Packet #95 - Bénenuts 3D's Bugles

Moulin Rouge, football and bugles all have one thing in common. That's right, LOUD NOISES. And if there's one thing we like here at the blog it's LOUD NOISES. In fact sometimes we have competitions to see who can make the loudest noise. So when my eyes came across this bag of 3D's Bugles in a busy side street of Paris I roared the immortal catchphrase of Kriss Akabusi, AWOOGA! Victory was surely mine.

How wrong I was. Not only could you not play this particular type of bugle but they were almost inedible. It was as if some one curled up tiny pieces of cardboard and packaged them as crisps. Imagine eating a mix of sawdust and shredded wheat and you're nearly there. The one positive I will give the gang at Bénenuts is that there's an almighty crunch when you bit into their bugle. This was the reason I didn't stop eating after the first handful. In fact I got so carried away with the crunch that soon there was a cement like paste forming in my mouth. Fortunately I was surrounded by refreshments and was soon back making a racket again.

I'm pretty sure this is the only bag of crisps I have never finished. This has to be a sign. A sign that they are a terrible crisp and to avoided at all costs. Unless you like eating things similar to sawdust, then go for it. You've got my support.

Deano

Packet #51 - Monoprix Crackets - Goût Cacahuète

Hello cripsisseurs. After a brief jaunt to France I am bringing you a rare foreign report. France is not known for its crisps. Yes the cousin of the potato crisp, the French fry, bears the nations name but I have been reliably informed that the Belgians invented these thin chips and the French stole it. Or perhaps they were rebranded because “Belgian Fries” sounds weird and boring. So how would this nation of gourmands fair when it comes to a snack of the salted variety?

I was gagging for a bag of msg laden goodness after excessive consumption of salad the previous night. I stumbled upon a “Monoprix” supermarket and grabbed a packet of their own-brand “Crackets”. I didn’t know what flavour or type of crisp they were at the time but, Google Translate has since informed me that they are peanut flavour and that they are crispy. Two things I worked out pretty fast. Underneath it bizarrely says they are “for the evening light with pirouettes” (or maybe Google Translate failed me on that occasion). I ate them walking down the street in the late morning.

Crackets have a slightly sticky and crunchy texture. Definitely not organic, hand-crafted fair here. The flavour was unknown to me and the closest thing I can compare it to, is peanut butter. After an initial cautious first few, I found myself loving these odd shaped delights. So much so, I am not ashamed to say, that I consumed all 90 grammes and didn’t share one with the homeless looking hippy who asked for a handful. These are definitely a case of strange but strangely addictive. 

Rory.