Subtitles section Play video
-
The creation of the potato chip is a rather snarky, surprising, and idiosyncratic story.
-
When French fries made their way to America, they soon became a restaurant mainstay.
-
Many restaurants served fries as their signature dish.
-
Believe it or not, they were once considered very hoity-toity.
-
In 1853, George Crum was a chef at the Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York.
-
Their signature dish was none other than Moon's Fried Potatoes, or as the aristocrats would say, "Potatoes served in the French Manner."
-
One day, just like any other, a customer some believe to have been Cornelius Vanderbilt himself ordered fries.
-
Upon being served, Cornelius scoffed and sent them back.
-
He deemed the fries soggy and not crispy enough.
-
This insanity continued a few more times until Crum lost it.
-
I mean, he really lost it.
-
He fired back, cutting the potatoes paper-thin and frying them up.
-
You see, back in 1853, eating with your hands was a major faux pas, making Crum's revenge even more diabolical.
-
By cutting the potatoes paper-thin, there would be no way that Cornelius could use his fork, forcing him to use his hands.
-
Crum's plan backfired, kind of, as the patrons dug in with both hands, and loved them.
-
Saratoga Chips were born.
-
They became a Saratoga dining staple.
-
Soon thereafter, they took the world by storm.
-
Crum himself even opened his own restaurant with baskets of chips displayed on each and every table.