A few months ago, I was ecstatic to learn Doritos were now being made in Thailand. The American corn chip snack I used to eat by the case full in the US, and just about impossible to find in Bangkok, were suddenly being manufactured in Thailand. Yay!
But it wasn’t until last week that I finally bought a couple of bags of Doritos made in Thailand at my local supermarket, and then happily settled down with my sandwich and side order of corn chips to enjoy a bag. And can I just say “Yuck”. They really are that nasty and foul.
Obviously, Doritos made in Thailand have been made with cheaper ingredients than are used in the US to keep the cost down in the Land of Smiles. But to say these Doritos corn chips are inedible to anyone who has tasted the real deal is unfortunately not an understatement.
I’ve spoken to a number of non-Thais who have rushed to buy the Thai version of Doritos and not only haven’t bothered to even finish the bag, but in most cases just threw the rest of them away. They really are that strange tasting.
One reason is because the deep orange nacho cheese that makes Doritos so delicious in America isn’t anywhere near these corn chips. Instead a weird, pale yellow and almost tasteless ‘cheese’ powder has been barely sprinkled over them. Add on the fact that the chips themselves are too thin and are fried in an oil I can’t even venture to guess what it is, but which seems to have taken away the satisfying ‘crunch’ almost every American is used to experiencing with a Doritos binge and, no, I won’t be buying these funky corn chips again.
Oddly too, while some non-Thais have said these Thai Doritoes were probably ‘made for the local market’ and, therefore, a different taste, I haven’t yet come across a Thai that will eat them either.
In fact, when I gave the second bag I had no intention of eating to the three women at my apartment building’s reception desk to try with their lunch, they laughingly told me later that they’d ended up in the garbage can as well.
Considering they’re always being discounted at every Bangkok supermarket I go to, I’d say that’s a pretty good indication much of the rest of Thailand probably thinks the same.
All in all, if you’re looking for Doritos in Thailand and want something that tastes like the American version, don’t even bother with the Thai variety made by Pepsi-Cola (Thai) Trading. Although they come in two flavors – Nacho Cheese (no, it’s not!) and Extreme BBQ (even worse than the Nacho Cheese), you’d just be wasting your money if you bought them.
Sad for we Doritos lovers, but absolutely true.
