Of Martians and mashed potatoes

Apropos of absolutely nothing (except that I want to know where I put this in a couple of weeks, and my bookmark files are beyond congested at the moment):

A comparison of US instant mashed potatoes at Bad Ingredients. (Disclaimer: I have sometimes brought home the “Potato Buds” brand for use when I can’t be bothered to boil the real thing. But this would be rare, and a box of Potato Buds would normally last me 3–6 months. That last brand they describe, though? Wow. Anybody know anyplace in New York that carries those?)

Meanwhile, don’t even ask about Irish instant mashed potatoes. There are only two brands on the market that I know of, one by Knorr and the other a UK brand called Smash (originally made by Cadburys, now also owned by Knorr, I believe). Both turn out a result exactly mirroring the texture of wallpaper paste.

Here in the land of Real Potatoes, Smash is mostly famous for its silly ‘70’s commercials featuring Martians mocking the food habits of those primitive Earthlings; apparently British viewers once voted these the best TV commercials of all time.

...Never mind. Here's a compendium of the Smash commercials. (The first one doesn't have the Martians: the rest do.)

 

I Am (Spartacus) Joe Six-Pack

This morning’s best read… and about time somebody said it. Brava.