The potato chip was invented in 1853 as a joke when a chef was tired of a customer complaining that the restaurant’s fried potatoes were too soggy and not sliced thin enough. To get back at the customer, the chef sliced the potatoes as thinly as possible, then deep fried them. The joke was on the chef, though…the customer loved these crispy fried potatoes, and they were added as a regular feature to the menu.