‘Doolin—a health fanatic who kept his family on a vegetarian diet—had hoped to see his product become more than a chip, but that never happened. Doritos joined Fritos in being relegated to junk food status—popular, of course, but still junk.’ (Arellano 209).
When I posted on Instagram a picture of my bags of Doritos on Super Bowl Sunday, Dr. Alvarez had commented that there would be more on the topic of Doritos in ‘Taco USA’. I was quite interested to see how Arellano would implement them in the text. This quote references the founder of Fritos, the company that produces the likes of Doritos and Tostitos, Elmer Doolin, who passed away in 1959.
Arellano claims that his goal was to perhaps produce Fritos products that were healthier alternatives to salty chips. Instead, we saw Doritos, ‘little golden things’, break ground seven years following his passing in 1966. Let’s just say, Doritos aren’t exactly the healthiest snack around, but admittedly aren’t the least healthy option either. Doritos had instant success and remains one of the most popular snacks today.
It makes me wonder if Doolin would be fully proud that a great portion of success for his business stems from something like Doritos. It didn’t seem like his objective was for Doritos to become the go-to option for junk food for many folks. After all, however, we understand the position of a business and making money as the ultimate aim. The creators of Doritos certainly were on to something with this invention despite it going against what their founder may have envisioned.
Arellano, Gustavo. Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America (p. 209). Scribner. Kindle Edition.
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