JFG Nation, what’s going on in the world today? It’s National Chicken Wing Day! Another useless food holiday, but who cares? I love ’em. All across the nation, various food establishments are promoting wing deals for today, Wednesday July 29. While $5 for six wings is a decent deal, I sigh when I think of quarter-wing night in my hometown I grew up in: a dozen wings for $3. Now THAT’S a DEAL, son.

I’ve rambled on and on and on about what my wing preference is on this website before. Anytime a new Buffalo Wing flavored chip comes out, I recount my parameters – tang, spice, vinegar, etc. I’ve made no secret that I don’t like a heap of breading on my wings (looking at you, Hooters) and I like my wings well done and crispy – none of this skin flap BS.

Recently, in DC, my go-to wings haven’t been buffalo-style at all – they’ve been Korean Double-Fried style from Bon Chon. OH THE SOY GLAZE DELIGHTFULNESS. And trust me, it takes a lot for me to venture away from my Frank’s Red Hot comfort zone. But I realize that many people out there DON’T love Buffalo flavor. “It’s too spicy,” a girl I went out with once said. “I only eat lemon pepper wings.” I looked at her like she was an alien.

Places like Buffalo Wild Wings don’t only have hot sauce wings, but also have flavors like Salt & Vinegar, Jammin’ Jalapeno (Jalapeno and Lime), and Thai Curry. Wing Stop has a Hawaiian blend, with fruit and Asian flavors. And people order and ENJOY these non-Buffalo flavors! My head is spinning. I’m waiting for Red Velvet Oreo Wings to pop up somewhere.

So I ask YOU, JFG Nation – if you’re not having Buffalo wings, then what kind of wings ARE you having? Are you a Jerk Chicken loyalist? Are you a Parmesan Garlic devotee? Tell me in the comments below. And while you’re at it, tell me about any local joint near you that sells your go-to wings. And don’t say McDonalds. Mighty Wings were a mistake and we all know it.

Today’s junk food: Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips!!

After reviewing the West Coast Truffle Fries Chips and the Greektown Gyro Chips, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this third flavor, Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips. On the Nosh Show, I predicted this would be the most palatable flavor, simply because, well, it looks like the most boring. And I don’t particularly mean that in a BAD way, despite how that sounds – classic biscuits and white gravy is popular because its creamy, delicious, and not weird.

In most recipes, white gravy is made from lard, flour, butter, milk, salt, and pepper. It’s a meaty smooth salty roux-like gravy. Some add bits of meat like sausage to it, and some add more spices.  It’s a delicious starchy slurry of fat, salt, and cream. What’s not to like? Eat it with some starchy biscuits and you’ll be sleeping for days. I love it. I love me some biscuits and gravy, ESPECIALLY with sausage.

Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips is suggested by Hailey, who LIVES in Indiana but is referring to a dish she had in Tennessee. Lay’s, WTF. This is the THIRD flavor that skews the whole geographic element. Sure, at least the flavor actually IS Southern…but no link to someone who actually LIVES in the South? This isn’t Midwest Biscuits & Gravy! BOO.

Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips contain buttermilk and spice. Like I said, I expect these to be pretty basic – there’s no way Lay’s can screw this up. (Famous last words.)

Opening this bag of Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips, I can smell a healthy herb-y aroma of rosemary and sage. Like breakfast sausage. I inhaled deeply. Smelled creamy. Smelled good.

I popped a healthy dose of these thin Lay’s Southern Biscuits & Gravy Potato Chips into my mouth and chewed…and I was right. These were very palatable. Tasty, even. But…did these taste like biscuits and gravy?

The very basic impression I got is that these tasted like creamy salt & pepper potato chips. So if you’ve ever had those before, add a bit of milky creaminess to that, and you’ve got these chips. The sage and rosemary I smelled didn’t translate at all to the actual taste – I picked it up a tiny bit, but the pepper taste was stronger than those. The creaminess did remind me of the roux-like flavor of white gravy, and there was a tiny tang on the back end that signaled the buttermilk to me. But did I pick up any breakfast sausage flavor? Nope…but maybe I wasn’t supposed to.

So did these taste like white gravy? Yeah…..I guess. I would’ve like the black pepper, sage, and rosemary flavors to be kicked up a TON more, and for a little bit of sausage meat flavor in there. Then I’d REALLY like these. As it stands, these were just ok.

Now, despite me just giving me a so-so rating, that doesn’t mean these tasted BAD. They were so basically palatable that I couldn’t stop eating them. But that’s the basic point – there was nothing particularly bold or special about these chips. I chain ate these like I chain eat Ritz crackers – in essence, there was nothing special about them TO get bored of.

So yeah, I guess my rankings, so far, are West Coast Truffle Fries in the lead, with the Biscuits and Gravy and Gyro chips being 2A and 2B. Overall, underwhelmed by this year’s offerings.

PURCHASED AT: Walmart, Germantown, MD

COST: $2.48

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