The Reign of the Chips
Today is the last day of National Chip Week.
An entire week for chips. Tortilla. Corn. Potato. Krinkled, kettle cooked, ridged, thin, salted, seasoned, mass produced.
They hardly need the recognition.
For this final day, I reduced it to one idea.
Chips
Falling
Against black
No bowl.
No picnic table.
No staged gathering.
Just gravity.
There is something amusing about declaring a reign for something that usually lives in a crinkled bag on a grocery shelf. Still, for seven days, the crown belongs to them.
“The Reign of the Chips”
Golden slices suspended for a fraction of a second before they meet the surface below. Salt catching the light. Edges crisp. Texture amplified. Slow motion turns a casual snack into something almost ceremonial.
For one week each year, chips are elevated. Today, they fall.
If your loyalty lies with tortilla, corn, potato, krinkled, kettle, or the classic thin slice, this is simply their moment.
For more photographs from my “Food From Bag To Background” series, commercial food, and much more, visit my website at https://www.secondfocus.com
Ian L. Sitren / SecondFocus
National Cheese Lovers Day
National Cheese Lovers Day was actually yesterday. I’m just catching up to it. Cheese is a big subject.
A quick search turns up the expected answer: cheddar is the most popular cheese in the United States. That makes sense. It’s everywhere. But when it comes to how Americans actually snack on cheese, the answer isn’t a block or a wedge.
This is it.
Crackers and processed cheese dip, sealed into individual trays, designed to be eaten anywhere, anytime. No plate, no knife, no ceremony. Just peel, dip, repeat. It’s cheese reduced to routine, convenience, and habit.
This pairing has been showing up in lunchboxes, office drawers, backpacks, and road trips for decades. It isn’t pretending to be artisanal or nostalgic. It’s practical. Familiar. Quietly excessive.
For National Cheese Lovers Day, this felt like the most honest version of the idea. Not cheese as ingredient or garnish, but cheese as snack.
You can see more from my Commercial Food Photography series at
https://www.secondfocus.com/index/G0000WFAqDJQOgKU
SecondFocus Blog 