Ted Murphy / CC
There are probably those in some countries that think Canadians and Americans are pretty much the same. But there are some major differences. For instance, snacks.
There are things you can only get in Canada. Not just things like Kinder eggs. But also other snacks. Like ketchup chips, Smarties, Coffee Crisp, Jos Louis, Hawkins Cheezies and Hickory Sticks. And I’m not talking about little hunks of wood.
Last night, I had a craving. A craving for something smoky and salty at the same time. It could only be satisfied by hickory sticks. But since I wasn’t about to leave the comfort of my favourite chair to go in search of snack food, I satisfied myself by looking them up online. I have to say, I was a bit surprised.
First, I discovered the hickory stick is a Canadian thing. It’s only available in Canada. Although you can order them shipped to the U.S. I did notice some pretty steep prices for bags of bootleg potato sticks online. So I’m not sure why they only exist here.
But there doesn’t seem to be a lot of information available. You would think that the person who came up with this snack food would be celebrated. Instead, he seems to have slipped into obscurity. There isn’t much online about how and when the hickory stick was developed.
It can’t be just bits of left over chips they scraped into a bag. Hickory sticks are a bit thicker than potato chips, so someone made them on purpose. And as for that flavour, again, I’m not sure who came up with it. And while you can get the similar potato sticks in the United States, they have to suffer with the unflavoured variety, which just aren’t the same.
At first, I was thinking maybe they were invented by dogs. Seems to be a good fit. Let’s face it, they are not easy to eat, due to their size, and you can tend to drop a lot while trying to consume them. And who benefits most from dropped food? Dogs. But I can’t find anything to back up that theory.
There are benefits to hickory sticks you d0n’t get from other chips. Far less air in the bag, since they tend to pack down pretty good. Which is also good to prevent breakage. And since they are already in pretty small pieces, they tend to maintain that condition until they are in your mouth. So less breakage.
I did discover they are the only product still in existence that carry the Hostess name. At one time, they were Canada’s largest chip company, but their market slowly eroded and things like grape flavoured potato chips didn’t help. Eventually, they sold out to Lay’s and the name was phased out.
I can even fondly remember the Munchies. The red, yellow and orange coloured mascots of the Hostess brand. I may even have worn a Munchie costume at one time in my life. No one can prove it, but it might have happened. And it was really hot in there, I will tell you that.
But the only thing that now remains of the once venerable brand are little slivers of smoky, salty potatoes. The Hickory Sticks.
I don’t get the craving often, but it’s nice to know they are out there for when I do.
But then there’s the question of how to eat them? Carefully, one at a time? Or by the handful? Since I have a dog, I know what her answer would be. Let the hickory sticks fly!
