It’s time to show a little love for the world’s most important tuber.
(Is there really more than one tuber? Does anybody know what a tuber actually is?)
Anyway, apparently the UN has decided to do what it does best: pass meaningless legislation. That’s right, the United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. You can find the website here. It’s chock-full of all the information you can stand about our friend the spud.
And really, when you look at it, hasn’t the potato been the driving force behind most of human history? Think I’m exaggerating? Take a look at the website:
The potato is already an integral part of the global food system. It is the world’s number one non-grain food commodity, with production reaching a record 320 million tonnes in 2007. Potato consumption is expanding strongly in developing countries, which now account for more than half of the global harvest and where the potato’s ease of cultivation and high energy content have made it a valuable cash crop for millions of farmers.
It’s time we rise up and realize just how important the potato is. The potato could actually solve the energy crisis that’s supposedly facing America these days. Granted, it would take a few million potatoes lined up in series–but it could happen!
So let’s follow the example of the UN. The important issue this year isn’t Darfur or Africa, nor the unstable situation in the middle-east. No. 2008 is all about the potato.
God bless our beloved tuber!
PS–I originally heard about this on Fair Game. Their humor is much better than mine. Plus, there’s an interview with the Corn Queen, just for perspective’s sake. Listen to it here.
–jw
