Chowhound — a site I very much admire but have trouble actually using — has been branching out, forming an aspirational empire in “Chow.com.” This includes the delightful feature, “Supertaster,” which is a series of reviews of mass-market food products (like McSweeney’s “Reviews of New Food” but serious, and thereby worlds more interesting; also like Nutrition Action’s “Food Porn” feature but much less interested in nutrition and so more interested in finding things that are appealing). Mass market food products are often delicious, but it’s even better to know in advance which to look for.
Each column features two different foods. Here’s one on Pringles’s new upmarket chip and Soyjoy candy bars (I had thought Soyjoy was Japan-only, so I made a point of trying one here; unlike Supertaster, I liked it, but more than anything it reminded me of Calorie Mate, which I picked up because of product placement — no surprise, they are both made by Otsuka Pharmaceuticals — they both have a surprising short-bread-like quality).
yeah I know this stuff is decades old so sue me