#789 Putting potato chips on a sandwich

Neil Pasricha

potato-chips-in-a-sandwichEver had a friend start buzzing with The Dating Glow?

You know, they start seeing someone new and suddenly start walking with a new pep in their step, a new trot in their walk? Maybe they lose five pounds, show up with a new haircut, or start wearing tight pants. Or maybe they just smile wider, laugh louder, and exude a new confidence about themselves.

Being with someone new makes them look and feel better and that’s a great thing. That’s The Dating Glow.

Now, if you don’t mind, let’s switch gears and talk about sandwiches — soggy, squashed, Saran-Wrapped sandwiches from the bowels of your bookbag. Those warm and tired messes look pathetic with sweaty cheese, slimy tomatoes, and warm turkey. Yes, it’s a sandwich down on its luck, lacking a bit of confidence, and in desperate need of a glow of some sort.

That’s where potato chips come in.

When you crunch up your sandwich with some carefully inserted potato chips, you inject a spicy vial of Grade A Oomph. Suddenly that pasty gob of bread and meat transforms into a rainbow of crunches and flavors. It’s the sandwich equivalent of getting a new hairdo, wearing something scandalous, or buzzing with a new vibe.

Now, before we call it a day here, let’s chat about something funny about putting chips on a sandwich. Alright, here it is: everybody thinks they invented it. Honestly, I’ll be grabbing a quick lunch with a friend from work and he’ll just sort of raise his eyebrows at me mysteriously. “Know what I like to do?” he’ll ask, squinting a bit and cracking a wry smile. “Put chips on my sandwich, that’s what,” he’ll unveil, a stiff bottom lip, some scrunched eyebrows, and a firm nod echoing the big reveal.

So that’s it, ladies and gentleman. Putting potato chips on a sandwich.

You invented it.

We all love it.

AWESOME!

Photo from: here

125 thoughts to “#789 Putting potato chips on a sandwich”

      1. one time i made a sandwich with cheese, bologna, dash of salt and pepper, 2 original or sour cream and onion pringles, all on white bread.
        YUM
        /
        O :

    2. potato chips on a sandwich…awesome! i love it. big fan of cape cod chips on ham and cheese!

    5. I always thought that I was the only one too^^ Try putting gummy bears and etc. to bread too, yummy!

    2. Burgers with french fries are basically the best. Basically. And they were happening at least as early as the 60s – my mum did that as a kid.

    3. I can do you one better– here in Pittsburgh we have a sandwich joint–Primanti Brothers–they serve all of their sandwiches on Italian bread from a local bakery and every sandwich comes with tomato, coleslaw, and hand cut fresh french fries. They are the best. Primanti’s has been in business over 50 years. You can check them out at http://www.primantibros.com

      1. I forgot to add that the tomato, slaw and fries are on the sandwich, and if you request them are the side you are basically announcing to the world that you are a weenie.

      2. @Maureen I was going to mention Primanti’s also. Just had that for lunch today. Delicious!

    4. In France they sell a sandwich called the American. It’s a baguette split in two with two burgers and a pile of fries stuffed inside..go figure :p

  4. I did not invent this.
    However, the first person who showed me this did in-fact tell me he invented it.
    Ridiculous.

    4. Every day of jr. high, I had a ham-and-cheese sandwich with sour cream and onion potato chips inside. Yummm…

      And yes, I invented that all by myself, thankyouverymuch!

    1. Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!; Harvest cheddar sunchips on tuna sub from subway!!!!….only way to eat it!!! Are you my soul mate???

  7. Anything that adds crunch will work. It’s all about the crunch. After years of mocking me, I found my wife sneaking chips on to a turkey sandwich…I win.

  8. Brilliant post! Love the analogy. And I agree wholeheartedly with the awesomeness of chips on a sandwich.

  10. All I kept thinking about when reading your post is that I haven’t had chips, deli meat, or bread in so long (due to a very non-awesome diet). Man how I miss them….

  12. Peanut butter and salt-and-vinegar crisps on white bread. Best sandwich ever. I’ve been eating them for 25 years.

    The 2nd best sandwhich is french fries with lots of pepper and salt on well buttered bread. Yum.

  14. I put chip on my toasted baloney and ketchup sandwich. dare you all to give it a try.
    Baloney is not friend btw.
    Yuuuuummy!

  17. Grilled cheese with Mike Sell’s Cheese Puffs.
    My mother made these as good as Bobby Flay would. Truly remarkable.

  18. constantly hitting the nail on the head of youth culture, circa 78-96… AWESOME… everyday is a revelation of something we did or still do take for granted…

  19. I haven’t had one of these in forever……. I used to eat PB and potato chip sandwiches all the time. Maybe that’s what I’ll have for lunch today! AWESOME

  20. My brother and I were sure we invented peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches with chips when we were little. We pretended the chips were lettuce (I am sure that would be awful with pb&j!)…and I still put chips in my sandwiches.

    Thank you for reminding me of that wonderful childhood memory of discovering it for the first time.

  24. I stopped by your website for the first time after seeing it on the Webby Awards. This post made my day. I always thought it was an original move. This made me smile and I immediately voted for you.. off to put some chips on my sandwich!

    1. So right! Cheap white bread, cheap American cheese, bologna, mayo, and good old salted wavy chips. Heaven.

  27. Over here in limey land we’ve been putting Crisps (sorry chips!) in sandwiches for years. Best flavours for it are Salt n Vinegar or Cheese and Onion. The really decadent cover their crisps with Tomato Sauce (sorry – ketchup!)

    Chips (sorry French Fries!) in a burger bun, or indeed any sandwich of any sort is known as a Chip Butty. Sliced white bread, chips and plenty of butter give the best result

    Yum!!!

  28. just to get this whole discussion into another direction: ever tried sour cream and onion pringles with gherkins?!?! tell ya – that’s definitely the best thing you can possibly do!!!!

  30. Tuna salad with Lays potato chips. My dorky brother likes peanut butter and mayo.

    1. Damn That Girl! I thought I was the only one who did that combo! A fond childhood memory indeed. ;)

  34. Everyone does this. I’ve done this since 4th grade, and I see people do it all the time. If you don’t know about it by now you are a philistine and worthy of contempt.

    1. I don’t do this. Mostly, my parents don’t buy chips. NEVER. :p :P :p :P :P But i don’t mind. Idon’t really like chips anyway. :D But I never knew this anyway. I think it’s just GROSS!!! :-o 8-o

  38. I started doing that when I was about 4 yrs old (I’m 20 now) and everybody looked at me like I was insane. I remember thinking, “forget y’all my sandwich tastes good.” Now I throw Tabasco sauce in there every once in a while too.

  39. I love chips on sandwiches. Of course, I take it a step further and put Cheez-Its on my ham and ketchup sandwich on wheat bread…yum!

  40. Putting chips _on_ a sandwich? I make sandwiches where the chips are the only filling. Works best with barbecue flavour Lays.

    1. I thought I invented that. Add 2 slices american cheese to the bbq chip sammich. mmmmmm!

      1. i’m the same way! I would make chip only sandwiches. BBQ not bad (Grippos are evil) and would do salt and vinegar (The only kind my dad would buy until I started making sandwiches with them.)

  41. A twist is cereal in PB&J. As a kid I would put cocoa puffs or Captain Crunch in in my peanut butter sandwich. Still do sometimes. Don’t recommend fruit loops and PB though, I found it…weird.

  44. Heck yeah!!! I’ve been putting regular Lays potato chips on my PB&J since I was little!!

  45. Haha! I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. My sister was the one who got me started on it. She unsuccessfully tried to gross me out by calling it a toenail sandwich. I’ve been hooked ever since. (…and I still call them toenail sandwiches.)

  46. Does anyone else do the Dorito bagel? A plain bagel with cream cheese and the Dorito flavor of your choice? (I tend to stick to cooler ranch or nacho cheese) They’re amazing! I’ve been having them since I was in elementary school and now I’m in my last year of college…

    I’m also a fan of turkey, american cheese and lays on wheat… yumm

  47. Oh my god !! !

    This is the Chip Butty Club !!

    These sandwiches with chips/fries/crisps are called Chip Butties in Northern England and they are actually sold as chip butties in Fish n Chips shops!!

    Salt n Vinegar Crisps or Salt and MAlt Vinegar on thick hand cut fries…..in ANY SANDWICH are absolutely gobsmackingly divine!!!!

  49. Delicious, is almost as good as putting marshmallows on peanut butter sandwiches. The best type of chips for this is Salt and Vingeur Thin Cut

  50. I think it’s Salt and Vinegar FTW. But homemade fresh fries with malt vinegar on a double bacon cheeseburger is win, on Ciabatta bread. OMG a crunch and deliciousness like no other.

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