A well-seasoned burger can induce instant tummy rumbles. Add bacon, a fried egg and place it between two nutritious Krispy Kreme donuts and the rumbles may soon turn to ache. The misleading name of this meal is “The Lady’s Brunch Burger.” Brought to you by the one and only.
Paula Deen.
The name invokes the image of the sassy southern aunt that puts just a bit too much sugar in her sweet tea and believes all vegetables are improved with a pork product and butter. The public has enjoyed her over the top southern cooking for years. She has advocated this indulgent lifestyle through her website, her cookbooks and her “stick of butter eating” talk show appearances.
Yes. Deen chomps gleefully on a stick of butter and in return the crowds give her groans and laughs. Even better than eating butter by the stick. The same woman who gives us the tips and tricks to prepare “Fried Butter Balls” for those we claim to love. What’s not to love about butter creamed with cream cheese, an egg to fuse the seasoned butter mixture with the bread crumbs. Throw the balls into the freezer next to the ignored frozen yogurt and sad half used bags of vegetables. Pull the balls out of  freezer, throw in some hot oil and enjoy. Better yet, eat them as a snack while on the way to the emergency room. That is probably the best place to let that meal digest.
The amusement of her artery clogging recipes has died down with the recent revelation she has Type 2 Diabetes. With this, we as a public have heard excuses and disclaimers, but no ownership of her lifestyle contributing to her disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, 25.8 Million Americans have diabetes.
If this disease caused welts and boils on people’s faces the grim reality of these numbers may be more disturbing. As it stands it’s a invisible killer that people don’t tend to face until it’s already affecting their life.
In our celebrity chef-filled world, where cooking shows spring up daily what level of responsibility should they have in what they encourage people to eat? Is it up to the public to take the steps to protect their health by investigating these meals? In a climate where restaurants have to disclose nutrition information, should these high-profile chefs be held to the same standard?
A new Food Network show called “Fat Chef” implies that this may be the dirty little secret of the chef world. While the amounts of food they eat while cooking and mastering their dishes are bites here and there. It apparently adds up.
“Never trust a skinny chef.”
This statement has been thrown around without thought for years. We as a country need to rethink our attitudes when it comes to food. Celebrity Chefs should be able to do what they love. If that means eating a stick of butter then eat it. But when you are coming into our homes eating that stick of butter in front of the people we love.
Maybe she should think twice about her contribution in the industry that feeds her family while killing ours.
Leave a Reply