I was dreading the column this week.

Now, I love trying all this weird stuff so you don’t have to…I consider it a duty and privilege. Yet, after Thanksgiving, I was feeling pretty full. I needed detox for a week. Lord knows some of the stuff I have eaten here is not for the faint of heart or for the health minded.

So, when I eyed these pretzel chips and salsa, I could not have been happier. 70 calories! Also, I bet they aren’t totally disgusting. My prayers had been answered. I put down the abomination I had originally settled on and happily purchased. Let’s see is my compromise was fruitful…

Smell: The chips don’t have a smell, while the salsa smells of onions and garlic. It is pretty standard stuff.

Texture/Appearance: This is composed of two cups–one filled with pretzel chips, the other salsa–held together in a little pod by a plastic outerlayer. I was disappointed to see that about half the chips were broken when I opened the package. Not entirely shocking, but it does not make for clean and easy dipping. The salsa looked suitably chunky, though I was surprised to see large pieces of celery.

Taste: I was nervous the pretzel crisps would taste stale, as refrigeration is generally not kind to dry goods. (These were chilling on the salad bar at my local grocery store.) These were perfectly crisp (truth in advertising!) and salted to perfection. The salsa was, in fact, quite zesty. The taste of sweet peppers is very present. I was impressed; it was quite a decent salsa.

Final verdict: These were not bad. But for $1.50 a piece, I just don’t see the point. I know that individual portions are all the rage, but it seems a waste of money and packaging. These are a bit large and unwieldy to throw in with your lunch. It tastes fine, but it just doesn’t seem very functional. I will take a big bag of chips and a jar of salsa any day over this.

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Lemmonex writes almost daily about food, life, and the safety of six day old turkey and at her blog, Culinary Couture.