New Mutants #13 (1984)
Written by Chris Claremont
Pencils by Sal Buscema
Inks by Tom Mandrake, Colors by Glynis Wein
Chef’s Note: While not as potentially funny as a banana, this seems another instance where some inside joke must be playing out in the Marvel bullpen. It could easily have been a bag labelled simply “Potato Chips” or even just “Chips” – plenty of writers and artists resort to such. Lazy, perhaps, but at least straightforward.
But no – what we get here is “Groat Chips” and displayed in a way that is unmistakable. “Groat” might sound like a made up word, but in fact:
Groats (or in some cases, “berries”) are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oat, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endosperm (which is the usual product of milling).
So, an odd choice one would think for a teenage snack food. And even odder due to the fact that “groat chips” are also, in fact, a thing:
Our groat chips are created as part of the milling process and have the same nutritional properties as our Oat Groats. This is a great value product that is used by many customers in the feed industry as part of their rations.
So there you have it- Kitty and her friend are snacking on livestock feed. If either Mr. Claremont or Mr. Buscema would like to shed some light on this little oddity, it would be greatly appreciated.