# Kale Chips CANNOT Replace Potato Chips **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 8, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326 "2017-02-08T14:51:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/1 "2017-02-08T14:51:45Z")
No, you can push all the “Eat This, Not That”-type of propaganda you want, but kale chips are NOT an acceptable substitute for potato chips. Kale chips are bitter and nasty. And only someone who is so obnoxiously pure so as to never have tasted a potato chip in their entire life could EVER suggest that kale chips could make a plausible stand-in for George Crum’s sublime creation. And don’t come me with that, “Well, if you make your own kale chips, they will taste much better.” Goddammit, I work from dawn to nine everyday, and I don’t need another little chore, thank you very much. Nobody ever insisted that I should make my own potato chips, and now I need to clean, chop, bake, and wash-up just to have a crunchy snack? What kind of world are we living in? By the way, George Crum was a mixed-blood African and Native American, so if you try to get people to choose kale chips over potato, you are probably a racist. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/2 "2017-02-08T14:57:17Z")
[Jim Gaffigan on Kale.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcI7jgkwdCM) ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/3 "2017-02-08T17:45:14Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats](#): > > No, you can push all the “Eat This, Not That”-type of propaganda you want, but kale chips are NOT an acceptable substitute for potato chips. Truer words never spoken. I’m not even 100% sure kale is actually food. And I _like_ radichio, beet greens, turnip greens, collards, chicory, dandelions, etc. so it’s not like I’m prejudiced against greens or anything. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/4 "2017-02-08T19:17:09Z")
This reminds me of those misguided souls back in the 70s and 80s that tried to convince us that carob was an acceptable replacement for chocolate. They lost that battle for our hearts and minds and guts, a outcome the kale heathens are sure to repeat. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/5 "2017-02-08T19:19:46Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > This reminds me of those misguided souls back in the 70s and 80s that tried to convince us that carob was an acceptable replacement for chocolate. They lost that battle for our hearts and minds and guts, a outcome the kale heathens are sure to repeat. I actually like carob. It’s only jarring when you’re told it tastes like chocolate. No, no it doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/6 "2017-02-08T19:25:10Z")
Kale chips sound like the [second worst](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV6S2COhVuM) chips I’ve heard of this year. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/7 "2017-02-08T19:26:07Z")
There is no longer anything I can eat without at least one negative repercussion. I’m sitting in the corner under a grow light as I type. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/8 "2017-02-08T19:37:53Z")
> [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](#): > > This reminds me of those misguided souls back in the 70s and 80s that tried to convince us that carob was an acceptable replacement for chocolate. They lost that battle for our hearts and minds and guts, a outcome the kale heathens are sure to repeat. > [@running\_coach](#): > > I actually like carob. It’s only jarring when you’re told it tastes like chocolate. > > No, no it doesn’t. This. They’re both brown flavored sugar candy. Different tastes. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/9 "2017-02-08T20:29:43Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > There is no longer anything I can eat without at least one negative repercussion. > > I’m sitting in the corner under a grow light as I type. You’ll get skin cancer.\* ☹ Apparently, the only thing good for your health is already being dead. :mad: \*No. Not really. Probably not, any way. Grow lamps don’t kick out enough UVB. I hope. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/10 "2017-02-08T21:38:13Z")
Even worse than kale: Those little dried seaweed thingies. They look like decorative paper. They taste like cat food (yes, I do know, unfortunately). ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/11 "2017-02-08T21:42:22Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Even worse than kale: Those little dried seaweed thingies. They look like decorative paper. They taste like cat food (yes, I do know, unfortunately). Even worse than that: they taste like _seaweed_! Seaweed tastes exactly like I expected seaweed to taste and it is not great. ---
**Author:** ![ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chockfullofheadygoodness/32/511_2.png) [@ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChockFullOfHeadyGoodness)\ **Post date:** [February 8, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/12 "2017-02-08T21:44:46Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > Even worse than kale: Those little dried seaweed thingies. They look like decorative paper. They taste like cat food (yes, I do know, unfortunately). Are you talking about [nori?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nori) If so, that’s some mighty tasty cat food. I remember when I was a kid trying to differentiate the different flavors in Meow Mix. Tuna, Chicken, Liver - my butt. They all tasted like stale salty bread. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/13 "2017-02-09T07:50:58Z")
Kale chips are definitely not a replacement for potato chips, but they’re quite yummy in their own right if well made. (I don’t think I’d waste my time on commercial kale chips, I just don’t see how proper kale chips could survive the packaging and transport.) They’re also not at all hard to make: no more work required than a lettuce salad. Wash, tear, dress, done. Kale chips do require to be baked, but that’s something the oven does, not you. And you have lots of interesting flavor options if you make your own. I like them with grainy mustard or balsamic salad dressing mixed into the olive oil that you rub on them. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/14 "2017-02-09T09:27:34Z")
Kale chips/=potato chips (which I don’t really like, anyway) However, colcannon (mashed potatoes plus greens, inclusive of kale) is, I daresay, even better than plain mashed potatoes. Heartier, earthier. We have it once or twice a month with whatever green I have lying around. Sometimes it’s kale. Tonight it was baby spinach. Yum! I think I enjoyed it more than the ribeye I paired it with, and that’s saying something. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/15 "2017-02-09T13:16:00Z")
When I worked in a pizza place in college, kale was not something to eat - it’s what we used to dress the salad bar, and we’d throw it in the trash at the end of the night. Whenever I hear people talk about eating kale, I think of that Far Side cartoon with the two cave men: “No no Thag! No eat parsley! Just for looks!” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/16 "2017-02-09T15:20:49Z")
None of those “eat this/not that” things are decent replacements. Most of the "this"s are just not good, which is why I was eating “that” in the first place. That said - to me, kale chips made with baby kale are the closest substitute to potato chips. For everything else (sweet potato chips, turnip chips, etc) the texture is off. But baby kale chips have a similar crispy crumbliness to them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re still bitter and taste like kale, but they chew like a potato chip should. ---
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/17 "2017-02-09T15:37:03Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > None of those “eat this/not that” things are decent replacements. Most of the "this"s are just not good, which is why I was eating “that” in the first place. A-freakin’ men! Reminds me of the classic line in the movie “Inside Out” where Anger says “Congratulations San Francisco! You ruined pizza.” when he sees a pizza topped with broccoli and sprouts. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/18 "2017-02-09T15:45:02Z")
Kale chips are pretty tasty. I had some last night (agreed that they _have_ to be freshly made to be edible). Nori squares are also tasty, especially the wasabi-flavored ones I get at TJ’s. But I have never had a human being attempt to tell me that either is a \*\*replacement \*\*for potato chips. I believe Diedrich Bader said it best in Office Space: “No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you’d get your ass kicked sayin’ something like that, man.” ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/19 "2017-02-09T15:53:29Z")
I don’t get it. Kale chips and potato chips have nothing in common. How can one replace the other?? Despite kale chips being the ‘in thing’ I doubt 90% of people have ever even sampled one at a food demo. It’s like saying French macarons can’t replace Hostess Ding Dongs - of course they won’t, why would they??? Besides, I don’t think kale chips are meant to be eaten in mass quantities. I have found to my sorrow, the next day, spent in the smallest room in the house, that they are not something to eat an awful lot of. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2017, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326/20 "2017-02-18T23:05:15Z")
I don’t see why you have to go to some obnoxious fad food to replace potato chips. Can’t you just switch to the baked kind? Or if “make your own” just make your own potato chips in the oven instead of something that should be eaten only by rabbits other herbivores? If you actually like kale, well, fine, good for you, but you have to realize, you’re not normal. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kale-chips-cannot-replace-potato-chips/779326.md?page=2)