The day started badly, with news of the Manchester bombing. I mention it because it seems to be something that should be mentioned, though I have nothing useful to say on the subject.
I think I’ve reflected on this before, and the way we select what goes into our posts. Nobody is going to be reprinting my blog in 100 years and treating it as a valuable social history resource because it’s lightweight fluff and random jottings. However, if I was sitting at a desk with a pen and a book, and a lack of immediate audience, I might be tempted to become serious, or even pompous.
An earlier draft of this post was much more serious, and tried to be meaningful, even profound. However, I soon put a stop to that.
I’m currently watching Secrets of our Favourite Snacks with Simon Rimmer. i’m feeling quite virtuous as I watch, because I’ve pretty much given up crisps and other salty snacks. Apart from nuts, but they are too expensive to go mad on, and are full of nutrients. (That’s a personal view and I would probably struggle to find scientific proof for it. If you follow my nutritional advice don’t bother to ring me from the cardiac ward and complain it’s worked out badly for you.)
I’ve learned three useful things so far – the bigger the container the more you eat, if you are distracted you eat more and there’s a man who writes a crisp blog. Even by my standards that’s a lightweight blog. (The link might not be to the crisp blog mentioned in the programme but it’s the only one I could find.
They then went to Manchester as people in North-west eat the most salty snacks of anyone in the UK. Seems Manchester is fated to be in the news today.
So very, very sorry about Manchester. What a terrible tragedy! As for crisps, or chips, as we call them here, Clif is with you all the way. Me, I’m more of a sweets person 😉
The industry is concentrating on luxury popcorn for the female half of the market.
As for Manchester, it’s happened before and we never seem to learn. Both tragic and depressing.
I know. At times words seem inadequate to express the sorrow and the horror of such an event.
As for luxury popcorn…count me in!
Smart people, these snack makers. Maybe we should kill two birds with one stone and make them responsible for world peace.
Crisps without a little blue bag inside the packet are a waste of time
But crisps with fine ground salt taste saltier than crisps with the equivalent amount of coarse salt so blue hags are probably a health hazard.
Of course, debating the healthiness of crisps is like comparing the merits of different nuclear weapons. None of them are actually good for us.
😉
I believe there was an article that said if there is a bowl of snacks in front of you and you are idly eating, you are likely to eat 10% more than you would have if it were somewhere else….or as they say, out of sight, out of mind.
Yes, they did some experiments like that. The snack industry knows more about what makes us eat than we do.
I am saddened by the wanton destruction and loss of life that occurred in Manchester. Thoughts and prayers are with the U.K.
I admit to loving salt. 🙂
Thank you. Unfortunately humans never seem to learn that bombs solve nothing.
They reduced the salt content over the years but kept the taste by grinding it finer. Clever people! 🙂
So sorry about Manchester. It’s senseless, isn’t it? As for ‘crisps’ as you all say, I can’t have them in the house. They’re the only thing I will eat with increasing lack of restraint. I just buy the sandwich sized bags. One at a time. No they aren’t a vegetable.
It’s been bombed by the Germans and the Irish in the past – humans never seem to learn.
I try not to have then in the house too, I really don’t need the salt and they are so easy to eat.
Diary blogs should be just that so I think you made a wise choice today.
Thanks – it’s not always easy to decide. 🙂
He’s on packet number 97! How long can this go on?
How many sorts of crisp are there? It could go on for years yet. I admire his fortitude.
Fortitude is one way to put it!
When I tried a pie blog it only took a month before I never wanted to see another pie!
Oh yes – I see what you mean. Mu Mum temped in the 1970s and 80s and worked fro both Walkers and Golden Wonder. Apparently, in the staff canteens new staff were inundated with offers of unusual flavours of crisps to try. Great for a day or two, but then, as you say, the novelty quickly palls.
Yes, we lived in York at one time – Terry’s chocolate used to let people eat as much as they liked. After a couple of weeks they didn’t want any more.
I can imagine. But it requires an effort on my part, to imagine turning down chocolate. Perhaps I need a job in a chocolate factory.
I worked with poultry for years – hardly ate an egg. 🙂
The less salt you eat, the saltier things begin to taste if they have any salt at all in them. I’ve already given up crisps and more recently, bacon, both of which have become just unpleasant.
Yes, I gave up cooking with salt nearly 30 years ago and adjusted to that quite easily, discovering that many things became too salty after that, though I persisted with snacks until recently, and still eat bacon. I even find some bread to be too salty now.