HUMP DAY, Junk Food Nation!  Let’s get right to it, now that I’ve had the chance to absorb the Duke win on Monday evening. Like I mentioned Monday, I was conflicted because I wanted Wisconsin to win for bragging rights purposes, but if Duke won, the JFGal would be the big winner in all of HER pools (and the attached cash). And you know what? I’M STILL BITTER. THE JFGAL DOESN’T EVEN LIKE BASKETBALL. *Grumble*

In the Junk Food Nation Bracket, I have to congratulate Sue, or “Teddy Grahams and Dunkaroos”!! Sue won primarily because she correctly chose every Final Four team. Me? I stayed at 5th. *GRUMBLE* Shoot me an email, Sue, and I’ll figure out what sort of goodies I’m going to send you.

I also wanted to discuss this recent news article, since the end of the tournament reminded me of Las Vegas: apparently a Las Vegas woman recently got a $200 traffic ticket for applying Chapstick while driving! BUT, even more jarring (to me) – SHE WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT.

As the article notes: “Laws banning texting or using a cellphone while driving have become ubiquitous. But the one that snared Fragoso goes even further. And this week, police in Las Vegas were cracking down: Fragaso said the officer told her that drivers caught with their hands anywhere but on the wheel were liable to be ticketed.

“'[The ordinance] states that when a person is operating a vehicle they must provide full attention to the driving so that it won’t render that action to be unsafe,” Nevada Highway Patrol trooper Loy Hixson told KLAS.'”

HOLY EFF. Ticketed for having your hands anywhere BUT the wheel?????? Uh, wow. What if I need to pick my nose? I’LL GO TO COURT FOR THE RIGHT TO PERSONALLY MINE MY NOSE.

The other examples in the article that this law is apparently attempting to crack down on are, admittedly problematic – people watching TV in their cars, shaving, etc. But applying Chapstick? At a red light? Look, I am against distracted driving – I want to scream at people who are texting while driving – but applying Chapstick at a red light???

Time to let me know what YOU think in the comments below, JFNation. And, oh yeah – NEVER TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE WHEEL IN LAS VEGAS.

Today’s junk food: New Cape Cod Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream Kettle Cooked Potato Chips!!

New Cape Cod Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream Kettle Cooked Potato Chips: The Money Shot

One of my favorite chips in the whole wide world, JFNation, are Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream potato chips. I mean, they are just heavenly. Just a classic chip – I love the original, the JFGal likes the Baked. Just the perfect combo of salt, cheese, sour cream – YUM.

So when I saw these New Cape Cod Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, and saw that this could be a chance to (MAYBE) improve on the original? I knew I had to see what was up. AGED white cheddar? Let’s see what you can do, Cape Cod. Pictures, then the review:

When I opened up these New Cape Cod Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream Kettle Cooked Potato Chips and looked inside, my first thought was “Huh, these chips are way smaller than I thought they’d be!” That’s not a bad thing – these Cape Cod chips had plenty of crinkle in them to achieve maximum crunch. The general diameter of the chips was smaller than I thought they’d be, and made me wonder if Cape Cod chips are always like this? Still, it just meant that there were a billion chips in the bag, which I was fine with.

Each chip looked to be dusted in white powder, making it tough to know what was sour cream blend and what was white cheddar. The bag smelled faintly of cheese, sort of like how a bag of white cheddar popcorn smells (but less so).

I popped some of these New Cape Cod Aged White Cheddar & Sour Cream Kettle Cooked Potato Chips into my mouth and crunched. GREAT crunch, and wonderful potato flavor – the base chip was tasty. I attribute that to the Canola oil – just a good flavor off that fried potato.

The aged white cheddar flavor came slowly – the white cheddar flavor reminded me the most of Smartfood, with that sort of round creamy cheddar flavor that stands in contrast with a yellow sharp cheddar flavor. The cheese flavor was soft – as I ate more chips, it became stronger in my mouth. It was nicely set off with a slight sour cream flavor. The overall flavor felt refined, and while not-quite-subtle, it was definitely not meant to be bold.

Thus, when I first ate these, I wasn’t sure if I liked them. They didn’t immediately shout with flavor like the Ruffles version does. But I COULDN’T STOP EATING THEM.  The subtle combo of flavors on top of the tasty chip was extremely munchable. Thus, while the Ruffles chips are still my favorite in this category because of their boldness, these Cape Cod chips are STRONG – their own version of this flavor combo is a bit more fine tuned. Very very tasty. Thumbs up.

PURCHASED AT: Giant Food, Van Ness, DC

COST: $3.00 on sale

Thoughts? Please comment below or hit me up on Twitter @junkfoodguy or LIKE my Facebook Page and message me there. I also have Google+!! Let’s hang out.

Sincerely,

Junk Food Guy