Here’s a map allegedly showing which brand of potato chips is uniquely popular in each of the 50 U.S. states.
And not merely “uniquely popular” — no doubt a condition of popularity superior to something that’s merely “popular” — but even “most uniquely popular”.
With “most uniquely” being the highest possible state of uniqueness.
I was honestly shocked, however, to learn that the state of Colorado shares the same opinion about the “most uniquely popular” brand of potato chip as the state of Florida — “Boulder Canyon” chips — considering everything that’s different about Colorado vs. Florida.
Surely, we can all easily enumerate those differences.
The map appeared earlier this month, illustrating an informative article by journalist CaLea Johnson on the uniquely popular website MentalFloss.com. I am personally a big favorite of regular flossing, although I can’t say I’ve ever used floss on my mental state.
I was also surprised — not shocked, but at least surprised — to see that our most uniquely popular chips in Colorado are not the same as New Mexico’s most uniquely popular brand… the two of us being neighbors and all, with New Mexico sharing almost their entire northern boundary line with Colorado.
Sharing the same most uniquely popular brand with Oklahoma is some kind of consolation, even though we barely touch, geographically. But obviously, I would have preferred New Mexico.
To be completely honest, the only state with a uniquely popular chip is Michigan, where the favored brand in “Better Made”. I can understand why no one else likes that brand. It’s sort of a stupid name for a potato chip. “Better than what?” we can ask.
Hawaii also has a technically unique brand preference — “Hawaiian Kettle Style Potato Chips” — but I’ve never really considered Hawaii to be an authentic U.S. state. And it’s annoying that U.S. maps always show Hawaii to be located south of New Mexico, Hawaii is actually located 2,566 miles west of San Diego.
Same problem with Alaska. Not in the right place. If we’re going to claim these places as U.S. states, we ought to at least put them in the right places.
One thing I will give Hawaii credit for: they attached their name to their favorite brand. But that probably why no one else likes them.
Colorado came dangerously close to making the same mistake, when we picked the name “Boulder Canyon” for our most uniquely popular chips. Since there’s actually a place called “Boulder Canyon”, we would not be able to blame the people in Oklahoma and Florida if they had picked a different favorite, just out of spite. Luckily, that didn’t happen.
New England made the same mistake, picking the name “Cape Cod”. But there are so many tiny states crammed into New England, it wasn’t really a problem.
I have to protest the inclusion of “Pringles” on this map. Pringles are not potato chips. I’m not sure what they are, but I know for sure they are not potato chips.
To make the map, Instacart analyzed potato chip orders made between June 28 and July 4 of 2024, so the information here is slightly dated.
Reportedly, President Donald Trump prefers Lay’s potato chips, so these national figures may have shifted since the 2024 election. Nevertheless, Ruffles appears to wear the crown, in terms of “most uniquely popular” in the U.S.
It’s also reportedly the most popular in Canada, but does anyone care?
We might care, however, about the most popular chips in China, which would be “Lay’s” but with unique flavors.
Roasted Garlic Oyster, Spicy Crayfish, Pickled Fish, Fried Crab, Roasted Cumin Lamb Skewer, Roasted Fish, Mexican Chicken Tomato, Pure Spicy, Italian Red Meat, Numb & Spicy Hot Pot, Yam Crisps (Tomato Flavor), and Yam Crisps (Cucumber Flavor).
Yam Crisps are not really potato chips, because a yam is not really a potato. In fact, a yam tastes nothing like a potato. But obviously, the Chinese are not picky about flavors.
If I’m not mistaken, President Biden signed a law that made it illegal to sell U.S. chips to the Chinese? But they’ve learned how to make their own.
Underrated writer Louis Cannon grew up in the vast American West, although his ex-wife, given the slightest opportunity, will deny that he ever grew up at all. You can read more stories on his Substack account.