It Takes All Kinds

This weekend was my first experience in a French gas station. We stopped at a large truck stop on our trip back to the city from the Loire valley. We didn’t stop for gas though. My limited understanding of French left me with a mere impression that this was a smoke break for our grouchy driver. I looked at it as an opportune time to use the bathroom.

After using the facilities, I decided to have a look around the convenience store. Of course, I immediately decided to survey the food offerings. There were all kinds of candy, sandwiches, chips, cheese and drinks. I haven’t really eaten any chips since being here and something salty sounded delicious. Well, I’ve heard that Europeans are overwhelmed by the ridiculous variety of cereals found in American grocery stores, but our cereal has nothing on this gas stations chip selection. There were all brands and all types. Some were unimaginably disgusting. Really, do smoked salmon and mustard Lays sound appetizing to anyone? There were other really bizarre meat combinations too. There was the chip version of the staple Parisian sandwich, Jambon et fromage. That’s right, ham and cheese chips. Weird. Although, maybe all you college students who survive on “chicken flavored” Ramen, think turkey flavored chips would be delicious. But frankly, I was surprised that a people like the French who pride themselves on their excellent gastronomy would offer such repulsiveness. I settled on “Chips Anciennes”. Which translates literally to “Old Chips”. Despite the weird name, they were kettle-cooked and delicious.

These strange offerings of chips and the fact that French people actually eat them got me thinking about the marketing techniques used for food. It is logical that different flavors and even names for products appeal to people of different cultures. In St. Louis, I saw a brand of chips named “Rap Snacks”. I suppose it’s logical. I mean, could you really expect Nelly and President Sarkozy to eat the same kind of chips?