As you might expect, the cross-country $800/375,000-mile taxi roadtrip provided a lot of opportunities for snacking. Snackatunities, as they say in the industry. And while I didn’t avail myself to every bag of salty crunchy sweet chewy cheesy goodness, I did note at least one significant automotive-themed snack: Runners.
Oh, and by the way, I will be getting the final update on the trip out today. I hope. The spoiler is that yes, we made it!
Anyway, back to Runners, which appear to be a snack with origins in Mexico, made by Barcel, the Grupo Bimbo snack juggernaut that is probably best known here for their spicy tightly rolled tortilla chip snacks, Takis. Runners seem to have a similar spicy flavor profile, but are, significantly, made in the shape of cars.
I mean, this ad pretty much says just that, albeit in Spanish. A snack in the shape of a car:
The bag I saw has a pretty prominent image of the car-snack right on the front:
These crunchy cars seem to range from mildly spicy, like the Chile & Lime ones I saw, to intensely spicy, like these Fuego ones:
Those crunchy cars are sure tearing ass there, in what looks to be the photosphere of a star? But let’s take a closer look at these cars:
Hm. There’s something familiar there, something that would fit with the Mexican origins of the snack. Hear me out, visually:
See, I think these Runners are, in fact, based on the outline of the legendary Vocho, the very popular Mexican-market Volkswagen Beetle. Sort of stretched, too. The Runners shape has the basic rounded form of the Beetle, and the beltline and lines for the door are in roughly the right place.
Now, the windshield is a bit more curved, and the rear looks a bit cut-off, though that could be a suggestion of the Vocho’s license plate light? It’s not easy rendering any car in easily-reproducible snack materials, but this somehow feels Beetle-like. And Beetles were very common in Mexico for decades, and enjoy a lot of cultural recognition there, even though their time in the mainstream has mostly passed.
I’m open to other thoughts, though. And has anyone tried these? I foolishly didn’t get a bag when I had my chance, but I’m sure some of you out there have. Are they good? Do they have enough automotive flavor, or is it just heat?
When you bite the rear off – it’s a Gremlin.
Au contraire, I believe some cars are extremely easy to render in snack form. A Bond Bug looks very similar to a Dorito in side profile, just with a broken corner for the roof.
And you could use several Doritos to assemble a mini Cybertruck, which would be the only one exhibiting good taste.
Mexican? Probably a Nissan Tsuru then.
Sorry guys, but it’s actually a Mercedes EQS
Crunchy begets perfectly crumbsulent.
I think you’re close but not quite there. Pretty sure it’s a 911. Most of my staff is from Mexico, and I’ve seen/eaten Runners many many times. There’s a smaller snack bag a few of them bring in that’s red, and it has a half car/half runner chip that looks like a 911. Let me see if I can find a pic
Yeah here you go:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Runners-55g-Box-W-5-bags-Car-Shaped-Chips-Snack-Mexican/13545908421
Not exactly the best pic, but since I don’t have a bag on hand it’ll do
I see your Runner, and raise you a Transform-A-Snack. In the UK the car snacks have axles!
https://www.goldenwonder.com/range-category/transform-a-snack/
I’m getting much more Chrysler Airflow than I am Beetle.
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e7918a4b1051f6e49dcfdb1/1668299966121-YEHSCJISJJUDIOGC7DM5/audrain-h2h-cars-7.jpg
This is the correct answer
Clearly it’s a Lucid Air.
‘34 Chrysler Airflow?
Citroen DS vibes as well.
Citroen DS vibes.
“tearing ass” just made my day good sir. Chef’s kiss for sure.
The answer is right there on the video for the Chili-Lime ones: Fuego!
Defiantly not a beetle if you check some other bag editions it will give you a hint.
https://www.amazon.com/Runners-Barcel-mexican-chips-bag/dp/B0CQLFT5P6
The proportions give me a kind of 5th gen Prius or Horch Wanderer vibe, but contextually Beetle is probably correct.
Ford Taurus NASCAR
“Driving around, cross the States, all wacked on those car-shaped snacks.”
–Funyun Lovin’ Criminals
Now that will be on repeat in my head all day.
Listen up, CRUNCH, it’s the Funyun Lovin’ Criminal!
Something tells me that about four percent of Autopians will clock this reference, but those of us who do will applaud!
I got it and I applaud.
Definitely Beetle, makes sense given the location. If not an old Audi TT.
Or the newest New Beetle, which is like a cross between the two.
Agreed. Gotta be the original Beetle, much beloved south of the border. I suppose that you could purposely blur your vision and try convince yourself that it was actually a 2CV for some reason, but no sober person would believe you.
Beetle was my first
tastethought too.Nah, you nailed it first try!