Snack You Silly

Fun Fact: Euro Shopper Paprika Chips have the longest shelf life of any of the discount European snack chips
Recommended T.O.E.: When you’re bored on a train in Europe and you’ve run out of friends to email

“An unpretentious international package sure to satisfy”

Last week I caught day five of the five days off festival in Amsterdam. After a solid set from Brazil’s female-fronted CSS, the crowd was treated to the sounds of Australia’s Midnight Juggernauts. I say they are from Australia not because I know this, but because some jackass in the balcony was waving an Australian flag. So either they are from Australia or that kid is from Australia and really proud of it.

Midnight Juggernauts play haunted house music. They opened with the synth sounds of a Halloween TV special and refused to vary it from there. A lot of people play haunted house music well, like Mr. Bungle, Tom Waits, and actual haunted fucking houses. But these guys don’t. They have all the build up and pretense without the climax. No punchline, no spooks or screams, and certainly no candy at the end of the tunnel.

In terms of trick or treating, Midnight Juggernauts are the kid that comes to your door in what would have been a scary costume except that it’s on backwards and his mom made him wear a jacket over it. On top of that the kid forgets to say trick or treat and intead just stands there - all posturing and a serious disappointment.

Thankfully, Euro Shopper’s Paprika chips are just the opposite. Although some might claim that using unusual flavor in potato chips is overly trendy, the fact that these chips are Euro Shopper brand puts that assertion to rest. With a logo reminiscent of Starbucks’, Euro Shopper is the European Union’s answer to Store 24 Select, a bargain brand undoubtedly subsidized by Europe’s socialist-level taxes. Plus, paprika is a spice your mom uses, and although it appeared in the title of that trendy Japanimated acid party flick, it’s nothing compared to the South American hipster fave yerba mate.

The chips themselves are simple and delicious. I snacked on the same bag for over a day without growing tired of them. Resting somewhere between regular and BBQ , the flavor is mild enough to avoid smothering the potato inside and has a husky finish. The flavor coating leaves just enough powder on your fingers to make for satisfying licks without annoying the hell out of you by blanketing your entire hand.

In terms of texture, Euro Shopper continues to deliver. Although not as crisp as a Cape Cod chip, the crunch here should not be disparaged, especially given the price tag. Euro Shopper achieves this satisfying snap by placing potatoes ahead of vegetable oil on the ingredients list, and by producing them in Belgium. I bought them in Holland. With potatoes undoubtedly sourced from Ireland, these chips are an unpretentious international package sure to satisfy.

-Jesse Gubb

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 at 2:11 am and is filed under 3 Stars, Chips, Jesse Gubb. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.