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Addicting!!! And Wise with the green spots were the best!
(although the sea salt and vinegar are amazing)
Thx Bob
Peter van Roden
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Bob, you brought back an endearing memory of my mother -- height of The Mad Men era:
Engrossed in the latest page-turner, she'd sit at the kitchen table most afternoons, facing the bay window, surrounded by her essentials -- Jack Daniels, Marlboros and Wise potato chips.
Deb Wilker
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Wise are still around in New England. I buy them and love them. I think Bordens bought them out and didn't mess with the recipe. I'm surprised you didn't mention State Line potato chips, which are also still around, though they're made in Canada.
David Przech
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Enjoy your writing.
Brought back memories of Western Massachusetts and Stateline Potato Chips. Mmmm.
Remember the jingle?
Keep at good sir.
Paul Vincent Nunes
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Dear Bob: I just adopted two puppies at the Jefferson County (Watertown, NY) SPCA a couple of days ago. Lo and behold, across the street was the WISE potato chip factory (and yes, still in operation). I wanted my girlfriend to take a picture of me next to a huge owl sign in the front parking lot, but our hands were full... with puppies!
Now I wish I had a pic to send to you.
Best,
George Rossi
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I *believe* Wise are still/mostly today available in the South, as the "generic" alternative to Lay's. Like you said, those brown and green spots were every kid's nightmare, and I think it caught up with them financially at some point...
Okay, I actually just looked it up, because you got my mind to wondering, as I know my old small hometown in NC actually had a Wise plant/warehouse. Wise is based out of Berwick, PA, but they were bought by a huge Mexican company back in 2012. Wise is only available in 15 states now, all along the Eastern seaboard.
Isaac Weeks
Nashville
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The Wise Owl Chip still exists. $.99 for (3) Ounce bags in NYC plus the now available Garlic and Salt and Vinegar flavors and who can forget those insane Wise Onion Rings. But Lays has a BBQ Baked Potato Chip that is insane
Hard to find in LA.
Next up .....Ring Dings
Chris Apostle
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I last saw Wise potato chips in a Grocery Outlet store in Oakland a couple years ago. Probably still get them. And a guy used to deliver us canisters of Charles Chips way back in the Gavin Report days. Now in Great Britain, this is the "crisps" capital of the world. A whole aisle of brands and flavors here...but no Wise.
Keith Zimmerman
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LkEHNsTmg
Let the Shadows of Knight tell you about Fairmont.
J. Riley
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Dear "Wise""Man,
Of course they still make them.
They haven't changed a thing.
I'm sure they're still made in Long Island City or at worst Brooklyn.
So not to worry the chips are adding to the trade deficit with China.
Wise chips are still as greasily finger lickin' good and imperfect as ever.
I don't care how much sodium there is "per serving" because I eat the whole bag in less than a day.
It is as good as it gets.
Cheers from the North Bronx, the sixth borough.
Lou Perrone
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Thanks Bob I had a friend who moved from Ct. to LA.I had to mail her big boxes of Wise chips every few months.Wish I could get them here in CO.Stay well Ted Keane
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http://www.wisesnacks.com/products/potato-chips/golden-original/
https://www.amazon.com/Wise-All-Natural-Potato-Chips/dp/B001WJV7L4
Hyperbolium
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Yes Bob, you can still get Wise chips at least you can in New Jersey!
Jim Ryan
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If you want Wise chips you can find them at Big Lots
Marc Federman
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Indeed. Wise Chips are still sold and made in Pennsylvania. Made in town of Berwick, Pennsylvania.
My uncle had a grocery store back in the 60'a and 70's and a little bit of the 80's, and sold two brand of chips. Wise and Golden Sun, which were made in Slatington, Pennsylvania.
Wise still is a popular brand in certain sections of Pennsylvania. Golden Sun went out of business about 15 years ago
Thomas Huber
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Wise still exists, and sells a variety of flavors now with the owl still a part of the logo. Even carried on Amazon is you need a nostalgia fix.
Robert Papanos
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http://wisechips.com/index.html
Chuck DuCoty
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http://www.wisesnacks.com/
William Hamilton
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I've found WISE chips in Big Lots stores.....for only $1 a bag, with different flavors
flickflackmb
_________________________________
Not the same bag. Where's the owl? Supposedly available at Target. I remember the green spots!!!!
Lee in Nashville
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https://www.amazon.com/s/s/ref=sr_nr_p_89_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awise+potato+chips%2Cp_89%3AWise&keywords=wise+potato+chips&ie=UTF8&qid=1528022787&rnid=2528832011
Michael Levine
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I think Wise Potato Chips are still available. They were childhood favs along with Lays and Gordons. Gordons had a red truck on the bag label. All were good with RC Cola, a southern favorite.
William Perkins
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They still make Wise and I still love them. They have them in upstate NY...NYC, etc.
Jim Lewi
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Send me your address I will send you some Wise! I share your appreciation of them. They sell them on the east coast and i only allow myself i bag every two months but savor every bite!! Dark/ green/brown edges!
Mary Beth Medley
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Still have Wise in Philadelphia. They are the best!!!
Glenn Cooper
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Looks like you can buy at dollar tree, target, Walmart and of course...Amazon.
Here's a store locator link:
http://www.wisesnacks.com/store-locator/
Jane Quick
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Thanks for the memories! Wise is still around.The Judaism/potato chip analogy was hysterical.
Joseph Barbarotta
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https://www.target.com/p/wise-174-all-natural-potato-chips-10oz/-/A-47086746?
You can also find them at Walmart, Amazon and likely your local grocery store.
Bill
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If you really want to forestall death for as long as possible, you gotta stop eating junk, and by junk I don't mean just potato chips, pretzels and cookies, but meat, dairy and eggs. The only things it's safe to eat are whole food and plant based, i.e., fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and mushrooms.
Much as I don't want to, I know I have to die. I accept that. When it happens, though, I don't want it to be my fault. Please watch the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHprfXjtD8&t=225s
Ray Starr
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Bob, re living longer vs. enjoying yourself, check out Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Natural Causes." She's brilliant.
Gary Ross
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...this is as good as it got.
Greg Strickland
Harvey Leeds
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Being a native of York/Adams Counties where the potato chip and pretzel reigns supreme; I have first hand knowledge of chip making when chips were really GOOD ( and I don't mean just the GOOD label ), I mean the taste.
When I was a wee youngster, I lived behind Martin's Potato Chip Factory. I would go down with my siblings and they would give us chips right off the assembly line. When I was 12 ( yes, I know , it was probably illegal ) , I would clean the cans for them and get chips as a reward ( sometimes even a few coins ) . My children remember when the B-B-Que chip came to be and they followed in my footsteps of walking to the factory when we would visit my parents. The smells were divine .
The secret , of course , to all chips in those days ( pre- 1965 ) was LARD . The wonder "drug" that made chips taste like a real treat instead of like stale dough. There were at least 8 famous chip brands that had their origin in York , Berks, Lancaster and/or Adams Counties , probably more.
The chip was not only delicious ,but when you got a pound of chips, you got a pound of food , not air. I remember filling the bags up to the rim with chips and then having the girls on the line staple them shut and put them into boxes for shipping to locations.
What in the world happened.................I need not really ask, as the answer is the health patrol and nutrition gods who dictated what is edible and what was not. Pooey , I say.
I won't eat chips now ............... there is not a potato chip made today that is any good.
Cathy
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dr karlsberg my doc too…used to be we shared dealers ..now its doctors haha
Shep Gordon
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I am so with you.
The artisanal chip is a wonderful thing. I too can't eat just one.
In Chapala-Ajijic, Mexico, outside of Guadalajara you can get these chips that come in a clear bag with hot sauce and the chips themselves are magnificent. I'm orthodox, don't want anything on my chip so I don't care about the hot sauce but my grand daughter goes crazy for the salsa. I was in Mexico City looking high and low for potato chips only to realize slowly that it's a regional thing! The great chips are from the state of Jalisco, which also gave us tequila.
I often stay my hand from buying Rusty's or whatever hand made chip is on sale at Gelsons .... but sometimes I don't.
Wendy Waldman
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So funny.
2 things.
First. Michael Kornweiser told us if smashed up the bag we'd get more chips.
Keep in mind we were all six and Michael was seven making him the oldest so naturally we believe Him. And yes wise was the potato chip of choice.
But the funny thing for us Bronx kids is when one of the dads would take us fishing up in Connecticut we would buy Connecticut potato chips that was the brand name. Whether or not they were better than wise made no difference the fact that they were from Connecticut made them exotic
Neil Lasher
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Hi Bob! This was a great Sunday read. I remember when I was younger, my favorite potato chip was Jays. They've been around forever!
Their packaging was simple white and blue, nothing fancy. The chips were delicious! My mom always got them as a treat for my brother and I from the old Jewel Food Stores in Chicago. I abhorred the imperfect chips with either green or dark brown edges. I thought those "bad" chips would sicken me, so I always threw them out! It!
Jays Chips are now a part of the Snyder-Lance family of snacks. Glad to see they're still around. And you're absolutely right: the little moments are what make our lives worth living.
Thanks so much for this wonderful post, and have a great week ahead.
Aaron Koral
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Oh Bob.... Charles Chips.... I grew up in North Jersey in the 50's and 60's... still live there. The Charles Chips man would deliver the can... it was a beige-y yellow with the logo knocked out of a brown background. I ate to satiation, as you say. Then, my parents who were children of the Depression saved a can and used it to house store-bought chips because they were, of course, less expensive. And hell, you had a great can to store them in. The can was in use in that house until my dad passed away in 2012....
Heading out for a bag of salt and vinegar....
John Mucha
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Thanks for all your information and entertainment!
?
HAHA, Charles Chips. It was the summer of 1961 and once again, I had disobeyed my mom and returned home wet and muddy from playing in "the Crick", my own private Amazon Jungle river that ran through the new split-level housing development in Cherry Hill NJ., teeming with the diverse wild life of a turtle, a frog, a grimy rat or two, and the banks lined with a beautiful shiny leafed plant called poison ivy. I had been warned there would be punishment if I continued to "go down the Crick" although nothing specific was mentioned. This time, instead of a crack on the backside, mom outfitted me in a white, fluffy dress with big, red polka dots and shoved me out the front door and locked it. I realized right away I wasn't getting back in the way I went out and to add urgency to the situation, I spied the Charles Chips delivery truck coming down the street so it was to the back of the house I ran. The back door was locked too and I heard the metallic slam of the Charles Chips truck. I was waiting to hear the truck continue on it's delivery route when I heard footsteps coming around to the back patio. I scooted under the wooden picnic table just outside our back door to wait out the delivery. My view was a pair of legs in brown shorts (maybe he moonlit for UPS too) black shoes and black socks that went halfway up his calves. As I watched him almost walk by, my greatest fear was realized when he stopped at the picnic table and bent down with a tin of Charles Chips under each arm and said "Mark? What are you doing there?". I tried to shoo him away with my hand but my mom opened the back door and after a quick exchange, he went on his way. Had lot of good laughs about that one with my mom. Those Charles Chips were GOOD!
Nah, it didn't keep me from going down "the Crick".
Mark Hobbs
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Your potato chip post really brought back some memories Bob! I believe we are exactly the same age, so we are on the same timeline (that's why I relate to your music posts so much as well). Wise and Charles Chips were a part of my youth growing up in Bethesda, Maryland. I will also add Utz potato chips in a plastic bag inside a big red, white and blue cardboard box - I remember those as being especially good too. Utz is still around (their Pub Mix has been a fave for years), yet it seems they got out of the potato chip business.
Best Regards,
Bobby Poe, Jr.
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Cape Cod potato chips are the best! Had them for the first time in Nantucket and they used to come with a little packet so you could make the dip. Everyone in CT ate Wise but they were too dark / burned tasting and too oily for me. When I moved to California, I would bring back a few bags every trip. Now I can get them at Smart and Final! All these decades later, they're still my favorite!
Lisa Battista
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Remember Dipsy Doodles? Like Fritos but saltier and sweeter. The basement of Houston Hall at Penn has vending machines then, the high point of my day was a little bag of said chips and can of 7 Up. Yes, the little things.
Eric Bazilian
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I still have my Charlie chip can. The all mustard color can had the chips and the brown one had the pretzels.
It's insane to think they just dumped so many chips into one container.
I guess the idea was they would get stale, but not before they dropped off more next week.
What a name thought, Charlie's chips.
Jared Polin
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As Michael Pollan says:
"The banquet is in the first bite"
Taking this adage to heart will help you enjoy your food and eat more slowly. No other bite will taste as good as the first, and every subsequent bite will progressively diminish in satisfaction. Economists call this the law of diminishing marginal utility, and it argues for savouring the first bites and stopping sooner than you otherwise might. For as you go on, you'll be getting more calories, but not necessarily more pleasure.
John Paluska
I loved this and now I'm off to buy some chips!!!!!!
Kate O'Laughlin
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But then....you have to have another one, just to enrich the moment a bit longer.
John Brodey
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Love your blog. I hope you had a chance to taste the best chips ever, Golden Sun made in Slatington, PA.
The best ever! Long gone. Check out their FB page.
Andy McKittrick
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Thought you might find this interesting. When I was a kid my family lived nextdoor to Joe Murphy's brother and so had an endless supply of Tattoo.
Ken Kiernan
In an idea originated by the Smiths Potato Crisps Company Ltd, formed in 1920, Frank Smith packaged a twist of salt with his chips in greaseproof paper bags, which were sold around London.[19] The potato chip remained otherwise unseasoned until an innovation by Joe "Spud" Murphy, the owner of the Irish crisps company Tayto, who in the 1950s developed a technology to add seasoning during manufacture. After some trial and error, Murphy and his employee Seamus Burke produced the world's first seasoned chips: Cheese & Onion and Salt & Vinegar.[20]Companies worldwide sought to buy the rights to Tayto's technique.[21]
The first flavored chips in the United States, barbecue flavor, were being manufactured and sold by 1954.[22][23][24] In 1958, Herr's was the first company to introduce barbecue-flavored potato chips in Pennsylvania.
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As a youth, I had chip envy. That's right, my parents didn't order Charles Chips and most of our neighbors did. I'd use an excuse to visit my neighbor and friend across the street so I could invade their tins. It didn't matter if it was potato chips or pretzels, I needed a fix. Either was pretty damn perfect. And don't get me started on the seltzer guy. You know, seltzer filled and refilled in glass bottles also delivered door to door. One could make an absolutely perfect egg cream. Sigh, we didn't have seltzer delivered to our house either. I guess I had somewhat of a deprived childhood. We did have a milkman, but as a kid that hardly cut it. Calcium doesn't taste as good as salt.
Stuart K. Marvin
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You made my mind wander back to my days growing up in South Georgia. Since Bear Bryant represented Alabama made Golden Flakes chips that was our brand of choice. Every Sunday on his Bama highlight show explaining how his team man handled whomever they played he would always take time out to enjoy some Golden Flake chips and suggest that we do the same. I did have a rich cousin that had Charles Chips delivered in the UPS looking truck but we didn't want nor could afford all that.
Years later both of my beautiful daughters attended Alabama and 4 National Championships later they both graduated .
Thanks for the memories and Roll Tide.
Tom Giddens
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You really do write about all the important stuff. Case in point: potato chips. Though I have a stronger point re loving Wise.
I am waiting for the "kettle" chip backlash to begin.
The obsession with maximum crunch has ruined potato chips. Since when did we need everything we consume to crunch with such fierceness? If I wanted to break rocks I would've robbed a bank.
You need the jaw compression strength of a doberman to eat these things.
Is it the entertainment value? Are we such amped up stim-junkies now that even potato chips have to have some level of performance to them? An attribute that was formerly just part of an enjoyable culinary experience had to be tweaked up to peak performance levels on some test chart?
And they're everywhere! You can never find a "regular" potato chip at a party, or at a deli anymore.
That might be good for my health, as I can eat a bag of Wise practically in one bite.
But Jeez, I'm exhausted after eating those things. And none of them taste like potatoes!
Paul Gigante
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Oh my god Bob - thank you!!
This is the best writing about potato chips and it just clobbered me as I sit here and eat a piece of toast for the first time in years. I had forgotten about the green spots - why are there no green spots anymore?!?
Absolutely made my morning.
Thank you for all the excellent writing, but this one put a smile on my face. I'm also stealing the Orthodox vs. Reformed chip lines.
Kind regards,
Paul Steckler
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Having grown up in NEPA not far from the town of Berwick I never realized that it was a gentleman named Earl Wise that started the company. I always thought it was just a catchy/heady name for a chip company. Charles Chips came along a few tears later. Once a year my pilgrimage back East must include a trip to Hank's for a hoagie with a bag of Wise potato chips. Still quality products!
Richard King
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Great memories. You're a CT boy. No State Line chips?
Rob Falk
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I feel that way about a pina colada.
Lizzz Kritzer
_________________________________
Growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, I fondly recall those weekly Charles Chips deliveries. Now, in NY, it's UTZ Dark Russets. Impossible to have just one.
All best,
Michael Paoletta
_________________________________
What a totally honest and beautiful piece you have written here.
Amanda Trees
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Thank you for this. It's among the best.
Danny Broussard
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You've been on the West Coast too long...or did you just forget about Utz Chips and pretzels?!
tutz
_________________________________
Maui chips!
Michael Leon
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In Cleveland...
In the 60's...
It was Wise in the store...
And Charles at your door...
Marty Bender
_________________________________
Bob...you could try this, as it is my food
mantra: watch what I eat during the week and on Sunday all bets are off.
I eat whatever I want - including potato chips!
Sari
_________________________________
So agree Bob!!!!
It's the crunch for me
Also I've recently gone jalapeño kettle oh my
Dr. Blaine Leeds DDS
_________________________________
ahhhhhhh....we need the crunch
...think about enjoying vegetables that grow above ground vs those from below - far less sugar content
...this brings us to the potato chip vs the bean chip
so ya wanna indulge.....here ya go: check out Beanitos Black Bean Chips
Joanne Smale
_________________________________
Try Zapp's from New Orleans. Crawtators https://www.target.com/p/zapp-s-new-orleans-kettle-style-spicy-cajun-crawtators-potato-chips-9-5-oz/-/A-47086582
And, the most sublime "Voodoo" https://www.target.com/p/zapp-s-new-orleans-kettle-style-voodoo-potato-chips-9-5oz/-/A-47086581?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&CPNG=PLA_Grocery+Essentials+Shopping&adgroup=SC_Grocery&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=m&location=9007768&gclid=CjwKCAjwo87YBRBgEiwAI1Lkqf7M83AE4-sh15MIu12g8qc2AuHtin40G5OGOZ8sk3L2DlV85eAidhoCB3MQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Andrew Schwartz
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NEVER cared for Lays or Pringles as they seemed to only technically
qualify as potato chips, scientifically processed and pounded into
flawless chips, from potato remnants like McD's chicken˛ nuggets.
Particularly unappealing if you were raised on Wise.
Not sure if these are available on the West Coast but Utz Kettle Classic
Gourmet Dark Russets Potato Chips are amazing.
They earned the coveted Zero Willpower Ban at my house as we were eating them like well, like potato chips.
William Nollman
_________________________________
I'm a Reform Jew, but I'm an Orthodox chip eater.
!!!
Scott
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Your testament to the Reuben a year or so back had me out hunting one down for lunch. Will it be a bag of chips today?
Stuart Gray
The struggle is REAL brother
Matt Hays
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Nothing like a bag of Wise Potato Chips with a Sabrett Dog, and a Yoo-hoo to wash it all down. I'll leave the Tang for the Astronauts.
Regards,
John Conard
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You can still get Charles Chips at Cracker Barrel (restaurants/country stores) on the east coast—Cracker Barrels are at almost every highway exit, especially the exits on Interstates. I store my plugs and cords in a Charles Chips tin. Ah the memories. We weren't financially sound enough to get the chips delivered to our house in the suburbs of Philadelphia. My friends all were, though, in the late 60s and early 70s.
If you want me to send you a Charles Chips tin, I'd be happy to do so. With or without chips. Their chips aren't so tasty though. Wise are much better. Maybe I could put a bag of Wise in the tin for you and send it along? Happy to do so. My treat...
Wendy Day
P.S. Wise still exists on the east coast. We get them in Atlanta, too. They are still my first choice for chips. The Wise Honey BarBQue chips are crack!!
_________________________________
I appreciate your worship of the potato chip.
Take my advice: order a 30 count case of lightly salted, plain Route 11 potato chips from Mount Jackson, Virginia. The perfect combination of kettle cooking, salt and crispness. Not too salty, not too greasy, not too dense. I discovered them while living in Chicago and now I order a case every 3 months or so.
http://www.rt11.com/
30 2 oz. bags for $29 delivered. Can't beat it.
https://www.amazon.com/Route-11-Salted-Potato-Chips/dp/B00KPTN58U/ref=sr_1_5_a_it
You'll thank me.
Dave Curtis
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Bob, you can try Target on Sepulveda north of Burbank.
https://www.target.com/p/wise-174-all-natural-potato-chips-10oz/-/A-47086746
Gary Einhorn
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The Superior Potato Chip rules in Michigan.
Loren Parkins
P.S. Bert Lahr's Lay's Potato Chips commercials....
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Check out Why You Eat What You Eat: The Science Behind Our Relationship with Food by Rachel Herz
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34068474
Hank Stone
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They still make Wise chips.
The real great find is Trader Joe's ode to the Classic Potato Chip--$1.99 a bag, and no scheping to Costco.
Lance Grode
_________________________________
Your writing so on point, grew up on wise, preferred onion and garlic. Still have Charlie Chip tin on fridge. East coast memories...
salemtower19
_________________________________
YES. Yesyesyes...
if i was linguistically able, and could put words to paper/pixels, i could have written this. you understand the complex life-long relationship i've had with potato chips.
and here i thought i was the only one...
-f.
--
frank ozaki
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Bob: the below really put smiles on our faces. My Brit wife in particular - they like to claim salt and vinegar as their own. Thank you for this.
Bernie Cahill
_________________________________
Wise is still around in the Northeast. I can't resist when I go home - same thing for Devil Dogs, which aren't distributed in California, but the odd NY-style pizza place in the Bay Area might order from Amazon and resell them, even though they're not supposed to.
Now if only I could find a Hoodsie...
Jennifer Carney
_________________________________
You cannot get in between a man and his potato chips. It's a deal breaker
Gary Spivack
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You have to remember the old Lay's motto
"You can't just eat one"
Which is pretty much true....
Tom Hedtke
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Beautiful.
Wayne Callahan
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I'm an Utz girl myself but don't buy them for the same reason!
Terri Haram
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Very happy with Miss Vickies chips
Bob Stevens
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Hello Bob, I still have a couple of Charles Chips metal tins. Two different sizes. Still sturdy, still intact. Thanks for this one, brought back memories. Cara
Cara Trimboli
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That first chip, just as you open the bag, is sublime. This made my mouth water and solidified my plans to eat a bag of chips today. Thank you!
Tim
Midd '89
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Addicting!!! And Wise with the green spots were the best!
(although the sea salt and vinegar are amazing)
Thx Bob
Peter van Roden
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Bob, you brought back an endearing memory of my mother -- height of The Mad Men era:
Engrossed in the latest page-turner, she'd sit at the kitchen table most afternoons, facing the bay window, surrounded by her essentials -- Jack Daniels, Marlboros and Wise potato chips.
Deb Wilker
_________________________________
Wise are still around in New England. I buy them and love them. I think Bordens bought them out and didn't mess with the recipe. I'm surprised you didn't mention State Line potato chips, which are also still around, though they're made in Canada.
David Przech
_________________________________
Enjoy your writing.
Brought back memories of Western Massachusetts and Stateline Potato Chips. Mmmm.
Remember the jingle?
Keep at good sir.
Paul Vincent Nunes
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Dear Bob: I just adopted two puppies at the Jefferson County (Watertown, NY) SPCA a couple of days ago. Lo and behold, across the street was the WISE potato chip factory (and yes, still in operation). I wanted my girlfriend to take a picture of me next to a huge owl sign in the front parking lot, but our hands were full... with puppies!
Now I wish I had a pic to send to you.
Best,
George Rossi
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I *believe* Wise are still/mostly today available in the South, as the "generic" alternative to Lay's. Like you said, those brown and green spots were every kid's nightmare, and I think it caught up with them financially at some point...
Okay, I actually just looked it up, because you got my mind to wondering, as I know my old small hometown in NC actually had a Wise plant/warehouse. Wise is based out of Berwick, PA, but they were bought by a huge Mexican company back in 2012. Wise is only available in 15 states now, all along the Eastern seaboard.
Isaac Weeks
Nashville
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The Wise Owl Chip still exists. $.99 for (3) Ounce bags in NYC plus the now available Garlic and Salt and Vinegar flavors and who can forget those insane Wise Onion Rings. But Lays has a BBQ Baked Potato Chip that is insane
Hard to find in LA.
Next up .....Ring Dings
Chris Apostle
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I last saw Wise potato chips in a Grocery Outlet store in Oakland a couple years ago. Probably still get them. And a guy used to deliver us canisters of Charles Chips way back in the Gavin Report days. Now in Great Britain, this is the "crisps" capital of the world. A whole aisle of brands and flavors here...but no Wise.
Keith Zimmerman
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LkEHNsTmg
Let the Shadows of Knight tell you about Fairmont.
J. Riley
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Dear "Wise""Man,
Of course they still make them.
They haven't changed a thing.
I'm sure they're still made in Long Island City or at worst Brooklyn.
So not to worry the chips are adding to the trade deficit with China.
Wise chips are still as greasily finger lickin' good and imperfect as ever.
I don't care how much sodium there is "per serving" because I eat the whole bag in less than a day.
It is as good as it gets.
Cheers from the North Bronx, the sixth borough.
Lou Perrone
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Thanks Bob I had a friend who moved from Ct. to LA.I had to mail her big boxes of Wise chips every few months.Wish I could get them here in CO.Stay well Ted Keane
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http://www.wisesnacks.com/products/potato-chips/golden-original/
https://www.amazon.com/Wise-All-Natural-Potato-Chips/dp/B001WJV7L4
Hyperbolium
_________________________________
Yes Bob, you can still get Wise chips at least you can in New Jersey!
Jim Ryan
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If you want Wise chips you can find them at Big Lots
Marc Federman
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Indeed. Wise Chips are still sold and made in Pennsylvania. Made in town of Berwick, Pennsylvania.
My uncle had a grocery store back in the 60'a and 70's and a little bit of the 80's, and sold two brand of chips. Wise and Golden Sun, which were made in Slatington, Pennsylvania.
Wise still is a popular brand in certain sections of Pennsylvania. Golden Sun went out of business about 15 years ago
Thomas Huber
_________________________________
Wise still exists, and sells a variety of flavors now with the owl still a part of the logo. Even carried on Amazon is you need a nostalgia fix.
Robert Papanos
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http://wisechips.com/index.html
Chuck DuCoty
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http://www.wisesnacks.com/
William Hamilton
_________________________________
I've found WISE chips in Big Lots stores.....for only $1 a bag, with different flavors
flickflackmb
_________________________________
Not the same bag. Where's the owl? Supposedly available at Target. I remember the green spots!!!!
Lee in Nashville
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https://www.amazon.com/s/s/ref=sr_nr_p_89_0?fst=as%3Aoff&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Awise+potato+chips%2Cp_89%3AWise&keywords=wise+potato+chips&ie=UTF8&qid=1528022787&rnid=2528832011
Michael Levine
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I think Wise Potato Chips are still available. They were childhood favs along with Lays and Gordons. Gordons had a red truck on the bag label. All were good with RC Cola, a southern favorite.
William Perkins
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They still make Wise and I still love them. They have them in upstate NY...NYC, etc.
Jim Lewi
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Send me your address I will send you some Wise! I share your appreciation of them. They sell them on the east coast and i only allow myself i bag every two months but savor every bite!! Dark/ green/brown edges!
Mary Beth Medley
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Still have Wise in Philadelphia. They are the best!!!
Glenn Cooper
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Looks like you can buy at dollar tree, target, Walmart and of course...Amazon.
Here's a store locator link:
http://www.wisesnacks.com/store-locator/
Jane Quick
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Thanks for the memories! Wise is still around.The Judaism/potato chip analogy was hysterical.
Joseph Barbarotta
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https://www.target.com/p/wise-174-all-natural-potato-chips-10oz/-/A-47086746?
You can also find them at Walmart, Amazon and likely your local grocery store.
Bill
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If you really want to forestall death for as long as possible, you gotta stop eating junk, and by junk I don't mean just potato chips, pretzels and cookies, but meat, dairy and eggs. The only things it's safe to eat are whole food and plant based, i.e., fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains and mushrooms.
Much as I don't want to, I know I have to die. I accept that. When it happens, though, I don't want it to be my fault. Please watch the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHprfXjtD8&t=225s
Ray Starr
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Bob, re living longer vs. enjoying yourself, check out Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Natural Causes." She's brilliant.
Gary Ross
_________________________________
...this is as good as it got.
Greg Strickland
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