The Little Things You Say and Do

Full disclosure – I’m overweight. That’s not some understated euphemism for corpulent, that is the Body Mass Index talking. Odd thing, I sometimes get described as skinny, which I’m not; unless people are talking about my biceps, which are. At 6’2”ish and 205 pounds, I’m solid, I have love handles that probably aren’t all that lovable but also aren't my defining feature. I walk, ride my bike and am in a reasonable shape. While maybe, arguably I could stand to loose 10 pounds, which would put me in the “normal BMI range”, there is no way I could drop 20 and keep myself at the optimum 185. Besides I have no desire to and as much as I like to eat bitter green things like salad, I love carbs so much more.

mmm green veg

All of which is a very long lead up to the current kerfuffle over potatoes and school lunches. To wit – the USDA is updating its guidelines for school lunches for the first time since 1994. Proposed regulations would limit starchy vegetables to 1 cup per person per week. Being overweight and loving carbs might make me too close to the subject matter to comment clearly…

But things like this leave little to be happy about. The federal school lunch program is a 12 billion dollar a year expenditure. I don’t have a problem with feeding children – ideally this money should be used to buy from farmers in or near school districts instead of multinational suppliers, but we aren’t quite there in terms of growers and will for such a program. That and in the era of government bashing talking about smarter government, good government instead of no government at all is a dirty hippie sentiment. I hate dirty hippies and drum circles, so I can’t take their side.

So okay fine, instead let’s defer to the Ayn Randers, whose anti-altruism makes a school lunch program a non-starter. Surely, taking a subsidized anything makes one a moocher, parasite or looter, right? Like the $ 40,000 – 80,0000 dollars in direct payment from the USDA to eligible potato farmers, or the 3 billion a year in water subsidies to mostly potato farmers, not to mention the incalculable cost of the network of roads and gas subsidies required to deliver potatoes from rural growers to urban markets. And they surely must hate the fact SNAP/Food stamps benefits can be used to buy things like potato chips. That is why the hardcore, free-marketers and deficit hawks at Dallas based Frito-lay spend countless dollars on lobbyist to get those subsidies removed from the annual budget. Or at the very least beg their representatives not to allow potato chips to be purchased with food stamps

Supposedly middle of the road NPR, of course NPR’d all over the story and tsk-tsked a non-issue, with this quote, “But if the folks at the U.S. Department of Agriculture have their way, we could see a lot fewer of them [potatoes]”. The context of that quote was maybe about school lunches but that's sloppy editing, and for me, a blogger with no editing back-up shouldn't ever be able to make that criticism. Still even if NPR means fewer potatoes at school lunches, how many NPR listeners get school lunches and would see fewer potatoes? Listen NPR, no one is trying to pry a cold, limp french fry from your plump, greasy fingers, don't try to be sensational, you aren't good at it. 

There are some laughably good quotes in the NPR and related articles: Senators Collins of Maine and Udall of Colorado bemoan the new standards, “unnecessarily discriminate against white potatoes, corn, lima beans, and green peas." Because the only thing standing between lima bean consumption and the average American’s mouth is school lunch policy? The aforementioned NPR article, quotes a professional food scold from Center for Science in the Public Interest, "When the kids are offered french fries versus carrots or green beans, too often the kids choose french fries." I know I haven't been getting enough fried food this year by skipping restaurants, but my veg-lovin' self would choose french fries 9 times out of 10. Again, come on NPR, the CSPI is not a serious organization and should not be quoted by any credible news agency. There are sensible professionals who promote healthy eating by promoting healthy foods and balanced diets, not limiting other's food choices.

Maybe it’s fitting that on what would have been Buddy Holly’s 75 birthday, I am just Ranting On. But as someone who was told as a child to fill up on potatoes, who is logging countless hours in the Saucylab trying to invent Potatoes Carbonara and who thinks a life without carbs is no life at all, I have no problems with potatoes, just apparently everyone with an opinion about them. Sorry, I’ll do better next post.