It’s Girl Scout cookie season, kids. My mom had been a dedicated Girl Scout leader for the last 25 years. So this past Thursday I had to schlep out to a warehouse on the far side of town and help her heave 60 crates of cookies into the back of her Jeep Liberty.
Across the street from said warehouse is the area’s most popular Italian market. I thought I’d stop by to pick up some fresh pasta and vodka sauce to have for dinner, instead of the usual dreck I consume during the suppering hour. On the way to the register, I passed their wall of snacks. Not necessarily Italian snacks, just stuff that’s not from the most known, top-tier juggernaut brands. They had a gleaming, rainbow-colored assortment of Zapp’s chips. The bags are not exactly easy to miss, especially the sublime Voodoo Gumbo bag.
I picked up a bag of Spicy Cajun Crawtators. Why? Because they’re called Spicy Cajun Crawtators. That’s right. Crawtators. Incidentally, during a brief period of unemployment a few years ago I traveled around the South, wrestling under the ring name, “The Cajun Crawtator.” My costume involved a cape, lots of reds and oranges, and a codpiece shaped like a crawfish tail. My setup move was The Bayou Bomb which was followed by The Levee Breaker submission hold.
My experience with Zapp’s is very limited. This is only my second bag. The chips themselves are superb, but I have yet to find a flavor I really love. I was hoping to findsome big time flavor with these Spicy Cajun Crawtators.
Let’s take this one word at a time.
Spicy. Well, not so much. I was expecting something with much more heat. I know the Cajuns love them some heat, but there is very little to be found in these chips. I felt a little tickle on my tongue, and that was about it. I stuffed a handful and the heat level was ratcheted up a bit. But there is nothing to scare off even the most heat-intolerant wussbag like myself.
Cajun. Well, not so much. I don’t know what defines something as Cajunly spiced, but it seems that Zapp’s is just going with paprika, onion, and garlic. Not exactly a rich tapestry of nuanced flavor, but it’s good enough.
Crawtator. First of all, that’s my new favorite word. I’m guessing the “craw” is just a cleverly gimmicked indicator of Cajun-ness, because there’s no traces of any kind of crawfish or even vaguely seafood flavors. But they are indeed made of potatoes. So “tators” takes the award for truthfulness.
Like I said, Zapp’s base chips are really great. This flavor won’t exactly pop your overall buttons, but it is decent. I won’t have a problem finishing the bag, and I would definitely buy these chips again. If faux-Cajun is your thing, break the seal on that True Blood Season 1 DVD, pop a bag, and enjoy.
Food Junk 
I feel like these would pair well with alligator, as A) it’s Cajun as all hell, and B) it rhymes.
Rhyming foods are my favorites
This is so weird, I just watched “Crawtator vs. MegaShrimp” on SyFy last night. So synchronitastic!
I would laugh at that, but I think there is Hollywood potential for MegaShrimp
aaaahahhahahahahaha!
i am from new orleans… zapps and poboys go together like mardi gras and horse crap. the “cajun crawtater” is supposed to mimic the red potatoes most folks down here put in the pot when we boil crawfish.
from the perspective as a local… they do a great job!
Ahhhhhhh, that makes sense! Thanks Mike, I would have never guessed that.
zapps it ok but i really haven taste it yet
but it looks like it looks good (no lie)
kool it looks good (yeah)