The magnificent potato

By Don Fowler
Posted 1/19/22

What would you choose for your last meal?

Popular responses would be steak or lobster.

My response would be the magnificent potato.

Mashed, boiled, French fried, scalloped, fried, …

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The magnificent potato

Posted

What would you choose for your last meal?

Popular responses would be steak or lobster.

My response would be the magnificent potato.

Mashed, boiled, French fried, scalloped, fried, baked or chips, the potato is king of all the foods in the world.

Add potato salad to my favorite us of the tuber, as long as it is made with Hellmann’s mayonnaise.

Twin Oaks regulars order baked stuffed shrimp with “mashed in the middle.”

Spoonem’s will long be remembered for its home fries.

Steak houses compliment a tender, juicy steak with a baked potato and sour cream.

What’s a fast food burger without French fries?

What’s a corned beef dinner without a boiled potato?

And who could forget Mom’s scalloped potato casserole?

Life Without Potatoes

After a recent illness, I was put on a strict diet that drastically reduced by potassium intake.

In addition to no tomatoes, tomato sauce, bananas, coffee or any foods high in potassium, potatoes in any form were a no-no.

Living without my addiction to the spud was next to impossible.

I substituted onion rings for French fries, and the restaurant had the audacity to charge me a dollar extra.

Many restaurants offered me a replacement vegetable (usually cauliflower or broccoli, not among my favorites).

I always thought that potatoes came from Ireland, but a Google search tells me they originated in southern Peru and northern Bolivia, possibly as long as 10,000 years ago.

Potatoes are the fourth largest food crop, and there are 5,000 different types.

My knowledge is limited to the sweet potato, which makes terrific fries.

The origin of the word comes from the Spanish “palata.”

The root vegetable is 79% water.

And they are an important ingredient in the making of vodka, another thing that I can’t have.

Hopefully, my expensive medicine and strict diet will lower my potassium level and I can once more eat my favorite food.

My first visit will be to Twin Oaks for the Mashed in the Middle.

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