Romancing the Spud........

2008 is the UN Year of the Potato I challenge you to bring a loveable, romantic potato into your blog in honor of that!-- Editor

Potatoes? Romantic? Am I out of my mind? Frequently. But think about it. Potatoes are a stable, dependable and they are always with us. They’re not perfect but they are loved anyway. They change and adapt when we need them to. They ask no questions when we choose to bake, fry or boil them. They also give great comfort and can be relied on in times when we need their fluffy waves of buttery goodness to sooth whatever ails us. And yet they ask nothing but to be devoured. They give. They never take. They don’t judge why we want to use them in shepherd’s pie or why we need them crisp and salty at parties. Indeed, they bring people together as they congregate unsure of what to say at a buffet table. Everyone loves chips. They use this power for goodness. They are just there for you. There is an unspoken passion about spuds. They may be deceptively plain on the outside but inside beats a solid heart. They are the Lord of the vegetables.

As for romance…please, it goes without saying. They get all up close and personal with each other in the sacks they are carried in. All that rubbing of firm flesh. They join willingly with other potatoes in an orgy of flavour in order to sate even the most jaded palate. They are not adverse to breaking boundaries or taboos and mingling with other more exotic wild creatures like chili and tomatoes to heat things up. Potatoes have a wild, spicy side that people often forget. They have brought sexy back. They are plump and hard and ever ready for action. Think about that next time you use them…or, one may wonder, are they using you for their own gratification? Hmmm…


And what about the perfect potato couple? Mr and Mrs Potato Head – how long has this pair been together? Surely their story is the romance of the century. Forget your soap operas and take another look at the Potato Heads. Oh sure they probably snap bits on and off each other all the time but that thing is they are always together. She has not run off with a carrot seeking more length and although he probably eyes a peach occasionally he remains true to her. How many other celebrity couples can say that?

I give you the Potato - giver of goodness, friend of the hungry, fulfiller of needs, lover of all things hot and spicy, shy, humble, deceptive and dependable. It’s romantic without being soppy and it can ménage a trois with the best of them. What is not to love about the spud? Get more romance in your life today. Go buy a potato and watch you life change for the better.

Am I full of it or what?

On a serious note…

The celebration of the International Year of the Potato (IYP) will raise awareness of the importance of the potato - and of agriculture in general - in addressing issues of global concern, including hunger, poverty and threats to the environment.

Over the next two decades, the world's population is expected to grow on average by more than 100 million people a year. More than 95 percent of that increase will occur in the developing countries, where pressure on land and water is already intense. A key challenge facing the international community is, therefore, to ensure food security for present and future generations, while protecting the natural resource base on which we all depend. The potato will be an important part of efforts to meet those challenges... http://www.potato2008.org/en/aboutiyp/index.html

The simple potato can sustain life. We all need to think about how lucky we are that some of us do not rely on the success or failure of a crop for our survival.

Anny, as part of a joint challenge by our incredibly smart, astute and stunningly attractive editor (can one ever grovel too much?) has the potato romance of the century on www.annycook.blogspot.com. Kelly has some reflective words of wisdom from some crazy woman on her Sunday blog on www.kkirch.blogspot.com. I still can’t believe she didn’t buy cheese in Wisconsin but people are strange – not you and me of course. We’re completely normal.

www.freewebs.com/amarindajones/
Go ahead: Live with abandon. Be outrageous at any age. What are you saving your best self for?