Juicy Chips

I know what I want for Christmas.

Chips.

Potato Chips. Herr's Salt and Vinegar potato chips to be exact, the kind that at least two of my nieces called "juicy chips".

They were my father's favorite, and I believe only potato chip. White bag, made in the chip plant down on Seventh Street close to the Norfolk and Western line. When the nieces were younger, they would come up to their grandfather and ask, ever so politely, for some juicy chips, please... and their grandfather, ever a sucker for little kids, would allow them enough juicy chips to eat their fill.

Juicy chips became pretty much a tradition in our house. At one point I noted that I don't believe that I have ever seen a bag of juicy chips being thrown away when there were just crumbs in the bag. Yes, the crumbs were licked clean and every last gram of those chips would disappear before we even thought of disposing of the bag.

Now, we're in Dallas and except for one small incident, Herr's products don't make it down here. My supply of juicy chips has dried up. Frito Lay, based just around the corner in Plano, used to sell their version of salt and vinegar chips at our local Kroger... then they just dried up. Vanished, never to be seen again. Sure, it was a poor substitute for the Real McCoy, but at least a partial fix of somewhat juicy chips was better than none at all. Gotta be a local thing. Much to my surprise and, well, disgust, I found that Frito-Lay is still selling their salt and vinegar chips in Ohio!!! Those so and sos!!! Oh, and by the way, Frito-Lay makes and sells Cracker Jack... which cannot be purchased at a Ranger's game!!! Well!!

I did find a reasonable facsimile to the Herr's products at an out of the way grocery store in Oklahoma. Bought two bags, hoping to find someone who distributed that particular brand of juicy chips (Tom's) here in the metroplex. Neither bag survived the three hour drive back to Allen. I've taken juicy chips from Ohio to Texas on several of the trips I've made there - One bag actually made it back to the land of J.R. Ewing intact, and made it a week before temptation took hold and the chips contained therein were ravenously consumed by my children, Warren, and the lovely Miss Carol. Egad!

Chips are items which do not transport quite so easily over state lines (or at least over the Mississippi) as do other products. Our store manager, originally from New Jersey, will from time to time bring in the remainder of a bag of Wise potato chips - tantilizing the potato chip snobs among us with just the right amount of greasiness and saltiness without all of that nasty "old chip flavour" found in some ordinary chips. About two years ago, the vending machine in the break room offered Herr's (!!) Ketchup flavoured chips for a short amount of time. Oh, the closeness to nirvana!

Chips aren't the only regional food item which we tend to find, then hoard back to our home bases. Texas' Blue Bell Ice Cream, Dr. Pepper made with real cane sugar bottled in Dublin, genuine Texas chili, and those little Mexican candies with the peppers inside have been coveted. We have some beer, too, which is pretty darn good. I particularly enjoy St. Arnold's from Houston, and Real Ale from Blanco (just across from the county court house). We have also savored pepperoni rolls made at Bell's grocery store on the north side of Fairmont, West Virginia (next to the Revco where Mary Lou Retton's family used to shop), sandwiches from Rhoda's in Pittsburgh's Squirrel Hill area, Stoney's beer from Maryland (at least that's where I purchased the last six pack that I had), and deviled Smithfield ham which could at one time be found only in Virginia.

Some of our favourite eating places are sought out, too. We made the mistake of introducing Warren to the reuben sandwich served at the Cross Keys Tavern last summer. Said it was the best he's ever had. Stuart and Sarah both are eager fans of Bob Evans (closest being about a six hour drive away in Missouri). Steak and Shake has finally made it to the Metroplex, but one still cannot get a genuine "slider" from a White Castle. A West Coast chain of hamburger places called In and Out has a veritable legion of fans here, at least judging from the number of In and Out T-shirts seen, despite being no closer than somewhere in Arizona.

Well, with that being said, I'm starting to get hungry. With a goal of losing or at least not gaining any additional poundage this Christmas season, perhaps it's a good thing that I'm out of Herr's market patch and polishing off a bag or two a week of one of my favourite indulgences.

On the other hand, Santa, if you would, please....

Be Seeing You!