Full bags of chips are the bane of many a snacker, so gourmet tortilla maker Paqui is trying to instill some self-discipline in consumers by creating a new chip it’s so confident you’ll only eat one of, it’s selling the damn thing one per bag.
That “bag,” by the way, is a coffin emblazoned with a scythe-carrying grim reaper that opens to reveal a chip encased in its own condomlike wrapper — you know, to prevent everything it touches from becoming collateral damage:
It gets a dusting of chipotle–ghost pepper seasoning, but that’s really just to make it “look” hot since, at 2.2 million Scoville units, the Carolina Reaper it derives its primary heat from is officially the world’s hottest chili pepper, nearly half as potent as pepper spray.
Paqui contends that, cutesy bright-red coffin design aside, the packaging is mostly functional. “The reason that we’re selling this as one chip is because quite honestly, that’s all that you need,” brand manager Jeff Day explains. “That’s all that anyone needs.” Inside, the box warns consuming one is likely to cause “short-term loss of speech followed by extreme profanity, heavy breathing, enhanced sinus functions, and impaired vision from heat-induced tears.” The chip goes on sale next month for a limited time, and will cost you $4.99.
YouTube is full of people eating raw Reapers, then vomiting, having panic attacks, and being treated for stomach ulcers. Knowing this, anyone who still posts themselves attempting the #OneChipChallenge on social media gets a free plain bag of Paqui’s tortilla chips, which, all told, seems a little … anticlimactic.
