Junk Food Nation, I was driving this morning when I passed by a large soccer field with hundreds of little kids playing soccer.  For anyone who lives in a small town, or even in the suburbs of a big city, this is a common site on weekend mornings – lots of little kids, wearing different colored jerseys, running around like crazy playing soccer.

Actually, “playing soccer” might be a stretch. Ever see a soccer game between 7-year olds?  The little rug rats run around like a swarm of bees, chasing after ball in a large group from one end of the field to the other.  The tiny goalies are usually crying or throwing a fit because they’re bored (the ball is at the other end of the field) or diving on the ball when it gets close (despite the fact the ball is as big as he/she is and the moms are hoping he/she doesn’t get kicked in the face).

Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable and cute sight.  The Washington Capitals, the District’s NHL team, often will have tiny tots playing hockey during the intermissions between periods. Like in soccer, the heavily padded kiddies slip and slide all over the rink in a tightly packed crowd as they chase a tiny puck around the ice.  The crowd roars when one is able to break away, although he inevitably slips and slides slowly to the wall of the rink as the puck is consumed by the mass of children who pass him.

Watching little kids play basketball however, in my opinion, is neither cute nor enjoyable. These kids double dribble all over the court only to jack up a shot that always lands five feet short.  The final score of a middle school basketball game is often 9-4.  Um, 9 to 4.  Right.  And people say soccer and hockey is boring.

Anyways, on to today’s Junk Food: 7 Select Big Bite Hot Dog Potato Chips!

The Money Shot

7 Select Big Bite Hot Dog Potato Chips were first pointed out to me by my friend Steve. I got this random photo text and BAM! there were the chips on my phone.  Took me forever to find them (weird) but here they are!  Hot dog flavored chips.  I shudder to think what these taste like.

Still I had reviewed a 7-11 snack in the past, so I was long overdue for a 7-Select fix.

Hot doggy goodness

7 Select is 7-11’s personal line of snacks and drinks, ranging from donuts to jars of queso.   These Big Bite chips are of course a reference to 7-11’s own famous hot dogs, the Big Bite.

These chips look like they are sprinkled with some good thick powder and the bag displays a faint image of a nice hot dog covered in relish, mustard and ketchup.  If I burp after eating these chips, will I also taste hot dog?  We’ll see.

Everything in spanish…but Hot Dog

I like how everything is translated into Spanish…except the word hot dog.  No perrito caliente?

No dog in here

I’m not sure what to think… my first thought was “Hey, there’s no mention of hot dogs in this ingredient list! It’s just a buncha chemicals.”  But then I realized “Well, maybe if I looked on a hot dog package, the ingredient list would ALSO just be a whole listing of chemicals!  Who knows – maybe this IS an accurate listing of hot dog ingredients!”

Truth in advertising

Chips = satisfaction.  I concur.

Non descript

At first glance, the chips look plain and not distinct.  A nice ruffled chip with a good sprinkling of powder. Let me show you some closeup shots:

Closeup 1

Closeup 2

Closeup 3

Not bad looking, these 7 Select Big Bite Hot Dog Potato Chips. Up close you can see some really vibrant red speckles as well as some yellowish specks of flavor powder.  I like that some of the chips have a burnt char on them; makes it feel like its actual potato and reminds me of the charring of a hot dog off the grill.

When I placed the chip in my mouth, I was immediately hit with an explosion of flavor. An extreme tang hit first – tasted just like the tang of a good mustard or the sourness of a pickle-y relish.  Then came the sort-of-sweet taste – the ketchup. Add onto that the flavor of dill, which rounded out the relish taste.  Then, as I swalled, I tasted the faint meaty hint – an homage to the hot dog itself.

It’s genius, actually.  Rather than wasting time and energy trying to replicate the hot dog flavor, 7-11 made these chips taste like hot dogs that had been slathered in all those different condiments, and just added in a tiny hint of hot dog flavor at the end.

A really good chip, actually.  I thought I’d be grossed out, but I kind of like them.  A lot.  7-11, you done me right.

So, what do you think?  Tell me the comments below or hit me on Twitter @junkfoodguy or on my Facebook Page.

Sincerely, Junk Food Guy