Celebrate! It's the Year of the Potato!

For those of you thinking this was the Year of the Rat, or the Year of the Child, or something equally silly, you need to know that 2008 has been officially declared the Year of the Potato by the One World Government... err... United Nations.

Yup, you read it right. With all of the wars, and terrorism, and fascism raising its ugly head all over the world, the United Nations has named this the Year of the Potato. I'm not making this up, I swear! The Potato Board was joyous in its website's pronouncement of the event that "The United Nations has declared 2008 the International Year of the Potato. Find out more about this 365-day celebration of one of the most important food staples worldwide." I wonder which day we will NOT be celebrating the tater, since 2008 has 366 days, but that's another story.

Why, may you ask, did the UN name this the Year of the Potato? Why, to "...raise awareness of the importance of the potato" of course! Someone needs to visit Idaho, I think. The mighty tuber is REALLY important there! I hear it's a pretty important food in Ireland, Russia, and India, too! Heck, the potato is so important in Iran, they consider it a jihadi thing! (I'm not making THAT up, either!)

How did I learn this interesting fact? Well, it started with the announcement by America's head farmer, Department of Agriculture's Acting Secretary Chuck Conner (Come on, you have to wonder if he has a Winchester rifle, don't you?), that he has appointed 34 men and one woman to the National Potato Promotion Board. That board was created way back in 1971, when it became obvious that the lowly spud needed a hand in reaching its full potential. (Which it did, in 2001, when nearly 32 million tons of potatoes were overproduced in the United States, about half of which was left to rot in the fields.)

Now, I'm not dissing the role of the potato. Oh no. But I think, maybe, that the Potato Board has gone a little over the deep end by saying "potatoes are proving the perfect canvas for dinnertime innovation." I mean, I like my taters, that's a fact, and I have a few nearly every week. But my mom, and I'm sure yours, too, was constantly telling you "Don't play with your food!" at the dinner table, and would surely have slapped your hands for turning your mashed spuds into a canvas.

So get out there, today even, and hug a bag of potatoes - it's their Year, and they could use the affection from everyone.