Ignoring the artful stacks of Velveeta and Ro*Tel, traditional Super Bowl ingredients for more Austin households than not, we made straight for the H-E-B snack aisle to complete our “flight” of tortilla chips. In stock already were the Pace Picante Sauce and three kinds of salsa verde (La Sabroza, Herdez, and Austin’s own Jaime’s). The three in contention are El Galindo no salt, Whole Foods 365 no salt, and El Lago tostaditas with no salt. El Galindo chips were preferred, but they, in truth, were not very different from the Whole Foods chips. Both were made of stone-ground white corn and otherwise seemed to be from the same ingredients. The difference lay a bit in the flavor and otherwise chiefly in the texture. The Whole Foods version had tiny brown dots in straight lines on them, and were a bit rougher on the surface and with some air bubbles. El Galindo and Whole Foods 365 chips seemed to be about the same color. El Lago chips are from yellow corn and were a bit toastier in flavor than the other two, seeming to have been “cooked” just a bit longer. The El Lago product is thicker. These chips are all made without preservatives and without trans-fats.

At the Albertsons on Pleasant Valley Road, where we stocked up on party supplies, among other items, there are human billboards stationed at the entrances and the signs all say “selling out to the bare walls.” Wines and beers are discounted 10%; health and beauty aids, 25%; greeting cards, 50%; cosmetics, 25%; deli and frozen foods, 10%; and “general merchandise,” 25%. The fragrances kept in locked cabinets are all but sold out. Cosmetics and baby products are going fast. Many shoppers were lingering long at the wine shelves, pondering and considering. Real maple syrup was gone. We’re going to miss the excellent selection of baking supplies. H-E-B devotes less and less space to this.

At any rate, when El Galindo chips are sold out, we now know that Whole Foods 365 are comparable, and that El Lago chips are still good ones.