calimac: (Default)
calimac ([personal profile] calimac) wrote2007-09-07 10:29 pm

you can't get what you want

Consider the humble tortilla chip. Supermarkets are awash in tortilla chips. One market located in a former bowling alley near my home has an aisle of tortilla chips, potato chips, and pretzels that's so long it contains more shelf space than many whole markets.

You can buy tortilla chips in many exotic flavors, up to and including habanero (which I tried once, and once was enough). You can buy white corn, yellow corn, or blue corn tortilla chips. You can buy multigrain tortilla chips. You can buy organic tortilla chips. You can buy flour tortilla chips. You can buy thin tortilla chips or crispy tortilla chips. You can buy round tortilla chips, strip tortilla chips, or triangular tortilla chips. You can buy scoop-shaped tortilla chips or mini tortilla chips. You can buy low-fat tortilla chips. You can even buy kosher tortilla chips.

The one thing you can no longer buy, at least in my neighborhood, is unsalted tortilla chips. One of the local markets used to carry them, but now none of them do, even the one with the giant aisle. Fortunately I did find a brand with only 45 mg/oz of sodium, about a third of the average, but still ...

[identity profile] wild-irises.livejournal.com 2007-09-08 07:13 am (UTC)(link)
If you can find unsalted tortillas, tortilla chips are super-easy to make.

[identity profile] sartorias.livejournal.com 2007-09-08 01:33 pm (UTC)(link)
This is my prob at well. I love tortilla chips, and good potato chips, but not with chemical flavorings and smothered in salt. Finding them very lightly salted seems impossible.

As well, I don't need to be eating that stuff. At my age, the poundage she doth add faster than she melteth.

[identity profile] barondave.livejournal.com 2007-09-08 09:40 pm (UTC)(link)
The inventor of the tortilla chip died recently (as in 'this year'). I'm with you on the Unsalted-ness of the best ones. You can occasionally find them around here, but mostly they're used as a Salt-and-Salsa Delivery System, good for selling drinks and keeping people sated until the overpriced Chimichungas arrive.