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(NONFICTION)

THE HUMBLE S UD

by

erin nicolai

I

was four years old, and I was a At least, that's what my gl andfather called me. at the age II hen

most grown-ups Said didn't make sense, I didn't bother how I could be similar to a metal far too preoc­ cupied at the time. The trenches of warfare were slung out before me, with landmines nestled in the furrowed dirt ev­ ery few inches. Mud caked every bit of me, except for about one clean inch around each of my eyeballs, me look like a raccoon. As I crawled my way to freedom [ heard the anguished bellow from the enemy, "Nooooo!

It was too late and I was captured up by my in a most manner. In a last attempt to maintain agency, I at my "r"'rl~hw And that's when I look in my

ther's eyes-like a feverish squirrel after it realizes its nut hoard stolen. He the potato from my grubby and gingerly brushed the remaining dirt off of it. After he carefully laid it aside, he returned his attention to me and began a lecture on the

of his while he vigorously directed a of hose water in my vicinity. I recall some of his mostly the parts that dealt with him threatening to take away my grandma's peanut butter cookies jf I were to decimate his but the odd reverence he held toward the potato also stuck in my memory. grand­ father IS old-fashioned Irishman, to the

diet of meat and potatoes one form or another) at every meal. But on that day, he succeeded in

some understanding of those magnificent spuds

previous belief that should only hover between my and my mouth. that day my utilization of the Russet-Burbank potato known as the Idaho po­ tato, or my grandfather's variety of as a

changed my outlook on potatoes forever.

Throughout the potato hasn't been a high place of honor. The one exception be in its in­

region. Evidence shows that potatoes existed up to thirteen thousand years ago, although first showed up in human about eight thousand years ago in the Andes in South America. In the Moche culture in Peru, potatoes were such an part of life that they people in their works of art. Potato-like are found in jugs and even one fertility in which a man has a crown with what looks like an eye of a potato from which women are Their beliefs were that resided in most of nature. So yes, there was a potato

Conflicting emotions about potatoes were

when were introduced to them. One with some early conquistadors,

when the conquistadors found their of potatoes. It

should come as no that this was for the

con-were in­ terested in gold, not potatoes. this difference in value of vegetable verses pre­ cious metal was where the met its con­ demnation, leaving it to struggle to

ac-The trenches

of warfare

were slung out

m with

landmi

nestled

in the furrowed

di

every few

inches.

ceptance from the rest of the world.

The brought the potato back to Europe in the 15005, where it was met with much

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5.5

to be used in witchcraft or to induce An­ other popular belief was that a potato looked like the hands and feet of a and must therefore cause

didn't eat more potatoes in an tur­ bulent time, because that's

The Irish were the first to really embrace the potato as a food source, making it a field crop in the 17th century and it into

a in the 18th cen­ tmy. Potatoes did well in Ireland because they thrive in rain, which Ireland appears to get a lot of. Also, potatoes

Iittle land and work, which allowed the Irish to cap­

italize on the freedom and ease to grow and cook this root" so they could pursue other activities. The Irish loved

that 1800 an average would eat However, they

into problems with the vulnerability of tbe crop. In 1728, faced an oat crop failure, and the poor potatoes could to sustain hungry Irish stomachs. Then, in temperatures caused many crops to in round two of the potato famines. How­ ever, the worst trouble the Irish faced was in 1845. At the time of the Great Famine, 40 percent of the Irish diet was solely of potatoes, so when blight aflected all of the crop, the Irish were affected in the extreme. re­ sorted to nettles or cow's blood. One million people left Ireland, and one million died. h was a that still resounds with the Irish today as a side of skillet fried potato and onions.

Some of the wealthier individuals in

potatoes around 1700, as a bit of a However. the English diet revolved around meat and bread and while usu­

the could afford great of meat, even the poor to follow this diet. Still, those who

14

At the time of the

Great Famine,

40 percent of

the Irish d

was

comprised solely

of potatoes ...

did consume this tuber maintained their us-tongs to cook them so as to not use their hands. The French, like the , were wary of potatoes and their powers and would use them as feed for animals for a time. It wasn't until crop failure and fam·

finally the potato.

from lack of the French deemed it proper to plop

a potato in nearly every soup, which was

served at lunch or dinner. By 1854, the British thought they had really gotten a hold on the whole fried potato idea and refined the concept into a that we would label a French fry in modern times. In fact, this cuisine was so popular in its that citizens of Lancashire will still for the that they created the first

or rather, chip.

One year after the great potato encounter with my father, I found myself in at the age of five. My family had decided to take a trip. and while the and culture were my greatest triumph was procur­

a miniature of Big Ben. One afternoon after a schedule of my parents Jet us eat din­ ner at a quaint little street stand near our hotel. The cultural standard fare was, of course, fish and By that time I

was so ravenous that it did not matter to me what I ate, and let's be honest, at that age parents do the most of the time. So I contented with plopping down into a rickety plastic chair that had some unfortunate encounters with bird f'"c'U'"V'J. A short time later, my fa­ ther in front of me a basket of delectable smells. With anticipation I rustled the paper aside to select my first chip, to be met with French fries.

Tsuppose I should've known might be

or perhaps my parents should have forewarned me of the strange differences in this country.

J

was not the potato to be to me in its soft and

fann, but rather as its the

French fries in front of me were not like the ones

J

knew and loved, but rather thick, served with a side of The blow was 1, of course.

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have since learned the difference. But that day I Jearned the power behind the in the of the potato. The world has extended its rather

margin-since the acceptance of the potato as a substance edible for humans. Granted, some of these potato dishes have been the results of mistakes. A chef for King LOllis who Illied in the mid-1800s, plopped fried

potatoes into hot oil

The world has

to reheat tbem when

extended

his was late for

dinner, yet he needed

imagination,

to serve a warm meal

rather marginally,

for fear of being forced

to exist off of

ncethe

snails or something of

widespread

the like. But when his

acceptance of

already done hit

the oil they up,

potato ...

and sacre bleu I The

souffle was conceived. invention goes far beyond that, Italians use potatoes in pasta. In India, are common in curries. They are stir-fried with green beans in Ethiopia. the winter in Finland, potatoes are sim­ mered with smoked haddock for soup. In Belarus, it's popu­ lar to stuff a potato with liver.

It goes without that these dishes do not even be-to scratch the surface of all the sumptuous attrib­ uted to the potato. In fact, a American recipe book such as the one by Befler Homes and Gardens

at least 347 dealing with potatoes. If the universe offers up no less than 9,960,000 hits in the of "potato Simply put, the potato can

us a lot of great food.

Largely concerned with the draw of a steam-for most of my life, it took me a while to

the many other delicate aspects of a potato. When I was in second I Jived in Idaho where potatoes lord over all. My teacher, bless her heart, decided a fieldtrip to a potato

farm was crucial in her quest for We seized this opportunity of boarding a bus to view rows and rows of dirty I'm certain now that the goal was for us to learn the of famers, the delicate process of and the enormous amount on a farm. However, at the time, we collectively decided that the highlights of the included a goat, a dead rattlesnake on the road, and allowed a party favor in the form of as many potatoes as we could each fit into a paper bag and carry home with us. It was at the last moment that I tlllly felt as my father was chaperoning and every­ one else's prepubescent arms could not compare to his in the task of potatoes. While the farmer was yelling at us for up premature potatoes or sitting on the plant (really, he ought to have known better before inviting twenty-seven to his precious

to marvel at the differences in the potatoes. Each one had different dirt-crusted bumps and its own unique,

That afternoon I returned home with an armful of someone's livelihood and a still understanding Oil

the inner of a potato.

The potato is a very vulnerable plant. It needs humans to cultivate it if it ever to move beyond the

form it takes in the wild. Something that freaked early farm­ ers out is that potatoes are not seeds, like some other proper crop. Instead, one needs to a bit of the tuber itself underground for it to grow. Once started, this herbaceous annual can grow up to inches tall, the world with pink, blue, or white flo\vers. Potatoes love nitrogen, but can grow in thin soil where oth­ er crops would not fare well. They grow over such a wide

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though there are so many varieties of potatoes, about six account for most of the commercial While this is great for it also leaves the potatoes susceptible to the possibility of disease or nasty nematodes Nobody wants another Great Famine, so several concerned individuals took it upon themselves to create the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru, in 1972. These blessed individuals research different methods and potato conservation potato and not panda, or

conservation)

and leave mundane

No one saves up

tasks such as

their money to

potatoes to us

tons. The concern for

buy a precious

the tuber has become

solitary potato

more in

recent years, and in

and spends hours

2008 the United Na­

fawning over it.

tions dec! ared it the

"Year of the Potato. And not? The UN wished to raise awareness about the potato, its food source, and its to alleviate world

With so many industrious uses, it's "''''''''-'''5 that the po­ tato does not get more This miraculous vegetable went from being revered in the ancient South American ci v­ dizations, to hated the I suppose some of that distain still carries over, because we use its name in vain. Couch potato. Potato head. These things are not something we call someone when we want a favor from them. How­ ever, in society we generally potatoes. No one saves up their money to buy a solitary potato and spends hours over it. Several centuries ago in Europe, the potato only popularity when resources were scarce and people needed a friendly food to fill their stomachs. took what

needed such an ugly and

now we are no better. We utilize the potato mostly in ways that will make our lives easier- "The potato: easy to grow, easy to " that should be our motto. Yet what's the point

of a food that will allow a to move faster and faster'] Or anything that facilitates that sort of mentality? Some may think it is terrible that potatoes were thought of with great distain at one time. I think it is far worse now, when potatoes have been removed so far from our consciousness as a result of us laking that is truly and llseful and placing it so far below any sense of value.

When I came to I knew no one would be able to make me eat a potato if I didn't want to. I relished the idea that I could never allow a morsel of to pass between my lips, or confront potatoes in greasy, salty, delicious fry form, all on my mood, But I

my radical ideas of how I would from my sheltered life into that of a student weren't quite as I envisioned them. Iocca­ sionally ate a or two, in my diet as they normally would be. But all in all, they were under my radar. Then, one autumn I found my attention called back to potatoes. I was walking back from class, savoring a few moments between having to convince

was in their learning environment, and myself that my homework needed

als in front of me were consumed by an ;>v:",..,(">, ..I" profound

disCliSsioJl, no doubt, based on the comments I heard con­ whose turn it was to buy the beer that weekend. One broke the seriousness of the moment.

"Dude, I need to football." "Yeah, I got you."

now. You got a football')" The two elbow-deep into his

"Uh, will this work'!"

Out from his backpack prr,pr<)Pri a potato. I had so many

The two started the potato back and forth, mov­ ing off the sidewalk. I saw others looking at the as I

was, with that merged with concern. But there were a few who seemed to favor this

ment, and joined them. It was then that I may have wit­

16

(5)

nessed the first ever game of potato football, At the instant I realized this, I wasn't overcome by an urge to this historic moment. I was for potatoes.

U'~'UIJIJ~" KapToq). Pommes de ten·e.

ncuo:w. Potet. Pralaf. Viazi.

Kartupeli. Tatws. Khoai tay. Over time, the potalo has been offered to us under so many names, yet it doesn 'I try to hide under a with any of tbem. Its unassuming has remained the same no matter what culture used it at any

time.

I used to lob potatoes as make-believe bombs, I have scoffed strange forms take in dishes, and I have them in favor of a dead snake. But it all, potatoes wanted to nourish me. So while the Moche

may have taken it to the extreme when

of a potato on every had a good, idea: appreciate the little

underestimate the small things. Don'l underestimate the humble spud. I

Works

tubers." Science News ]73.5 Falsetto, Sharon. 'The Potato and Uses."

Suite 101. www.suite1OJ.com/content/the­

38022.

Google Translate. 20 lO. translate.google.com.

International the Potato. 2008.

PAF-News. and Fun Uses of Potatoes."

Passionate About FoodNeT. July 2002. www. passionatea boutfood

cgi?newsid 102621

"The Potato: We Like." Economist 386 (2008): 18.

"Potatoes, in International Standardisa­ lion of Fruit and Paris: Organisation for Eco­

nomic LOI-OI)erat and 1977. Rajiator. "Potato-60 Uses So Far." Hubpages.

com/hub/Potato.

Reader. John. Potato: A Propitious Esculent.

New Haven: Yale Press, 2009.

"Plant Profile: Potato (Solanum tuberosum}," Sacred Earth Newsleller. www.sacredearth.com/ethnobotanyl pI3ntprofiles/potato.php.

Salaman. Redcliffe N. The History and Sociallnftuence The Potato: With a on Industrial Uses.

References

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