Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 93
Why American chips are so boring, Exercise to prevent depression, another viral tweet from Micah, Recipe Corner, and more.
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Why Are American Chips So Boring?
International chip flavors seem to have all the fun. But to get chip flavors like hot pot or fried crab in America, the snack industry would have to change the way it does everything.
It doesn’t take many trips outside of the US to see that our chips are boring. This is actually a fascinating business story about how snacks are produced.
All around the world, people are enjoying flavors like hot pot, lamb and mint, poulet roti, and spicy Korean ramen. In America, we’ve been stuck with sour cream and onion, and our most “exotic” option in decades has been the one-note burn of “Flamin’ Hot.”
Many of these international flavors are manufactured by Frito-Lay, so presumably they could just make the same recipes here. Blogs like Lay’s Around the World collect reviews of international offerings, Reddit’s r/Chips has more than 3,000 members talking about where to find more interesting flavors, and YouTube is full of international snack reviews. On top of that, Takis have taken off, proving there’s a market for bolder flavors. So why do chips in the U.S. still suck so much?
So what’s the deal?
According to Jason Cohen, CEO of Gastrograph AI, the whole process is broken. Gastrograph is a company that helps food companies develop new products by using AI to target specific demographics. “All of the tools that exist today are geared towards making generally acceptable products,” he says. “It’s the bell curve.” Flavors like barbecue, sour cream and onion, and plain salt are produced because everyone likes them; and Flamin’ Hot only arose after a critical mass of people sought them out.
“You can build a generally acceptable targeted product in a more ethnically homogeneous country,” says Cohen. The U.S. is huge, diverse, and has tons of regional differences. “So when you start doing traditional consumer testing, it’s about the lowest common denominator.” In France the lowest common denominator gets you a poulet roti chip, and in China a spicy crayfish chip, and in Kazakhstan pickles and dill. Here, we get endless riffs on cheese and onions.
Given that the U.S is a big country, you’d think that if 15 percent of the population is interested in a hot pot chip, that’s still millions of people these companies could be reaching.
When choosing people to taste-test new products, major snack companies look for “heavy users,” or people who eat chips around four times a week. That volume likely has to do with how a lot of people eat chips — as a side with a lunch sandwich or soup, requiring a flavor that doesn’t overpower whatever it’s being paired with. But even if you’re buying chips to eat independently, that’s a lot. “The average consumer doesn’t eat chips four times a week. So they’re choosing people who are already dedicated potato chip eaters,” which holds back making more targeted products.
So how do these decisions get made? Math.
To determine whether a new flavor is worth making, Cohen says chip companies have test subjects do a side-by-side taste test with a chip already on the market. And for them to produce it, the majority of the tasters must like the new chip more than what already exists. “Half the people in that panel could say, ‘I don’t know. I like this one at a six and I like this one at a five,’” and 15 percent of the panel could say the new chip is the best thing they’ve ever tasted, and the company still won’t make it, says Cohen. “They don’t base their decisions on the magnitude of preference, they base it on the mean of preference.”
There’s also a retail component to what gets made.
“A product has to appeal to more than half the people in the country to fit into their factories and take up the millions of units that they put through their factories,” he says. And retailers too don’t want to take risks on putting something on the shelves that won’t move, or won’t move as much as what’s already there. “If you can’t sell 8 million units in the second half of next year, we’re not talking to you,” says Lang of the prevailing retail attitude. “Because we can sell 8 million units of salt and vinegar.”
The bigger issue may be that Americans just aren’t that interested in interesting chips.
Lang points to studies done every year by the NPD Group, a consumer data research group that publishes an annual analysis of the American kitchen. “It astonishes me how much that analysis shows nothing,” says Lang. “It’s still peanut butter and jelly, pizza, ham and cheese, macaroni and cheese, hamburgers. The bulk of the country hasn’t changed at all.”
Want some more math? Time to learn about something called the diffusion of innovation theory:
Lang says this can be described with the diffusion of innovation theory, a social science theory that explains how ideas disseminate through a population. “The innovators are only two and a half percent of the population; those are the people who are always first in trying and sharing new things,” he says. “And the early adopters are 13 and a half percent.” That roughly 16 percent of the population comprises those who may be interested in these new flavors. As it goes, that’s not enough to change the way the snack industry is built.
Exercising even half the recommended amount can help prevent depression
People who exercised just half the recommended weekly amount lowered their risk for depression by 18 percent, according to new research
Already known to help ease depression, regular exercise may also help prevent it, with people who exercised just half the recommended weekly amount lowering their risk for depression by 18 percent, according to research published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. However, those who were more active, meeting at least the minimum recommended physical activity level, reduced their risk for depression by 25 percent, compared with inactive people.
The findings stem from the analysis of data from 15 studies, involving 191,130 adults who were tracked for at least three years. Those who met activity guidelines did at least 150 minutes a week of moderate-intensity activity, such as brisk walking, as recommended in the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.
Mental health experts note that nearly 10 percent of American adults struggle with some form of depression each year. Antidepressant medication and talk therapy are commonly prescribed treatments, but exercise is also considered an effective treatment. Exercise sparks the brain’s release of endorphins, sometimes referred to as feel-good hormones. It can also quiet the mind, quelling the cycle of negative thoughts that often accompany depression, and can help reduce stress, improve sleep and boost self-esteem. Urging doctors to encourage their patients to increase their physical activity, the researchers wrote that the study’s findings suggest “significant mental health benefits from being physically active, even at levels below the public health recommendations.” If less-active participants in the study had exercised more, they say, 11.5 percent of depression cases could have been prevented.
Basically, stop eating chips and get moving. You’ll feel better.
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Micah’s most viral tweet of the week
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Recipe Corner
Spicy cashew shrimp
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided, plus more as needed
1 cup cashews, dry roasted
2 tablespoons chili garlic sauce, such as Huy Foy brand, divide teaspoon finely grated orange zest (from 1 large orange)
1 poon white sesame seeds, plus more for serving
1 pound peeled, deveined medium (41-50 count) shrimp, defrosted if frozen
1/4 cup fine white coal1/4 teaspoon fine black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons ketchup
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced or grated garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced or grated fresh ginger
med white rice, serving
1/4 cup sliced scallions, for serving
In a large cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the cashews and 1 tablespoon of the chili sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted, 3 to 4 minutes. Move the cashews to a plate, and sprinkle with the orange zest and me seeds. Toss to distribute the zest and seeds.
Pat the shrimp dry. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal and pepper until combined. Toss the shrimp with the seasoned cornmeal to coat. Shake off any excess flour before cooking.
Line a platter with a paper towel or a kitchen towel. In the same ski over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil until hot, about 1 minute. Drop a bit of cornmeal into the oil: If it sizzles vigorously, the oil is hot enough. Working in batches, fry the shrimp until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes on each side, adjusting the heat and adding more oil, as needed. Transfer the cooked shrimp to the prepared platter when they are done.
In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, vinegar, ketchup, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and remaining 1 tablespoon of chili sauce until well combined.
When all of the shrimp are fried, reduce the heat to low. Return the cooked shrimp to the skillet and pour the sauce mixture over. Toss the shrimp with the sauce and simmer until the sauce thickens and coats the shrimp, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Serve the shrimp over steamed rice, topped with cashews, scallions and more sesame seeds, if desired.
Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or onion
5 ounces baby spinach, chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes, drained and finely chopped (2 tablespoons)
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) garlic-and-herb Gournay cheese, such as Boursin, at room temperature
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
16 medium baby bella (cremini) mushrooms (about 12 ounces), stems removed
1 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.
In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the shallot or onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, and cook, stirring until all the spinach is wilted down, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and remove from the heat. Stir in the Gournay cheese and pepper until well-combined. You should have about 1 cup of filling.
Fill each mushroom cap generously with the spinach-cheese mixture (each cap should get about 1 tablespoon), piling the filling in a high mound. Place the mushrooms onto a large, rimmed baking sheet and sprinkle each with a little Parmesan cheese. Roast for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are tender and the cheese on top is nicely browned.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Did Micah practice yoga this week?
Yes. 60 minutes Sunday at Fairground Austin.
That’s 17 in-person weekend classes in 18 weeks this year. Namaste.
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Podcasts: Mind of Micah, Back Door Cover, Too Much Dip
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