Reading food articles is one of my guilty pleasures.
I love finding out what may or may not be secret menus at fast food places, looking into what entrees or desserts are be upcoming seasonal offerings at national chains, and changes that might be afoot.
Whether it’s shrinking sizes of chicken pot pies, unique advent calendars or the latest limited-time milkshake, I’m here for it.
Last week did not disappoint. Two weeks before we gather around the holiday table to give thanks, we have another item to add to the gratitude list:
We can soon nosh on Cheetos and Doritos without risk of stained fingers.
That’s because parent company PepsiCo is preparing to introduce consumers to — drumroll, please — naked chips!
Simply NKD snacks are, according to releases, a new line of “simply colorless” Cheetos and Doritos. They’re void of artificial dyes and flavors, with reportedly the taste consumers crave. Reportedly.
USA Today quotes one PepsiCo official calling the bare chips “a snacking revolution, or a renaissance, if you will.”
As an aging woman who’s been embarrassed by pink-tinged fingers from red dyes that wouldn’t completely wash off after tearing into a bag of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, I look forward to trying the new snacks. Not only are they natural, they dovetail perfectly with my incessant need for napkins to wipe food remnants from my fingers and mouth.
That said, it’s going to be … interesting.
In efforts to extend my time on this planet as long as possible, I rarely partake in chips these days. But I must confess they are one of my favorite things to munch on. And one of the things that give Doritos and Cheetos that “umph!” is the dust that clings to the outside of the chip, whether it be the orange-tinted “cheese” of Doritos Nacho Cheese and Cheetos Puffs or the herbal auspices of Cool Ranch Doritos.
Lucky for us, we don’t have to give those up. PepsiCo has the insight to offer the bald variety as well as the ones we’ve always known and loved.
(Could this be a lesson learned from another soft drink company that forced a reinvented beverage on an unsuspecting public in the 1980s without keeping the favored original formula on the shelves?)
Simply NKD chips should be on store shelves starting Dec. 1. I’m buying the Flamin’ Hot ones to see if they’re as tasty as their brilliant red dusty counterparts.
But like in the 1980s, when the classic soft drink returned, I see myself going back to the OG snacks.
To keep my fingers dye free, I may employ a life hack I’ve seen online of eating them with chopsticks. Or perhaps I’ll take a page from a colleague who eats messy snacks while wearing disposable gloves.
Most likely, though, you’ll know when I’ve been on a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos binge by the pink-stained digits grasping my ever-present red pen.
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So many of you have reached out with emails and cards since I had my health crisis and injury in October. Your kind words and prayers have meant a great deal to me, and I have no doubt they’re playing a role in my healing process.
With all my heart, I thank you. I am truly blessed.
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Cheryl Duncan is editor of the Crossville Chronicle. She may be reached at cduncan@crossville-chronicle.com or 931-484-5145.