Potato Chips

[Dr. Shane]

What is the worse flavor of potato chips you have eaten? I have tried some terrible ones in Mexico but on this side of the border I would have to say "Sea Salt & Vinegar" comes close.

[Bravus]

Yeah, pretty much any salt and vinegar is just mouth-puckering for me (in fact it's happening just talking about them!) Ketchup is not that great either...

[cricket]

Salt and Vinegar chips are great! That's a common flavoring for french fries as well.

To each, his own!

[Bravus]

Bit of vinegar on some actual hot chips (what Merkins call 'french fries', but think big chunky 'steak fries', not McDonalds shoestrng style) goes pretty well, but on crisps (potato chips) I dunno, it's just too intense and salty, without enough actual potato to back it up! Of course, these are all taste judgements, and my girls would join you as salt'n'vinegar fans, Chrys!

[Jeannieb43]

Don't you Canucks go talking bout us Merkins, now...!

<img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/preach.gif" alt="" />

[lazarus]

Natural flavor is rediculous!

[Amelia]

Dill pickle flavor pretty much grosses me out.

[Stan]

Lst time I was in Montreal, I ordered french frys, and the question was "How many packs of vinegar do you want" I then asked her for ketchup.... she knew then I was a foreigner...

Canadians are a peace loving people, largest peacekeepers forces in the world, I would never mock Salt and Vinger chips if you visit canada. Not a friendly experience... <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

[Neil D]

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Jeannieb43 said:

Don't you Canucks go talking bout us Merkins, now...!

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Uh, please excuse my densenesss, and it IS early AM...well, it was ...but what is a Merkins ? Or are you talking about A-mericans?

Oh, and barbeque is ok, ranch is better...jalenpeno flavored is really good with subway sandwiches...

Just my opinion, don't getcher dander up....!

[Bravus]

Yes 'merkin' is short for 'American'. Highlight the text if you want to read the rest of the explanation: [:"white"]It's the purest coincidence that 'merkin' is also the term for a pubic toupee![/]

[Neil D]

Quote:

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Bravus said:

Yes 'merkin' is short for 'American'. Highlight the text if you want to read the rest of the explanation: [:"white"]It's the purest coincidence that 'merkin' is also the term for a pubic toupee![/]

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Well, Bravus, you got me to thinking....and interneting...So,...

What exactly is a "merkin"? See this....

Or highlight below....But beware, it is not for the faint of heart, nor culture...

[:"white"]Dear Cecil:

Ever since the word was thrust into my consciousness it's been tormenting me. My Oxford English Dictionary defines it as the "female pudendum," which seems a trifle sedate, given the listed quote of 1714, "This put a strange Whim in his Head; which was, to get the hairy circle of her Merkin ... This he dry'd well and comb'd out, and then return'd to the Cardinal, telling him, he had brought Saint Peter's Beard."

And it's downhill from there. The OED "b" definition says a merkin is a "counterfeit hair for women's privy parts," and another dictionary calls it a "pubic hair wig." Sorry, but these explanations defy understanding. I mean, I've heard of niche markets, but this is ridiculous. My own interest in the word isn't just academic, as I'd like to make use of the fine quote of 1680, "Or wear some stinking Merkin for a Beard," but I want to make damn sure I know what the original item was. --Andrew Scheinman, Los Angeles

Dear Andrew:

Cecil doesn't have the most reputable sources for this kind of thing. In fact, I blush to admit, I have been fishing for tips once

again on the Internet. I do not want to give the impression I spend all my time on the Internet, but in the right hands it is a

wondrous tool, and in the wrong hands it is an even better one. Here's what's turned up so far:

* A merkin is somebody who lives in Merika. (Har!)

* They used to shave off all the pubic hair as a cure for syphillis, so the well-to-do used wigs.

* Before penicillin was around to ease the lives of the promiscuous, these were used to cover up any sores prostitutes may have obtained in the line of duty.

* They used to treat the syphilitic with mercury, which caused baldness.

* The merkin is for women with no pubic hair. Some people just don't develop hair down there, and this can be embarrassing.

* In days of old a common problem was lice. One of the ways people dealt with this was to shave all the hair off their bodies, including arms, legs, and pubes. Wigs became very popular. Pubic wigs caught on slowly, starting among the kinkier set, but eventually became halfway respectable.

* A merkin is a crotch wig for both men and women and is usually worn on the outside. Have you ever seen a Scot in full regalia? That little fur "purse" in front is a merkin.

* In a country of mainly dark haired people, a prostitute may wear a blond merkin to be unusual and therefore more desirable. (Got this from a dictionary of sex.)

* One of the more recent uses is to allow exotic dancers to comply with local laws prohibiting full nudity. They wear what amounts to a flesh-colored panty with hair on the front, appearing to the patrons of the establishment to disrobe completely without actually doing so.

* In a sci fi story by John Varley called something like "The Barbie Murders," a group of women gives up individuality (and sex) and undergoes surgery to become perfect nonsexual beings resembling Barbie dolls. This involves losing genitals, pubic hair, etc. One Barbie goes back to being a woman for a night, painting on nipples and using a merkin.

Fascinating, ja? Erudite answers from around the globe, and not one of them duplicates another. Also, one is still left with a nagging question: who's a merkin supposed to fool? By the time you get to the level of intimacy where somebody is going to see whether you have pubic hair or not, your range of observation, as we might say, is such that a wig is not going to make for a very convincing masquerade, strippers possibly excepted. VOICE FROM THE NET: Yeah, but during the period when merkins were popular, the degree of intimacy among the upper class was low even during sex. ME: What's that supposed to mean, you had your valet do it for you? You sent it in by mail? Clearly more investigation needs to be done. [/]

[Bravus]

Thanks for that detailed research. But see, now it looks as though I'm lowering the tone of the discussion (again!), whereas 'Merkin' really is just affection slang for Septics. <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Neil D]

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Bravus said:

Thanks for that detailed research. But see, now it looks as though I'm lowering the tone of the discussion (again!), whereas 'Merkin' really is just affection slang for Septics.

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Septics???? Shoot, now you are doing it again and I am lost..And it is MID morning now.... Septics??? Septics?? garbage???? Oh, phooey!...So much for potatoe chips....

[Bravus]

Googling 'seppos' might get you the info you need, grasshopper.

[LynnDel]

Uh, potato chips? What happened to the potato chips???

LD

[Bravus]

This here is what's known as a 'threadjack' <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Sorry, allow me to try to bring it back on track:

There's a flavour here in Canada called 'All Dressed'. I'm not even sure what that means, but they're OK. I still favour the normal, natural flavour of a tiny bit of potato and a huge quantity of fat and salt, personally. <img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

[Halfstep Denise]

Yes, what did happen to the subject of potato chips?

Bravus, thanks for ruining the thread!

Thanks to Bravus, I'll be sorely tempted to slap anyone silly that calls me Merkin! I am an AMERICAN!

Oh, by the way, I like just about any potato chip, unless it is excessively salty.

Denise Farquhar

[Jeannieb43]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">Quote:</font><hr />

DeniseFarquhar said:

Yes, what did happen to the subject of potato chips?

Bravus, thanks for ruining the thread!

Denise Farquhar

<hr /></blockquote><font class="post">

Uh-mmmm.... I'm guilty.

Bravus didn't do it. I did.

Start talkin' 'bout Merkins, that is.

But it was fun! Learned all about vinegar on chips, plus Merkins and septics......

<img src="/ubbtreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[Neil D]

Quote:

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Uh-mmmm.... I'm guilty.

Bravus didn't do it. I did.

Start talkin' 'bout Merkins, that is.

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[standing upon the ] Jeannie, you made a comment during the thread, which all threads end up having....It was NOT you who threadjacked this thread...Twas ME!.[taking the bow on the soapbox, slightly wobbling it] I asked for the definition of ....well, THE word... and it went from there... So, I am guilty of thread jacking...we all learned something... so sue me.

I saw a new flavor of potatoe chip...kelp and sea salt...Anyone had that? Whatsit tastes like? [and PuLEEEEse, don't say "like potatoe chips with kelp and salt"! ]

[Halfstep Denise]

My husband reminded me that we were given a bag of Lime flavored Potato Chips. The first few tasted good, but the second handful wasn't as enjoyable! It took a whole lot longer to get through that bag!!

Denise Farquhar

[LynnDel]

I don't like the vinegar flavored ones either - too sharp for my taste. But I do love the kettle-cooked/flash-baked potato chips. Very crisp, taste more like real potatoes than most chips.

LD

[Derrell M]

I make my own kettle-cooked potato chips. I like them fresh with just salt and pepper.

[Amelia]

OOooooo how do you do that?

[Neil D]

I like my own salt flavored chips that I oven cook to a brown crisp....They are just a bit healthier, ...it seems to me...

[Derrell M]

Slice them paper thin (leaving the skin on) drop them in the deep fryer, stirring them occassionaly until they achieve the browness that appeals to me. Drain, season, and eat them.

Slicing them with a knife will take forever. If you have a slicer that can be adjusted to super thin, that is best.

For variety you can shred instead of slicing, or use sweet potatoes.