That would be Fritos Barbecue corn chips. But they aren't the same as the old ones. Which as I recall I first had in the 1970's. The old ones were a little sweeter and had no kick. I didn't notice when they disappeared, but I saw them again in Summer 2018. There was discussion about this on the internet. The talk was that the Barbecue flavor Fritos were brought back as a seasonal item but were discontinued again after that Summer. For the past month, I've seen them available again. They are not the same as the Chile-Cheese version
The current ones have a taste of heat in them. Which I've found to be consistent with the trend of a number of food products. That is, a greater tendency to spiciness. This came to my attention in the Polish Dog sandwich at Der Wienerschnitzel. Yes, we still have one in Everett, WA. The owners told me they were the only one in the state. The sausage in this sandwich used to be a Kielbasa-type without hot spicing. The current one is a little on the hotter side.
This discussion reminds me of many consumer food products that have come and gone. Mrs. Merkt and I have decided that it's not wise to accumulate favorites, because when you do this, you will mourn their loss when they are discontinued. Some examples in my life:
Breakfast cereals:
"Jets" made by General Mills. These were made of oats and wheat with a sugar coating. The originals were round balls. Later, they were changed to the shape of a little jet. They've been gone for a long time.
"Trix" also from General Mills. These are still available, but they have been reformulated and for me are not longer edible. The round ball shape disappeared; they are random fruity shapes now but the taste was also changed.
"Honeycombs" by Post. This product has been reformulated at least three times that I know of. The first time this happened, there was a huge consumer blow-back which resulted in the third version. Which isn't the same as the first, but better than the second.
"Puffa Puffa Rice" This was from Kellogg's, frosted puffed rice. It was very good but I don't think it outlasted the 1970's.
Just try to find regular puffed rice.
"Kellogg's Concentrate" Guess who made this one. This was a kinda dietary cereal, not branny but advertised as being good for the digestion. I didn't like it for those reasons but I found it very tasty. Of course it came in a small, pricey, gold-colored box because it packed more densely.
There are many more discontinued cereals, such as:
Many of these were novelty products based on then-current entertainment trends, etc., and were doomed from the start to early discontinuation.
One more thing about "cold" cereals, which my grandparents always referred to as "breakfast food." That is, just how many versions of a certain shape and formulation do we really need? Have you ever noticed just how many versions of Cheerios are on the shelf now? Or Frosted Mini-wheats? I have also noticed that Kellogg's has multiple flavors of Frosted Flakes. I think I've seen Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes (-puke-).
Along this same line, just how many versions of Oreo cookies are needed? The marketing people must think many, because I've seen between 12 and 15 different versions. Google says there are 30 different Oreos.
I've got to move this along. I will limit my final comments to lunch meats. Or cold cuts, whatever you want to call them. Consumer preference is really cutting into the selection in this category. My favorite brand has been Oscar Mayer, which is no longer an independent company. Now it is owned by Kraft / Heinz. I think one dynamic for a reduced selection of cold cuts is because these days, fewer people put their own sandwiches and lunches together and purchase fast food out instead.
Cotto Salami is still available. This has been one that I never liked. That so obviously fatty stuff with the whole peppers in it. Read the label, main ingredient, pork hearts. Now I know cold cuts are made of packing house left-over, that's fact. But I don't want to read it on the label.
The one I liked the most was Jellied Corn Beef. Which was flaked corned beef suspended in gelatin (liquified bone and hoof). It hasn't been available for many years. As an adult, I also liked the square-shaped Liver Cheese, the stuff with the little ring of white fat around the edge (my bad). It was available up until about eight or ten years ago, but I haven't seen it since. Just as well, I shouldn't eat anything that fatty.
Two others I liked were Pimento and Pickle Loaf and Olive Loaf. The former has been gone for ten years. I've seen the Olive Loaf in the deli case at Walmart within the last couple of years but not lately.
I may continue with a discussion of candy bars if this post doesn't get me thrown off the website.
The current ones have a taste of heat in them. Which I've found to be consistent with the trend of a number of food products. That is, a greater tendency to spiciness. This came to my attention in the Polish Dog sandwich at Der Wienerschnitzel. Yes, we still have one in Everett, WA. The owners told me they were the only one in the state. The sausage in this sandwich used to be a Kielbasa-type without hot spicing. The current one is a little on the hotter side.
This discussion reminds me of many consumer food products that have come and gone. Mrs. Merkt and I have decided that it's not wise to accumulate favorites, because when you do this, you will mourn their loss when they are discontinued. Some examples in my life:
Breakfast cereals:
"Jets" made by General Mills. These were made of oats and wheat with a sugar coating. The originals were round balls. Later, they were changed to the shape of a little jet. They've been gone for a long time.
"Trix" also from General Mills. These are still available, but they have been reformulated and for me are not longer edible. The round ball shape disappeared; they are random fruity shapes now but the taste was also changed.
"Honeycombs" by Post. This product has been reformulated at least three times that I know of. The first time this happened, there was a huge consumer blow-back which resulted in the third version. Which isn't the same as the first, but better than the second.
"Puffa Puffa Rice" This was from Kellogg's, frosted puffed rice. It was very good but I don't think it outlasted the 1970's.
Just try to find regular puffed rice.
"Kellogg's Concentrate" Guess who made this one. This was a kinda dietary cereal, not branny but advertised as being good for the digestion. I didn't like it for those reasons but I found it very tasty. Of course it came in a small, pricey, gold-colored box because it packed more densely.
There are many more discontinued cereals, such as:
29 Discontinued Cereals That Deserve a Comeback
Check out some of the best discontinued cereals that we wish would come back to grocery stores. These breakfast cereal will make you feel nostalgic!
restaurantclicks.com
Many of these were novelty products based on then-current entertainment trends, etc., and were doomed from the start to early discontinuation.
One more thing about "cold" cereals, which my grandparents always referred to as "breakfast food." That is, just how many versions of a certain shape and formulation do we really need? Have you ever noticed just how many versions of Cheerios are on the shelf now? Or Frosted Mini-wheats? I have also noticed that Kellogg's has multiple flavors of Frosted Flakes. I think I've seen Pumpkin Spice Frosted Flakes (-puke-).
Along this same line, just how many versions of Oreo cookies are needed? The marketing people must think many, because I've seen between 12 and 15 different versions. Google says there are 30 different Oreos.
I've got to move this along. I will limit my final comments to lunch meats. Or cold cuts, whatever you want to call them. Consumer preference is really cutting into the selection in this category. My favorite brand has been Oscar Mayer, which is no longer an independent company. Now it is owned by Kraft / Heinz. I think one dynamic for a reduced selection of cold cuts is because these days, fewer people put their own sandwiches and lunches together and purchase fast food out instead.
Cotto Salami is still available. This has been one that I never liked. That so obviously fatty stuff with the whole peppers in it. Read the label, main ingredient, pork hearts. Now I know cold cuts are made of packing house left-over, that's fact. But I don't want to read it on the label.
The one I liked the most was Jellied Corn Beef. Which was flaked corned beef suspended in gelatin (liquified bone and hoof). It hasn't been available for many years. As an adult, I also liked the square-shaped Liver Cheese, the stuff with the little ring of white fat around the edge (my bad). It was available up until about eight or ten years ago, but I haven't seen it since. Just as well, I shouldn't eat anything that fatty.
Two others I liked were Pimento and Pickle Loaf and Olive Loaf. The former has been gone for ten years. I've seen the Olive Loaf in the deli case at Walmart within the last couple of years but not lately.
I may continue with a discussion of candy bars if this post doesn't get me thrown off the website.