Why would a man with miles of ocean shoreline to explore spend part of his vacation studying potato chips?

So Kim Severson wrote for the New York Times. Good question and seriously, these guys are making me hungry:

Opening a fresh bag of chips is a deceptively simple wonder. There is such promise riding on the rush of potato-y air. The crunch of that first salty chip, crisp and unblemished by moisture and oxygen, is one of life’s most underrated great food moments.

Apparently: The Best Chip? The First One Out of the Bag, enjoy.