EOG - Issue 4 - Keebler's "Harvest Bakery" Crackers

Product: La Bici Pasta Chips
Manufacturer: Produced by Bicycle Foods,
Redhill, Republic of South Africa

I have long been a fan of the pasta chip, in its many shapes and forms.

It all started in the 1980's with an unfortunately short-lived snack food...a new
snack procust called Zeuschips. This was back when a sort-of home grown
revolution took place in the snack food industry. Coinciding with the "do-it-
yourself" wave that gave us the explosion of micro-brewed beers, a lot of people
were putting their own ideas in snack foods out on the market.

The biggest example of this is Smartfood, started in Massachusetts by Ann
Withey. Long before the eventual Frito-Lay purchase of the Smartfood product,
this product turned the snack food world on its ear. And, in with the also-rans of
this period, sat the Zeuschip. (In fact, a local magazine featured Smartfood and Zeuschips once in the same article, I believe.)

Zeuschips were basically bow-tie pasta, prepared in a special way and covered with a really tasty nacho cheese flavoring. The first time I saw the purple bag emblazoned with the words "Zeuschips" and "Food Of The Gods", I knew I had to try these things. It was love at first bite.

Much to my dismay, however, the Zeuschip was a short-lived venture. A great idea that just didn't have the legs to catch on in the snacking world. A damn great snack. I miss it.

Since then, other pasta snacks have appeared on the market. The first one I remember was called "PastaPizzazz!" This was not bow tie pasta, rather a combination of rigatoni, and, if I remember right, rotini. And it was apparently deep fried, due to the greasy bag and finger residue that out Funyun-ed even the Funyun-iest Funyun. We are talking big time greasy residue. The flavoring was bold, and quite delicious, but the greasiness of these things always made them more of a guilty pleasure than a personal favorite.

Nowadays there are other pasta chip products out there. The most commonly-found one is called Pastos, which seem to be a descendant of PastaPizazz!, with two notable exceptions. The manufacturers appear to have backed off the grease just a bit. Quite a bit, actually. Pastos are not nearly as greasy as their pasta predecessor. However, the "Pastos-that-be" also backed off on the flavoring. Once again, quite a bit, actually. The Pastos flavorings, like Italian Cheese and Tomato, or the Alfredo offshoot, are there...but are barely discernable, much like those flavored seltzer drinks. You know the ones to which I am referring. You can tell that there's something in there, but it is really low key and completely unsatisfying, like someone threw a box of Alka-Seltzer into some really weak-ass Kool-Aid.

There, I am done rambling, now I get to the subject of this article, the La Bici pasta chips. One of my best friends found these at a health food store called Fresh Fields, in Washington, D.C. and, remembering my love for the dearly departed Zeuschips, brought me a bag of La Bici snacks. My one-word response to him, "MORE!"

These things are DAMN good. First of all, in texture they are very similar to a Zeuschip, with a very tight crunch, unlike the puffy PastaPizzazz! and Pastos. The crunch is very well defined, but never too much.

When I opened the La Bici bag, the first thing to hit me was the aroma. I had a bag of the Garlic and Herb flavored snacks, and as I opened the bag, I caught a whiff of the goodness awaiting me.
Then I tried one, savoring the taste, the flavoring, and the texture...and I was SOLD!

Now those of you who know Italian know that "La Bici" is Italian for "the bike", and you must be saying "what the hell does this have to do with the price of rotini in China?". Well, according to the back of the bag, the product was inspired by someone who loved taking bicycle tours of Italy, and whose mother devised a way of making pasta that he could carry along with him on these tours. Hence, the "La Bici" pasta snack was born.

The Garlic and Herb flavor is the only one I have been able to try so far. And it is incredible.
With other flavors like Basil Pesto, Sundried Tomato & Herb, Italian Cheese, Hot & Spicy, and Vinegar & Lemon Pepper, you can bet that I am on the lookout for these things.

A unique, tasty, and very well-made snack, indeed. They may be hard to find, and somewhat pricey, but they are worth it. No doubts here, La Bici pasta chips get my four chips up. Period.