I’m a poster girl for fun flips. Capital F [-u-n]. Capital F [-l-i-p-s]. Proper noun.
The cheapest snack on Earth. [ok maybe not. Chuskis are cheaper]
Rs. 5 for a packet of super-salted, baked-not-fried, low-fat-for-the-delusional [because it’s packed with wholesome vegetable oil and trucks-fulla-carbs] phoofs.
Phoofs, because I don’t know how to describe them. They’re airy. Without shape. Whitish. With speckles of masala.
They come in about five different flavours. Four of which have so much salt that they are almost unbearable. Actually quite unbearable. Which is half of why I’m so loyal to the brand. Because it’s an acquired taste. Acquired over two decades of serious pigheadedness [what is it with me and pigs?]. Far more gruelling than say acquiring a taste for liquorice [which I reallllllly like]. Or cigarettes [which I dislike].
They also give a free butterscotch toffee inside. Which I’ve never tried because I hate hard boiled toffees. But I always always look forward to it. There’s nothing like a ‘free gift inside’ in that super exciting jagged yellow-black blurb [they told us in communication school that yellow-black is the most eye catching colour combination]. The thrill of finding a greasy, masala caked toffee, which on an upper-than-upside allows me to be generous. “Here, a toffee for you little girl [or little boy]. Don’t mind the shit on it though”.
Right in the beginning [as far back as I can recall] they had a polythene covering. Very unassuming. Allowed you to see the stuff that you ate. In those days they had only one flavour. Masala [with a double whammy of salt]. The packaging changed nearly a decade after Lays hit the market. Fun Flips in sexier packaging, but with the same loveable flavour. Super-salt of our babyhood.
Then they brought out the four new flavours [plus one]. In lurid colours. Purple [Tamarind]. Maroon [Chutpata-salted – which is the same as Masala, but with a double whammy of red chilli to compliment the salt]. Green [Mint-salted]. White [Plain Salted-salted] and the original Orange [Masala-salted].
An All Time Fun Snack. For boys and girls and tiger cubs.
They’ve just changed it yet again. You can tell they’ve become more market-savvy. Slicker. From no proclamation [originally], to “low-fat snack” they’ve now re-worded it to shouting out in big bold letters: “0% TRANS FATS!”
Fun Flips just got fancy!
But the salt. Is still as unbearable.
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17 comments:
Sounds yummy, H! =)
I have my el-cheapo favorite, too. It's salty puffed corn bits with cheese-flavoed powder. I's eat it til my lips chafe. =)
HB! Don’t even start about those corn bits. I LOVE those. They’re called cheese balls here. Pepito’s cheese balls. There was a time not so long ago that I would have two mid-size bags for dinner. [I can’t believe that anymore though. I mean, that’s like two tiny bags of cheese flavoured air]… I so know what you’re talking about! Yum scrum piggy’s bum.
But.
Fun Flips is cheaper. Ha ha. Ha.
Junk food! What would life be without it? Cheap, filling, un-nutritious (absence of trans fats notwithstanding).
They can change the packaging all they want, inside they stay the same.
Kind of like some people. :-)
sun chips are where it's at!
H!
Stung by nostalgia. The Fun Flippy kinds! But for all their marketing-savvy-ness (I'll believe it when you say it), am never ever spotting the orange pack! Where do you procure yours? Pray tell...
WTF?!?
Lizza: thassotruuuuuuuuu! seriously. But, er… are you talking about people who are airy, phoofy and well… fulla carbs and fat? ;-)
B Ditty; when I visit U S of Americah, I will look out for ‘em sun chips. They sound deliciously damaging.
Floatin’: I knooooooooow. It’s such a Delhi thing isn’t it? I get mine from the local Kinari shop. You get them anywhere… as long as anywhere is a tiny poky little hole of an uncle-aunty shop. That’s the only anywhere you’ll get them. Especially those that are in the middle of a colony. Luck with it. :-)
Welcome Mystery Crapper :-), now my turn – WTF “WTF?!?”? And since this conversation is one-sided right now, will also fill in for what I think you’re wteffing for. Fun Flips are only found in Delhi. That’s probably why you haven’t seen them or had them. But now you know what to look out for when you visit us. :-)
So many of the words in that blog are unknown to me.
It feels like A Clockwork Orange.
Aww. I think there are only two non-English words in there.
Chutputa: which means spicy
Masala: which also means spice
Any better?
So you didn't much like Clockwork? hmmm.
umm..yumm..Sadly I grew up on Lays and Monginis Potato Shells.We have no Fun Flips here. (We have 'Balaji', though.)
I love junk food too. The only thing that pricks me is the ancient saying that goes 'You are what you eat'. :-D
Only you could writing an amazing treatise on junk food--- Holy Pig!!I didn't know that Lays was as international as McD's -- as I now believe I can eat the WHOLE 250 g bag of "Lightly Salted Lay's Potato Chips"-- because it has 50% less sodium than their Classic Potato Chips, and 0 Trans Fats!!!!I like to pretend that I'm gullible and falling for it--- Did I hear you say trip to North America???
Julia: hmmm. then I am one big paneer [and prawn and mackarel etc]. but, potato shells sound intriguing! see... while you had potato shells, I had fun flips.
Nan: Yuummmmmmmm. that sounds delicious. I'm a sucker for ANYTHNG that says low-fat anything. or even 50% less of anything. aaahhhh, trip to North America ... that's one of those long-term, bring my grandchildren along kind of plans. But you're seeing me soon... In Indiaaaah!
Pig cracklins for me, (dippy dippy in chilli infested vinegar)...finger lickin good!!!
I know u know I meant pork....duh...
M, that sounds... yummmmm. I like the sound of cracklin' pigs or pig cracklins or piglin cracks etc. and somehow it did sound suspiciously porky. :-D
Ah... That explains EVERYTHING. The whole post just changes shape and makes sense.
PS: WTF was unwarranted for, no? My apologies. :)
Nah AC, 'tis cool. Can be very distressing to think you missed out on something so big. ;-)
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