It's time to do another snack on the blog. Today's focus was another find from the snack food aisle at my local Shop Rite, which is dominated by potato chips. But, clearly there are a few other types squirreled away here and there, like this one. Specifically, I tried two varieties of Love Corn--their habanero chili flavor and their smoked barbecue kind.
The headquarters of Love Corn (aka Love Brands) is in my home state of New Jersey, in the town of Ho-Ho-Kus. I put "Spanish" in the title since the packages noted that they were products of Spain. Which is kind of weird, since I know that plenty of people grow corn in New Jersey, so it's not like they needed a different climate or soil type or something. Presumably it goes back to money somehow--it must be cheaper to grow the corn in Spain, and maybe process it there as well, and then transport it over the Atlantic to the U.S. for sale. Alas, I don't have much to report on the Love Corn phenomenon. The company website was terse, and mostly just showing their products, where to buy them, and including quotes and testimonials about how much customers enjoy them. From other online sources I learned that the company was founded by Jamie, Gavin, and Missy McCloskey. Who are almost certainly related, but how I don't know. Siblings? A married couple? Parents and children? Distant cousins thrice removed? Moving on, Love Corn started in 2017, so it's a very new business. Other than the two kinds I tried, the other flavors are sea salt, salt & vinegar, and cheezy. It's also noted that their products are plant-based, and free of GMOs and gluten. (Which, if I can go on an aside, isn't technically true of any corn product. All modern species of corn were domesticated (i.e., modified by human activity) from a distant ancestor, teosinte, thousands of years ago. (The exact date is unknown, but all research suggests between 6,000-10,000 years ago.) But I know what they mean--Love Corn doesn't use corn that's been genetically modified in the past few decades.) The company website also proudly notes their various charitable efforts, especially helping out children and communities.
Love Corn premium crunchy corn, smoked bbq flavor: The pieces looked like yellow kernels of corn with dust on them. They were dry and crunchy. Had a slight barbecue flavor. Kind of bland. But, on the other hand, I'm not normally a fan of corn, unless it's processed, like in corn bread or corn chips, so the fact that these were okay is actually praise.
Love Corn, premium crunchy corn, habanero chili flavor: Looks the same as the previous, except these were orange, with dusting on them. Same texture--dry and crunchy. Spicier, as you would expect. And the spice built up with time, and as I ate more. So, because these had a stronger taste, I thought they were pretty decent. So I'd recommend this flavor, although I'd only give the smoked bbq ones a lukewarm, "meh" rating.
Another tangent--I've always liked the name Ho-Ho-Kus. I appreciate that the hyphens make it unusual, and it's undeniably fun to say. It causes confusion, too, since some signs, and folks in general don't remember the hyphens, or don't want to, I suppose. The source of the name is also comically complicated. Everyone seems to agree that it's a Native American word or term, from the tribe that lived in that area, the Lenape (also sometimes called the Lenni Lenape, or Delaware Indians). But, some people think Ho-Ho-Kus means red cedars, or running water, or a cleft in a rock, or under a rock, or the sound of the wind against the bark of a tree, or a kind of bark on a tree, or a fox, or the spirit of a fox. So, a fun linguistic mystery for somebody to solve. Finally, the small community of Ho-Ho-Kus (which has a population of about 4,000), despite its size has been the home of some famous people. For starters, Jim Fassel, who was an offensive coordinator, position coach, and head coach, in both college football and the NFL. Most notably, he was the head coach of the New York Giants from 1997-2003, and led them to Super Bowl 35 (which they lost). Counting the playoffs, his overall record was 60-56-1. This town was also the home of Dan Reeves, another NFLer. He played running back for the Dallas Cowboys from 1965-72, accumulating 1990 rushing yards, 25 rushing touchdowns, and 1693 receiving yards and another 17 touchdowns in 100 games, and 40 starts. His lifetime AV was 40. Later, he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, New York Giants, and Atlanta Falcons, from 1981-2003, finishing with an overall record, including playoffs, of 201-174-2, and berths in 4 Super Bowls (21, 22, 24, and 33, all losses). Moving to music, Ho-Ho-Kus was the home of the metal band Twisted Sister, who started in 1972, and were together on and off until 2016. They put out 6 albums, one of which, "Stay Hungry," sold over 3 million copies. They're best known for their hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock." Finally, former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr got married in Ho-Ho-Kus, and briefly lived there. You know, one of only 2 sitting Vice Presidents who shot someone. (Admittedly, Burr's shooting was infinitely more serious than Dick Cheyney's for many reasons.)
No comments:
Post a Comment