For the last four years, Barry Enderwick has tried hundreds of different chips from all over the globe. Back in 2018, he was trying to figure out what to do for his first foray into social media, and because of his passion for food and curiosity about interesting flavor combinations, a friend suggested that he start a food vlog. From that suggestion came “In the Chips with Barry,” an Instagram account with nearly 10,000 followers and a TikTok page with more than 24,000.
Having eaten everything from Lay’s Creamy Forest Mushroom Chips from Poland to Tasto’s Seaweed Salmon Teriyaki Chips from Thailand, Enderwick has taste-tested tons of exotic chips over the past few years, many of which have been mailed to him from his loyal followers from around the world. Some have been surprisingly good, like Lay’s Cherry Milk-flavored chips from China, while others have been a major disappointment.
Although there are a lot of chips for him to think back on, I asked Enderwick to choose the five worst he’s ever had. To the best of his memory, these are the ones that still leave a lousy taste in his mouth…
5) Plum-Flavored Potato Chips
Country of Origin: China
Brand: Lay’s China
Barry’s Breakdown: “As soon as I opened this bag of chips, it smelled like potpourri — like someone just sprayed a bunch of perfume onto some potato chips. Now, I like the intersection of sweet and savory, but these didn’t taste right at all. It definitely tasted like plum — so they succeeded there — but I don’t know if I want that flavor on a chip. Honestly, I don’t think this one is necessarily bad, but I don’t think it was designed for the American palate.”
4) Chipotle Pulled Pork BBQ Potato Chips
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Brand: Morrison’s “The Best” brand
Barry’s Breakdown: “Despite being labeled as chipotle, barbecue and pulled pork-flavored, these chips didn’t fulfill the promise of any of those flavors. There was a slight sweetness to them and a slight smokiness, and I guess there was a bit of a pork flavor too, but it was all too mild. There was no heat to it either. It got me wondering, ‘Is this what the U.K. thinks barbecue is?’ The brand name also really bothered me on this one, too — it’s called ‘The Best,’ which it definitely isn’t.”
3) Scorchin’ Hot BBQ Crisps
Country of Origin: America
Brand: Pringles
Barry’s Breakdown: “I’ve really got to take Pringles to the shed over this one. I recently tried their Scorchin’ Hot BBQ chips and they weren’t hot, they weren’t scorchin’ and the barbecue flavor was barely there. Sometimes barbecue sauce is a bit smokey, sweet or tangy, but this was just a generic idea of barbecue sauce and nothing more. This also seems to be a recurring problem with Pringles in the U.S., and I don’t know why — they’re really hit or miss. I had their jalapeño ones and they were great, but Pringles flavors in America are often unevenly flavored and under seasoned. It’s especially strange because every time I’ve had Pringles from overseas — like from Thailand or Germany — they’re great. But here in the U.S., they seem to have some sort of manufacturing problem.”
2) Pumpkin Pie Potato Chips
Country of Origin: America
Brand: Boulder Canyon
Barry’s Breakdown: “I like pumpkin pie in general, but I’m not a big fan of pumpkin pie-flavored stuff, so when I got these chips, I was not excited about them. When I opened the bag, it smelled exactly like a pumpkin pie — which was very strange — and as soon as I tried one, it tasted awful. It tasted exactly like pumpkin pie and potato chips which is just weird — too weird for me. I do not recommend.”
1) Durian Fruit-Flavored Potato Chips
Country of Origin: China
Brand: Lay’s China
Barry’s Breakdown: “Durian fruit-flavored chips is another flavor that I just don’t think is meant for a Western palate. If you’ve never had durian fruit, it has a very strong smell to it which kind of resembles gym socks. Even folks who eat durian fruit will admit that it reeks when you smell it.
“As for the chips, they surprisingly didn’t smell too bad, but they definitely had that durian fruit taste. The taste is hard to describe — it’s kind of sweet and onion-y and cheesy. Lay’s China did a really good job of getting that flavor onto these chips, but I just don’t like durian fruit. If you’re really curious about them, I got my bag off eBay. But like I’d say with all of these chips, try them at your own risk.”
Brian VanHooker
Brian VanHooker is a staff writer at MEL specializing in pop culture, food (especially pizza) and long form oral histories. He is the co-creator of the comic book "Barnum & Elwood" and "The Tramp," a comedy pilot starring John O'Hurley. He also hosts a TMNT interview podcast called "Turtle Tracks" and was once called a "Good Guy" by Mr. T.
