and bought a bag of Lays Kettle Chips, I have NOT bought a bag of junk food in probably 3 months or more...I was giving myself too much junk food pleasure months ago. I'll get it out of my system and perhaps won't buy again until next March.

Was it worth it?

Don't feel bad, it happens to all of us! I'm at the park right now and plan to stop for some take out food. Thinking of a fairly healthy option, but I really have a hankering for a burger joint that is near here !:eek:

Yes no matter how hard we try!!

Was it worth it? Yes and No, I had not bought chips in so long I forgot that the Lays Kettle chips are too rough and crunchie vs a nice softer scrisp....when the next time comes, it won't be these Lays Kettle type.

Was it worth it? Yes and No, I had not bought chips in so long I forgot that the Lays Kettle chips are too rough and crunchie vs a nice softer scrisp....when the next time comes, it won't be these Lays Kettle type.

Yeah, I find as I grow older some snacks just are no longer worth the toil required to consume them. I believe the snack manufacturers are offering some variants designed with the needs of aging mouths in mind. 3D Doritos, the Lays "Poppables" chip alternatives, "Puffed" Cheez-its etc

Yeah, I find as I grow older some snacks just are no longer worth the toil required to consume them. I believe the snack manufacturers are offering some variants designed with the needs of aging mouths in mind. 3D Doritos, the Lays "Poppables" chip alternatives, "Puffed" Cheez-its etc

Ah yes, the aging mouths, (and aging colons) I need to eat much softer foods now.

"Corn-Nuts" are one snack that I used to love, but just require too much chewing effort for me to fool with anymore.

And Pistachio nuts? Gosh how I used to love grinding my way through handful after handful, almost as if I was a gristmill....but no more. Almonds either. But give me a good pecan or walnut, I'm still onboard with those.

LOL, and "Beef Jerky"? I used to go through a pound bag in about an hour. now just one piece lasts me all afternoon.

I live abroad in China and miss a lot of "junk food" not available here.

Chili Cheese Fritos.
The original Taco Flavored Doritos.
Tositoes or a similar brand cheese dip.
Butterfinger Bars
Dr. Pepper
Reese Peanut Butter Cups (and the Butterfinger ones)
Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
Strawberry Fanta (Can get Orange, Grape and Apple however)
Sweet Pickles. (I can get sour pickles in another city)

Not a "junk food" but raspberries and cherries. Raspberries are nearly impossible and cherries and other fruits are seasonal and not all year.

I also miss Taco Bell, so much I will have dreams that I am home and near a Taco Bell but cannot reach it before I wake up.

I live abroad in China and miss a lot of "junk food" not available here.

Chili Cheese Fritos.
The original Taco Flavored Doritos.
Tositoes or a similar brand cheese dip.
Butterfinger Bars
Dr. Pepper
Reese Peanut Butter Cups (and the Butterfinger ones)
Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.
Strawberry Fanta (Can get Orange, Grape and Apple however)
Sweet Pickles. (I can get sour pickles in another city)

Not a "junk food" but raspberries and cherries. Raspberries are nearly impossible and cherries and other fruits are seasonal and not all year.

I also miss Taco Bell, so much I will have dreams that I am home and near a Taco Bell but cannot reach it before I wake up.

Thats an outrage! I couldn't live anywhere without some of those.

Tell me, can you get these?
https://i.imgur.com/A64CuR0.png

The only "junk food" chips I love are Fritos corn chips. YUM!!!

I don't eat much junk food but I love Roasted Garlic & Herb Pretzels.

The aging colon has more and more difficulty handling all the junk. Tale a note of that as you guys age.

When I was much younger I used to be puzzled with claims made by oldsters that hot spicy foods "burned at both ends".

Not anymore.

When I was much younger I used to be puzzled with claims made by oldsters that hot spicy foods "burned at both ends".

Not anymore.

Now that I'm 50, I can't eat any kind of spicy food. If I get Mexican food, it has to be "mild." Back in my younger days, I always had the "hot." Can't do it anymore.

I do OK with spicy and add cayenne to my soups and chili, not real hot but a nice Kick. Probably something with my Italian family background. It's the course rough stuff that clog the colon.



A good thing to do is add some baking soda to foods that have some spice, the baking soda cuts the acid. And or some lemon juice or lemon rind...

When I was in my early 30s, I was experiencing severe gastro-intestinal distress. I had a full boat health insurance plan thru work....but never used it. There were fear issues about possible discovery of bad habits I had at the time, and their impact on my employability.

But, I'd go weeks with no problem whatsoever, and then suddenly out of the blue be doubled over with pain, foaming at the mouth, vomiting if there was anything at all in my stomach..it was comical because I could take a drink of water, and it would come right back up,.... pure misery.

Typically last about 4 hours. And,even at the height of such an attack, I could manage to lay on my back on a bed, with a pillow under my lower back, and my head dangling over the side of the bed....and thusly contorted I could find enough comfort to fall asleep. And then wake up in the morning like nothing happened. Be just fine for weeks, until the next episode.

My Mother suspected it was Chrones (she had two brothers who had that)

Others I have since talked to, say it sounds just like a gall bladder.

I endured this off again on again madness for 4 years.

And then one day in the midst of such an attack, I had to attend a business dinner, had no choice, and of all the places, it was at an Indian restaurant. I sincerely thought I was going to my own funeral. All the curries, etc...

But the strangest thing happened, during that meal...the attack subsided...and to this day has never recurred. Had to be the cuisine that cured me...burnt out whatever had been tormenting me

Wow, I'm glad you got past something so serious and scary. It's always good to hear about cures that don't involve operations & meds with side effects.

Salty snacks are my weakness, but I try to balance them off with unsalted nuts & peanuts. I've never encountered a snack food I didn't like, and that includes hot, spicy, chipotle, wasabi, etc.
Here are some of my favorite "chips and cheesies"

1. Cheddar popcorn
2. Ranch tortilla chips
3. "Funyuns" (onion rings - Aldi version also good)
4. Nacho cheese tortilla chips
5. Chili-cheese corn chips
6. Combos - Cheddar Cheese Cracker
7. Regular or barbeque corn chips
8. White cheddar cheese puffs (Meijer at one time had theirs)
9. Cheddar potato chips
10. Wheat Thins (dip into peanut butter)
11. Cheddar Chex Mix

I go after stuff that's on sale, as I'll eat all types -- but I've never tried putting overstock in a freezer, as my old Meijer boss once advocated. After Christmas once for example, I bought a lot of great, discounted Aldi popcorn that was drizzled with chocolate & caramel -- really good.

Now that I'm 50, I can't eat any kind of spicy food. If I get Mexican food, it has to be "mild." Back in my younger days, I always had the "hot." Can't do it anymore.Im so sorry honey :(

I say this including myself, so I'm not "pointing down from the mountain" or anything like that, but it's amazing how many of our snacks are really just platforms for salt.

I hear them warning us all the time about excess salt, how it's over'y abundant in all our processed foods, etc
But, I look in my pantry, and all the chips, crisps, and what-not are (IMO) really just fancy vectors for salt.

And I'll never give them up

Wow, I'm glad you got past something so serious and scary. It's always good to hear about cures that don't involve operations & meds with side effects.
.

I thought it was ironic how I had a gold plated medical plan through work for 28 years, and never used it once. But 10 years after that was over, here comes the Affordable Care Act and its mandate, with penalties for non-compliance...and the only health care available to me then, I would have to pay for. SUCH IS LIFE?

Biff, since salt snacks are your weakness, this is true for a lot us...I'll take salty over sugar stuff. To balance out the salt attack, one can take some potassium rich foods or a couple 99mg potassium tabs, learned this one a long time ago. We don't want to wake up with out of control high blood pressure.

Ever put honey in peanut butter? I do.

Thats an outrage! I couldn't live anywhere without some of those.

Tell me, can you get these?
https://i.imgur.com/A64CuR0.png

There is an olline retailer called Taobao. My wife uses them quite a lot but I have had mostly negative experiences with them. Mostly because, and now because of the "virus" the shipping is slooooow. I did order three jars of dill pickles and it took about three or four weeks to arrive. I about gave up for them to arrive.

Several years ago, I ordered sweet pickles and got pickle relish instead. I wasnt happy but I ended up eating the pickle relish with a spoon. My wife did buy some Russian (from Russia) dill pickles that were horrible. But I had an idea, I took the Russian pickles and washed them, and put some of those pickles in the pickle relish. Worked great.

I have ordered a European version of Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal and actually have bought it off the shelf in a bigger city. Just as well not get these, I am overweight and will eat a whole box in one day. Just too addictive.

Looking at Taobao, I looked up Butterfinger and found only one bag of small bars for $15 USD. Way too expensive.

I can get Dr Pepper, but never have. Most of the stuff you can get if you are willing to pay for it.

if you are willing to pay for it.

I would imagine there are "culturally endemic" substitutes available for some of the items? I can really enjoy some plumb sauce delicacies, just as one example (sweets).

Tell me, as a large western man, do you experience much "decadent American" type scorn from the natives? Even here in the usa I encounter people who seem to resent my girth, so I can only imagine having additional unique attributes would only compound the problem.

Waitresses who belabor that I perhaps might prefer a diet soda with my meal...stuff like that...you know, just trying to be "helpful"...:mad:

I'm proud of myself, I actually threw out about a 1/4 bag of the Lays rough chips....

There are Lays Potato Chips in China and I strive to stay away from them like an addict from the dope man. Just empty calories for no good use except for temporary pleasure. Eating potato chips is like smoking.

There is the original flavor, just salted potato chips. Then there is the "Texas BBQ" ones which are my other favorite. A third flavor is the "Mexican Tomato" which are sort of similar to so called Ketchup chips. Not bad but sort of funky. The supermarket in my town used to sell the sour cream and onion Lays and I would buy those up because I knew they would quit selling them and they did. In the capital of the Province, there is a specialty market that sells Lays BBQ chips. A big bag is expensive however, like $5 USD.

Then the flavors get weird. One is Lemon, I tried one and actually they arent bad but sort of sweet and not what I want in a potato chip. There is Cucumber. A really strange one I saw that I have not seen again was green grape Lays chips. I didnt buy them but took a picture.

There are also Pringles brand chips, but the chips (and I call them "chips" even though, and this is true, a ruling by a court in the United States has ruled that the products legally are not potato chips because of the production of the product. Now, why would anyone bring up such a ridicululous legal case is beyond me) are not like the ones in America, they are smaller and not as good. I am not a big Pringles person anyway, although the sour cream and BBQ ones are good sometimes.

Cheetoes are available in all sorts of flavors but I have never liked cheetoes.

Doritoes became available sporadically about fifteen years ago. When I first saw them, I about broke down and cried and thanked the Lord. Now there are three kinds, the Cheddar Cheese ones like back home, a BBQ flavor which are OK, and a funky third flavor I dont usually buy. Here they have been on the shelf for several years so I dont feel the obligation to buy them so the store will reorder them.

For about a year, Reeses Peanut Butter "Cups" were sold, but then it was discontinued (to my dismay) never to be seen again. I dont usually eat chocolate, but Dove Strawberry chocolate bar is the *****.

Are those products regarded as "imported US culture"? Or are they seen as native?


What I'm getting at, when someone over here says "fortune cookie" one immediately thinks of it as distinctly chinese. Do the snacks you mention elicit a similar regard as "foreign" over there?

Eating Potato Chips is like smoking???? I don't think so, I just threw 1/4 bag in the trash, I don't think a smoker can do that or wants to..

Back when I used to smoke, I sometimes would have to buy an off brand when my preferred brand was unavailable.
And it wasn't uncommon for me to throw the substitutes away once I later got my hands on my preferred.

Andy Griffith had kind of a peculiar habit where he's light a cigarette, take a few puffs, and throw the rest away.

Eating Potato Chips..

Curious Caroline, was is your take on mashed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes?

Healthier? Less healthy? Indifferent?

I found these to be very "senior friendly". I've seen them for years and felt they were too "gimmicky" to be taken seriously.But a local store had them marked down so far that they were almost giving them away, so I thought "why not?"....and they were not bad

https://i.imgur.com/7Djy7s1.png

Curious Caroline, was is your take on mashed cauliflower as an alternative to mashed potatoes?

Healthier? Less healthy? Indifferent?

I like both and don't eat either of them much, but grew up on mashed potatoes....I would t hink, Maybe, cauliflower to be healthier....

Google can give their answer.

..I would t hink, Maybe, cauliflower to be healthier....

Google can give their answer.

Thanks!!

The above snacks can be habit forming, and I don't keep them on hand...I've tried different brands over many yrs and try not to keep any snacks in my house....if they are NOT here I can't get to them.

Thanks!!

The gluten free pizzas I often buy are made from cauliflower based flour, they are very good and I like to keep gluten free when I can......some are made with broccoli based flour and I didn't care for the one I had.

I just received a box of Cheryl's cookies in the mail. If you've never had them . . . they're the best cookies in the world! Hard to eat just one.

I am absolutely addicted to Doritos, a king sized bag does not last very long in my house.

I am not a huge junk food person, but when it comes to Doritos I Just Cannot Help Myself:lol:pig:

I had never eaten Doritos before until my first visit to Greece in '73, when my uncle there bought me little bags of a knockoff called "Tor-Ticos." I became addicted to those chips, which were very similar to Nacho Cheese Doritos. So later, back in the U.S. I had a new favorite chip -- much later preferring Cool Ranch.

Similarly, around that time I had macaroni & cheese for the first time, and loved it. Until then, the only pastas I'd had were spaghetti and orzo.