Who moved my chips?

Read an interesting tid-bit on the origins of the quintessential potato chip. Way back in 1853, a chef of the Saratoga Springs resort in New York was upset - a customer had complained that his french fries were too thick and soggy and not salty enough. In a fit of anger, the chef sliced the potatoes too fine, fried them till they were crisp brown, added an extra measure of salt and served them to the displeased customer. Voila! The world tasted its first potato chip.

The chips, that came to be known as Saratoga chips, were confined to their region of birth until Herman Lay came along and marketed it in the South-East. As you may have guessed already, Herman Lay went on to become the founder of HW Lay & Co, the largest producer of potato chips in the US. Mr. Lay's company merged with the Frito Company in 1961 to become Frito-Lay. Soon after, Pepsi-Cola company merged with Frito Lay to form PepsiCo. Currently, Frito-Lay contributes almost 50% of revenues to the combined entity.