Lay's Flavor Swap: Honey Barbecue vs. Korean Barbecue

I almost had to go to two separate stores for this one, as I initially couldn't find any bags of the Korean Barbecue flavor at Giant.  I was dealing with a large branded multi-shelf cardboard display at one of the entrances, and there was absolutely zero Korean Barbecue visible from the side they clearly intended for you to take stuff from.  However, the back side was accessible (kinky) because there's some ATMs hidden over there, behind all the impulse buy crap crowding the entrance.  Looking at the backs of all the bags, I went "waitaminute, that one looks different from all the rest!".  Pulled it out, flipped it around, and sure enough, Korean Barbecue.  I may very well have gotten the only bag they had, but I don't know for sure.

Something I didn't realize up until now is that the voting wraps up on the 21st, so if I wait until next week to get the last two flavors, I won't be able to vote on all the flavor swaps.  So, I'll probably go back on Friday and grab the last two, and do the last post shortly thereafter.

Continuing tradition, my palate cleanser is a 20 oz. bottle of Mountain Dew.  What can I say, it's in one of the impulse buy refrigerator cases in the checkouts.

Now, to business.  TO BUSINESS!

Honey Barbecue

They have a nice smooth and sweet flavor to them.  It's not overpoweringly sweet, but it's not understated either.  The honey flavor is noticeable, but it's a bit more subtle than I'd honestly like it to be.  If that's a byproduct of not oversweetening them, then I'll have to take what I got, I guess.  They're pretty good, and not terribly salty either.

It's kind of a shame there isn't really any more to say about them.  It's a very simple flavor that works quite well.  A flavor doesn't need to be complex to be delicious.

Korean Barbecue

I have to admit, I don't really eat Korean barbecue on any sort of a regular basis, or at least regular enough or recently enough to know what kind of flavor to expect.  So please understand that I'm resorting to being rather vague in describing the flavor, and comparing it to other things that I do know.

As is reasonable to expect, these have a very different flavor than the Honey Barbecue chips.  There's still the perfect balance of sweetness without being too sweet.  They're noticeably more salty than the Honey Barbecue chips as well.  There's a very distinctive flavor that seems almost teriyaki-like, minus the more fruity flavor teriyaki sauce usually has.  It works quite well and is a much richer flavor overall than the Honey Barbecue chips.

The Verdict

I'm gonna pick the Korean Barbecue chips.  We need better flavors in our food in America anyway, and this is definitely a good start.  Our mass market snacks don't have nearly the flavor variety found in other countries, and the flavor of Korean barbecue sauce is very welcome.  More variety of flavors is always welcome, but a better variety is also just as welcome.