Harvey, Donna and Thomas Williams founded the Delta Dirt Distillery.
Elizabeth MacBride
Delta Dirt Distillery’s sweet potato vodka is strong – 86 proof – and it tastes somehow richer than your average vodka, rich like the soil of the Delta that grew the potatoes.
The bottles rolling out of the distillery in downtown Helena, Arkansas, represent the life savings, ambitions and idealism of a successful Black family. Harvey and Donna Williams grew up in neighboring Lee County. Both children of farmers, they met in high school.
With no jobs to be had, they left the community. The Arkansas Delta is one of the poorest parts of America, with poverty rates between one-third and one-half the population. Harvey, who has a degree from the University of Arkansas, worked his way up to become plant manager at Hillshire Brands, Tyson Foods, and now, Shearer’s Snacks, Donna followed his career. They have three children.
In 2016, they moved back to Arkansas because Harvey got a job offer nearby. Over the next couple of years, the idea for the distillery, well, fermented. Turning sweet potatoes into alcohol would be a value add for an already valuable crop. He researched, thought about it, and researched some more.
Eventually, Donna told Harvey that if they were going to do it, now was the time.
Finally Donna stepped in, which is the role she often plays in their relationship. “Either we do it or we don’t,” she said. And the decision was made: They would do it. And they would do it in Helena.
They had both watched as the town they loved – they remembered it from trips into town, as children – had slipped further. Small businesses of the kind that draw tourists, like those who stop and wander the streets from the Mississippi river boat tours, or the 30,000 or so people that come once a year for the King Biscuit Blues Festival, had to be the answer.
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“We want this to be a catalyst,” Harvey says.
Delta Dirt Distillery is on Cherry Street in Helena, Arkansas, with its distilling equipment visible ... [+]from the tasting room.
Elizabeth MacBride
Unable to get a bank loan (the distillery business was too unfamiliar, the banker said), they invested $900,000 to buy the building, build the still and invent the first batch. They recruited their youngest son, Thomas, to be the master distiller (he was just featured on the TV show Master Distiller).
The first bottles came out around Christmas and sold out within a day. These days, they’re regularly selling out of most of their inventory as they produce eight cases of vodka a week. And, they’re working with a consulting firm, Thoroughbred Spirits Group, to figure out how to expand.
Their advice for other innovator-entrepreneurs:
Seek to understand as much as you can about the business you’re investing in. “We visited as many distilleries – probably about 15 across the country — as we could find and went to conventions,” Harvey said. “The small craft guys were really willing to help us. We traveled, and went on the tour, and stuck around afterwards to ask questions.” Learning how the equipment worked was another part of that process.
Prepare for hurdles. You don’t know what all of them are, but do your best to figure them out. The federal and state regulations are a major hurdle in the spirits industry. Some local municipalities can be barriers, too, though the Williamses found Helena officials to be amicable.
Do a SWOT analysis. “That exercise helped us a lot.”
Be prepared to face the problems of innovation. The Williamses faced this in a couple of ways. Learning required traveling outside the state, for instance, because the comparable distilleries were elsewhere. They had to find contractors and in some cases bring them in from out of town, which raised the price. Not being able to get a bank loan was a blow, too.
Be patient. The timeline had to adjust and that became frustration. The faint of heart might have given up. “One of the things I find frustrating, is that the government requires you to buy all this equipment before they will even look at a license,” Donna said. “It’s almost backward.”
Keep the faith. “We believed: With the right knowledge, the right resources, and the right amount of time, we can figure out how to get through this, and overcome,” Harvey said.
The product.
Elizabeth MacBride
March 01, 2021 at 06:33AM
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The Secret Ingredient In A Black-Owned Sweet Potato Distillery: Faith. - Forbes
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The cartoon in this post was conceived and completed Friday, before I saw it reported that Donald Trump Jr. opened his CPAC speech calling it “TPAC.”
“How’s it going CPAC? Or I heard someone a little earlier phrase it a little bit better -TPAC. What it feels like guys,” said Don Jr. forming his hands into a T.
Yes it’s what it feels and looks like, but Rep Liz Cheney and other true Republican Conservatives would disagree that TPAC is “a little bit better.”
Hasbro also announced a name change for Mr. Potato Head. “Mr” is being dropped in an effort to make the toy more gender inclusive.
“Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. Potato Head brand name and log0 to promote gender equality and inclusion”
The company followed its initial statement with a “clarifying” one on twitter.
“Hold that Tot - your main spud, MR POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere. While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ’MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD.”
Josh Mandel doesn’t want to remain ‘MR’. He spoke at CPAC Friday in his campaign to replace ‘MR’ with ‘Senator’ in front of his name. The Trumplican candidate to replace Sen Rob Portman, attacked Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, an old school Republican conservative, as “swishy.”
It was the kind of petty name calling Sen Portman said former President Trump should avoid in his CPAC speech. Sunday morning on ABC’s “This Week,” Portman said Trump should instead focus on what Portman views as Trump’s successful and popular policies not “personalities” and “impeachment.”
Speaking of personalities, Friday it was being reported that in his CPAC speech Trump may go after House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. Trump is said to have been fuming that McCarthy has gone too easy on Rep Liz Cheney who said CPAC should move on from Trump.
While Hasbro wants to promote gender inclusion, at TPAC the tator options are limited to Trumplican and fast food fries.
February 28, 2021 at 10:22PM
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CPAC, Mr. Potato Head renaming: Darcy cartoon - cleveland.com
STEP ONE: In a non-reactive bowl, place the lemon juice, pear, papaya, grapefruit and pineapple. Toss to combine and coat with the lemon juice.
STEP TWO: To make the bassinet, slice a sliver off the side of the honeydew. This will make for a stable bottom to the bassinet.
STEP THREE: Make a vertical cut about 2/3 across to about half way down from the top of the honeydew. Cut perpendicularly and remove the section of honeydew.
STEP FOUR: Using a big spoon or melon baller, scrape out the seeds and discard. Remove the flesh of the honeydew, adding as much as you'd like to the already mixed fruit and reserving the rest for later consumption or an agua fresca.
STEP FIVE: Garnish with binkies.
STEP SIX: Fill the scraped honeydew with the fruit salad and serve.
March 01, 2021 at 12:03AM
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'WandaVision': Make Doctor Nielsen's Baby Fruit Salad - Marvel Entertainment
Though salads are the staple of the healthy lunch illuminati, my intolerance for eating a bowl of lettuce has always left me feeling out of the club. But once I realized that a great salad, full of crunchy vegetables, need have no lettuce within sight of the mixing bowl, I became a convert to the lunch salad life. Instead of fibrous ribs and flapping leaves, I lean on cucumbers, celery and various refreshingly crisp vegetables that add sturdy vitality to a simple and light but filling salad. My kohlrabi slaw with yogurt dressing is the recent addition to my repertoire, but the dependable standbys are an ever-revolving list of riffs on a handful of staple dishes.
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For a similarly creamy-crunchy slaw as the kohlrabi dish, I love the classic celery root version, here mottled with tart pomegranate seeds. This Israeli salad uses a sprinkling of dukkah seasoning to add flavor and interest to refreshing chunky-cut veggies tumbled over a bed of yogurt. When I want a little more heft, I use most of those same vegetables — cucumbers always, tomatoes often — and toss them with cooked couscous in a cold pasta salad that gets better the longer it sits.
I’ll typically add a fillet of salmon or chicken to these salads, but on occasion I’ll put in a little more effort and make this peanut noodle salad with crab and tons of crisp strands of red onion, cabbage and the reliable cucumbers. When lunchtime can feel like the make-or-break point of your day of eating, it’s great to have these staples in your back pocket, ready for a lift in the right direction.
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Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 2 to 4
Large chunks of carrot, cucumber and tomato make the typical Israeli salad a filling dish, sitting atop a bed of yogurt and sprinkled with spiced sesame dukkah.
Time45 minutes
YieldsServes 4 to 6
Crab meat adds sweetness to this peanut-rich sesame sauce bathing noodles and loads of sliced crunchy cucumbers and shredded cabbage.
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Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 6.
Chewy and tender Israeli couscous adds heft to this simple salad that’s great with any leftover raw crunchy vegetables you have in your fridge.
Time30 minutes
YieldsServes 4
The sweet, crisp texture of kohlrabi makes for a lighter rémoulade salad, here brightened with tart apple and minced red onion.
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Time20 minutes
YieldsServes 3 to 4
The classic contender for slaw, crunchy, hearty celery root is balanced with pops of tartness and spice from pomegranate seeds and sliced scallions.
Los Angeles Times Dinner Series: Pizza & Wine Party with Eric Wareheim
For this L.A. Times Dinner Series event, join actor, writer, producer, winemaker and pizza aficionado Eric Wareheim (“Tim & Eric,” “Master of None”) for a Pizza & Wine Party taking place across three cities with chefs Daniele Uditi (Pizzana, L.A.), Thomas McNaughton (Flour & Water, San Francisco) and Joe Beddia (Pizzeria Beddia, Philadelphia).
The event, on March 14 at 5 p.m., will include a pizza, available from a local restaurant in each city, paired with a bottle of Las Jaras’ Glou Glou wine. The Pizza & Wine Party will bring the three chefs together in a conversation with Eric Wareheim and will be hosted by L.A. Times columnist Jenn Harris.
During this week's episode, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (Cecily Strong) stopped by the Weekend Update desk to explain her views on gender to anchor Colin Jost.
Earlier this week, Taylor Greenedrew backlash for placing a sign that read "There are TWO genders: MALE & FEMALE. Trust The Science!" across the hall from another congresswoman who has a transgender child.
Wearing a misspelled shirt that read "trust the sience," Strong's Greene elaborated on her views.
"I love science," she said. "I'm always talking science. Unless that science is about climate change, coronavirus, space lasers, evolution, the metric system, the rhythm method, breastfeeding, living on Mars, Jesus' skin color or Santa's skin color, by the way, which is white."
After reciting an NSFW rhyme about anatomy, Strong's Greene explained that "we're all endowed with traditional gender roles."
"I'm a woman, so it's my job to bully, threaten and fight my female colleagues," she added. "Scientists call these 'cat fights,' and it's what girls do."
Strong's Greene also weighed in on another recent controversy: Hasbro's decision to rebrand the Mr. Potato Head toy as the gender neutral Potato Head.
Many people plant potatoes on Valentine's Day but there is still time to plant. Farm supply stores and hardware stores usually have potatoes for sale starting in January.
Start by purchasing certified seed potatoes.
These are more likely to be free from diseases because the seed potato plants are inspected before they are harvested. Potatoes from the grocery store may suffice but they can carry viral diseases or they may be treated with a sprout inhibitor which will prevent the potato from germinating.
Potatoes are adapted to many soil types but compacted soils are not good for potatoes. Good drainage is also needed to prevent rotting. The best way to determine your fertilizer needs for potatoes is to do a soil test. Usually a complete fertilizer such as 5-10-15 is recommended. Fertilizer can either be broadcast in a specified area or can be placed next to the rows.
Potatoes are in the same family as tomatoes, peppers and eggplants so it is wise to alternate potatoes with crops such as beans, corn or squash. If vegetables from the same family are planted in the same area each year, diseases, nematodes and other problems may arise.
Cut potatoes into small pieces with at least two eyes per section. Discard any pieces that are discolored or do not look right. If you start with a bad piece of potato, it may produce a weak plant and ultimately less potatoes. Plant the pieces four to five inches deep and about 10 inches apart. Rows should be 30-36 inches apart. It may be several weeks before you see new sprouts emerge.
As the plant grows soil can be piled up around the potatoes once or twice during the growing season. This technique is called hilling and will increase your production. You do not have to plant all your potatoes at once. If you desire potatoes over a longer period of time, plant a few every week. This will give you fresh potatoes for a longer period of time.
The new tubers start to form underground sometime in the spring. Potatoes will continue to grow until early summer. If you harvest your potatoes before they are fully mature they are considered "new potatoes." They will have thinner skins and will be smaller, tender and tasty.
If you want bigger potatoes, it is best to leave the plants in the ground longer. Late spring to early summer, when the plant foliage starts to die is the time to harvest the remainder of your potatoes.
To store your potatoes, let them air dry for a week and then store them in a dark area with a temperature of 40 degrees. This will allow the skins to harden. Light and warmth promote sprouting. Only store the best potatoes that do not have any damage to them. They can store for at least two months.
Jake Price is the University of Georgia extension agent/coordinator, Lowndes County. More information: Call (229) 333-5185, or email jprice@uga.edu.
February 28, 2021 at 02:00AM
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PRICE: Planting potatoes before spring | Local News | valdostadailytimes.com - Valdosta Daily Times
teke.indah.link Wendy’s Tosses New Jalapeño Popper Salad
Wendy’s tosses a new fresh-made salad with the introduction of the new Jalapeño Popper Salad.
The new Jalapeño Popper Salad features Wendy’s signature lettuce blend, spicy, crispy chicken breast, diced tomatoes, shredded pepper jack cheese, applewood-smoked bacon, and jalapeños, all topped with a crispy jalapeño and cheddar crouton mix and jalapeño ranch.
Made fresh daily, the Jalapeño Popper Salad is available now at participating Wendy’s locations nationwide for a limited time.
Image – Wendy’s
February 27, 2021 at 08:44PM
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Wendy's Tosses New Jalapeño Popper Salad - Chew Boom
My oven is like a piano that’s played every day, and I use it partly for the heat it emanates, but also for the ease – pop something in and forget all about it until the timer rings. Right now, I’m craving the comforting texture of potatoes and the warm perfume of spices, and both of today’s recipes, which carry strong influences from southern India, sing to the tune of the oven. In the first, the spicy fragrance of sambar masala – the spice blend used to make sambar, a lentil and vegetable stew – enlivens a mixture of roast potatoes, fennel, and beans, while the second is a simple yet delightful warm potato and onion tart paired with curry leaves, the crunchy, nutty texture of mustard seeds, creamy, salty feta and a soothing herb chutney.
Potato and onion tart with mint chutney (pictured above)
Prep 30 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 4-6
For the tart 1 x640g sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted 2 medium baking potatoes (about 180g each), peeled 1 large red onion (about 300g), peeled 10 curry leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled and grated 2tbspextra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp black or brown mustard seeds
½ tsp fine sea salt
½ tsp ground black pepper 30gfeta, crumbled (optional)
For the chutney 1 x 20g bunch fresh coriander, leaves and stems 1 x 12g bunchfresh mint, leaves and stems 1 green chilli pepper (such as serrano)
10black peppercorns
2tbsplime juice
1 pinchsugar
Fine sea salt
Heat the oven to 190C (170C fan)/375F/gas 5. Line a 23cm x 30cm rimmed baking tray with tin foil. Unroll the pastry and place it on the tray. Fold each side of the pastry to form a 1cm border, then, using the prongs of a fork, press the border down to form an impression. Prick the centre of the pastry all over, to help it rise evenly during baking.
Cut the potatoes into thin circles and place them in a bowl. Cut the onion in half lengthways, then cut each half into thin sections. Add the onions, curry leaves and garlic to the potatoes, drizzle with the oil, then scatter over the red pepper flakes, mustard seeds, salt and black pepper. Toss gently, to avoid breaking the potato slices, until everything is well coated, then spread the mixture over the surface of the pastry, avoiding the border.
Bake for about 45 minutes, rotating once halfway through to ensure even cooking, until puffed up and golden brown all over. Remove and sprinkle over the feta, if using.
While the tart is baking, make the chutney. Put the coriander, mint, green chilli, peppercorns, lime juice, sugar and two tablespoons of cold water in a blender and blitz smooth; if it’s still a little thick for your liking, add up to a tablespoon more water to loosen. Season to taste with salt, then serve on the side of the warm tart.
Sambar masala-spiced roastpotatoes with fennel and white beans
Nik Sharma’s spiced roast potatoes with fennel and white beans.
Prep 30 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 4
4 mediumbaking potatoes (about 180g each; I used russets), peeled 1 x400g can white beans, drained and rinsed 1 largewhite or yellow onion (300g), peeled 2 fennelbulbs (about 230g each), trimmed 2tbspextra-virgin olive oil
1½tbsp sambar masala, store-bought or homemade (see recipe below) 12 curry leaves (optional)
1 tsp red chilli flakes
Fine sea salt and pepper, to taste 2tbspfresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
2spring onions, both white and green parts, thinly sliced 2tbsp fresh coriander leaves
For the sambar masala (makes about 200g) 15glarge fresh curry leaves (about 40 in total) 40gwhole dried red chillies (or about 12 – I use equal parts whole kashmiri and byadgi chillies, but if you want it hotter, use cayenne) 50g dried yellow split peas (AKA chana dal) 3tbsp coriander seeds 2tbsp black or brown mustard seeds 1 ½tbsp fenugreek seeds
1tbsp cumin seeds 5cm piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground turmeric 2 tspsesame oil, or a neutral oil such as grapeseed
If you’re making your own sambar masala, heat a dry skillet or cast-iron pan over a medium-low heat, add all the dry ingredients, drizzle in the oil and cook the spices carefully, stirring constantly, for three to four minutes – they will turn fragrant and begin to toast, and the masala is ready when the split peas start to turn brown, the curry leaves go crisp and the spices sizzle and pop. Take off the heat, tip the spice mixture on to a plate to cool completely to room temperature, then transfer to a spice grinder or coffee mill and blitz to a fine powder. Store in an airtight container and keep in a cool, dry and dark spot for up to four months.
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6. Dice the potatoes into 2½cm chunks, place in a large roasting pan and add the drained beans. Cut the onion into quarters, separate these into individual petals and add to the roasting pan. Thinly slice the fennel lengthways and add to the roasting pan. Drizzle the olive oil all over the vegetables, sprinkle with sambar masala, curry leaves, and red chilli flakes, and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pan tightly with tin foil, crimp the edges to seal, then roast for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, and cook the vegetables uncovered for another 20 minutes, or until they start to brown and most of the liquid has evaporated. The potatoes should be tender enough for a knife to pass through them with ease.
Remove from the oven, drizzle over the lemon juice and garnish with the spring onions, coriander leaves and lemon zest. Serve warm by itself or with plain rice.
February 27, 2021 at 08:00PM
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Masala roasties and onion tart: Nik Sharma's potato recipes - The Guardian
As someone with a three-story pink Barbie Dream House in the middle of her living room, I can tell you that I pay closer attention to gendered children’s toys these days than is normal for a woman my age.
I have noticed, for instance, that the profusion of Barbies sprawled across my floor are not always light-complexioned and blond, with impossibly attenuated torsos, as they were when I was little. My 10-year-old niece’s dolls have a range of skin colors and body sizes; some Barbies, you might even say, are thicc, current slang for a full-figured curvy body. This is a fantastic development, and if I need to explain why, you have not been paying attention.
Now comes the less important but far more hysteria-inducing news that Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head brand will be dropping the “Mr.” and become simply … Potato Head.
A new toy kit, “Create Your Potato Head Family,” will hit the shelves later this year. It will include, a Hasbro spokeswoman wrote, “enough potatoes and accessories for kids to create all types of families.”
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That’s right, folks: Gay potatoes. Transgender potatoes. Cisgender potatoes. Nonbinary potatoes. Whatever kind of spud families kids can imagine. Personal potato pronouns will be interchangeable. If a child wants to call a Potato Head with a mustache and a dress “Miss Thing,” who is to stop him … or her … or them?
This development set off a new wave of gender panic among the right-wing commentariat, self-appointed guardians of sexual standards and gender identity, though some tried to cover their agitation with sophomoric humor.
Gender panic has been described by the sociologist Kristen Schilt of the University of Chicago as a deep, cultural fear that is inflamed when the “naturalness” of a male-female gender binary is challenged. Schilt told UChicago News that when challenges affect public policy, “that’s when the panic starts to get really hot.”
The guardians of traditional morality have decisively lost the battle against same-sex marriage, so now they have had to find other outlets for their anxiety.
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Their current hot-button issue (other than genderless Potato Heads) is the fear that individuals born with male genitals will invade spaces reserved for women, places like locker rooms, bathrooms and sports fields.
Anyway, you know the type: People like conservative talk show host Ben Shapiro, who brazenly misgender people like Zoey Tur, the famous Los Angeles helicopter pilot and news reporter, because they are incapable of grasping the scientific truth that gender is fluid, exists on a spectrum and is not necessarily a function of genitalia. Shapiro’s motto, “Facts don’t care about your feelings,” is in fact a refutation of his own position.
And people like QAnon’s own Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who posted a sign outside her Capitol Hill office Thursday announcing, “There are TWO genders: Male & Female. ‘Trust The Science!’” The science, which she would learn if she had an ounce of intellectual curiosity, totally disputes this.
Greene’s office neighbor, Illinois Democrat Marie Newman, who has a transgender daughter, had hung a pink-and-blue transgender pride flag outside her office, an affront to the poisonous Ms. Greene, after Greene tweeted, “Your biological son does NOT belong in my daughters’ bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports teams.”
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Their kerfuffle arose because the House voted Thursday on the long overdue Equality Act, a sweeping law that would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
The act, which Greene called “immoral,” passed 224 to 206. Only three Republicans voted in favor.
Keeping Shapiro and Greene company in this basket of anti-trans deplorables is Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who launched a bizarre attack against the transgender community on Thursday as he grilled Rachel Levine, President Biden’s nominee for assistant secretary of health.
If Levine, a pediatrician who is Pennsylvania’s top health official, is confirmed, she will become the highest ranking openly transgender federal official in history.
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Levine’s very identity seemed to rock Paul, who began his questions by talking about the horrors of female genital mutilation, as if that barbaric practice, which ensures a woman cannot pleasurably engage in sex and has been widely condemned as a human rights violation, has anything to do with hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery.
“We should be outraged that someone’s talking to a 3-year-old about changing their sex!” said Paul, wrongly implying that toddlers whose gender identity does not conform with their physical characteristics are subject to medical interventions. (They are not; though it is not uncommon for transgender children to make social adjustments, such as in their clothing and names.)
Levine refrained from taking his bait: “Transgender medicine is a very complex and nuanced field with robust research and standards of care that have been developed,” she replied, offering to discuss the subject with Paul at length in his office.
Ungendering the Potato Head family may be only a minor step toward embracing the notion that heterosexuality is only one component of the human sexual kaleidoscope and gender can be more than the sum of the parts a person is born with. But Hasbro’s action is important. The games we play as children teach us not just what the world is, but what it can be. A potato, it turns out, is not always just a potato.
CLEVELAND (WJW)– Here are a few top stories from FOX8.com this week, in case you missed it.
New COVID-19 guidelines
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine made a few announcements on Thursday, paving the way for the return of spring events. Sports and entertainment venues can reopen with 25 percent indoor capacity and 30 percent outdoor capacity. They must follow other COVID-19 safety measures, like seating pods and designated pathways.
The governor also said schools can start planning for proms and graduations, with updated protocols coming soon. The class of 2020 had to forgo these traditional events in the early stages of the pandemic.
“We have seen schools, principals, teachers and students do a pheromonal job in class… This is not maybe your dream of the prom with people having masks on, but you can still have a prom, you can still have a graduation. We wanted to signal to people today that you can start planning,” DeWine said.
Well wishes from The Rock
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson sent a message to longtime Cleveland sports reporter Matt Loede. Loede was diagnosed with Stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma nearly two years ago.
“Stay strong, you are a fighter. You’ve been fighting now for a few years,” Johnson said in the video. “Twenty-something rounds of chemo, and you got COVID, which is wild.”
Woods was wearing a seatbelt and there wasn’t any evidence that he was impaired by drugs or alcohol, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said. The crash remains under investigation and no charges have been filed.
No more “Mister”
The iconic Mr. Potato Head is getting a rebrand. Toy company Hasbro will drop the “Mister” from the spud’s box, starting next year. The toy will then go by the gender-neutral Potato Head.
“The sweet spot for the toy is two to three years old. Kids like dressing up the toy, then playing out scenarios from their life. This often takes the form of creating little potato families, because they’re learning what it means to be in a family,” a Hasbro executive said.
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February 27, 2021 at 07:00PM
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ICYMI: Ohio to allow proms and graduations; a message from The Rock; Mr. Potato Head’s rebrand - WJW FOX 8 News Cleveland
Providing an alternative to the salad bar, Oklahoma grocer Reasor’s has deployed Chowbotics’ Sally fresh salad-making robot at three stores.
Reasor’s said the automated salad station went into operation yesterday at its supermarkets on 41st and Peoria and 15th and Lewis in Tulsa and in Broken Arrow, Okla. (Click here to see video.)
Occupying a three-foot-by-three-foot space, Sally holds up to 22 ingredients — including dressings, vegetables, fruit, nuts, eggs and meat — prepared fresh daily by Reasor’s deli team, enabling hundreds of combinations for salads, protein bowls and snacks. Customers use a touchscreen to select pre-programmed, chef-crafted salads and bowls or create their own customized offering by choosing from the ingredient options.
Reasor's
Reasor's launched Sally on Feb. 25 at two stores in Tulsa and its location in Broken Arrow, Okla.
Sally also displays nutritional details so Reasor’s customers can tailor their salad or protein bowl to their dietary needs by adding or removing ingredients. Salads start at $6.49.
“We are thrilled to be the first to introduce Sally, the create-your-own salad robot, to our community. Sally complements Reasor’s culinary teams by expanding our fresh meal solutions through technology that assembles made-to-order fresh salads and bowls on the spot,” Reasor’s CEO Jeff Reasor said in a statement.
“In the era of COVID-19, Sally’s proprietary technology has become even more important, as it allows for a little if any touching of the ingredients,” he added. “With Sally, we are offering a better solution that is fresh, safe and fun.”
According to Hayward, Calif.-based Chowbotics, the Sally kiosk holds ingredients in sealed, separate containers chilled at a temperature of 38°, which is monitored to reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Ingredients are replenished regularly by Reasor’s deli staff, who also receive automatic expiration notifications to ensure optimal freshness. Chowbotics said Sally helps eliminate food waste as well, since the ingredients aren’t exposed to open-air contamination and are consistently refrigerated, so they last longer.
Overall, Reasor’s operates 17 supermarkets in northeastern Oklahoma.
“Shoppers love that they can personalize Sally’s made-to-order meals to their exact liking through its easy-to-use interface,” stated Rick Wilmer, head of Chowbotics at last-mile food delivery company DoorDash, which announced its acquisition of Chowbotics in early February. “Reasor’s is paving the way for the most innovative and safe self-serve experience.” Wilmer had been Chowbotics’ CEO.
Other supermarket chains using Sally include ShopRite and Heinen’s, which introduced the kiosk in July, and Coborn’s, which launched Sally in December.
February 27, 2021 at 05:57AM
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Reasor's rolls out Sally salad robot to three stores - Supermarket News
The new Potato Head line drops the "Mister" to better reflect the world kids live in, though Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head themselves aren't going anywhere.
Hasbro
Toymaking giant Hasbro engendered (ahem) controversy this week by announcing at its investor day that it was dropping the “Mr.” moniker from its Mr. Potato Head line of toys, and would be offering a gender-neutral version of the toy alongside the traditional Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.
The outrage and culture war spats on social media were as tiresome as they were predictable, but hey, everything is an opportunity to learn, right? Because if you look at the science of potato reproduction, it’s far more complicated than male and female. And the toy company’s impulse towards a gender-neutral toy isn’t just more inclusive, it’s closer to the actual science of potatoes.
A field of blooming potato flowers.
getty
The ancestor of the modern-day potato first evolved in the Americas, and then was developed into the food crop we know today by ancient indigenous Americans in what is now Peru and Bolivia. (Knowing this geographical background also gives you an opportunity to annoy your friends by pointing out the common historical inaccuracy of Europeans eating potatoes in movies set before the 1500s).
Potatoes, of course, are tubers—the part of the plant that we eat forms a part of its roots, while above-ground the plant consists of a stem, leaves and flowers. They are self-pollinators, meaning that every individual potato plant possesses both male and female flowers for reproduction. When they reproduce this way, they produce a potato fruit, which resembles a green cherry tomato. (Don’t eat it, though. It’s poisonous.)
Inside the fruit are what folks in the business call “true potato seeds,” which are what’s used to develop new varieties of potatoes. However, the seeds produced this way can often be quite genetically different from the original plant, which makes farmers wary about using them during planting season.
Using a potato to grow new plants helped save Matt Damon's life on Mars.
GENRE FILMS/INTERNATIONAL TRADER
Fortunately for farmers, potatoes can also reproduce asexually—much like the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park. Life finds a way. This is the main process through which potatoes are produced around the world: the tuber (i.e., the part of the potato you eat) can be planted to sprout new plants. Particularly healthy tubers that are disease-free are sold to farmers as “seed potatoes” and produce new plants that are genetically identical to their parents. It’s this property of the potato that saved Matt Damon’s life when he was stranded on the Red Planet in The Martian.
And now back to the original controversy from which this hot-potato issue sprouted: In science, whether you’re talking about potatoes or people, gender is more complicated than simple binaries. Particularly when it comes to potatoes, which are male, female and asexual—all at the same time.
So in one very important way, Hasbro has always gotten the concept of the toy exactly right, scientifically speaking. Like its earthy ancestor, Potato Head has interchangeable parts.
February 27, 2021 at 12:54AM
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Don’t Blame Mr. Potato Head: What You Didn’t Know About The Gender Of Your Spud - Forbes
Greg Biff,first citizen of Potatopia: I have thought for a long time that the Republican states should secede and form an autonomous republic based on the proposition that all potatoes are created with a gender assigned to them by Hasbro. It was a very specific thing to think, and honestly not an idea I expected would ever become mainstream, but that is the 2020s for you! Never assume!
Lucille Biff,“the Betsy Ross of Potatopia”: When Greg told me we were finally seceding, I dropped everything. To me, the first thing a country needs is a compelling flag. A lot of people who want to secede think you can just use the flag the secessionists used last time, but I think that is confusing, and people might think you were seceding for racist reasons rather than because of, uh, the potato-gender thing.
Trevor Brown,Greg’s neighbor: I saw this weird flag with a potato that very clearly had male genitalia on it going up over Greg’s boathouse, and I thought, oh, no, Greg is doing something again.
Helen Helenson, first applicant for asylum in Potatopia: The minutes when I thought I would have to look at a brownish plastic oval and not clearly know what gender it was were some of the most frightening of my life. I started to sob. I thought, what will they come for next? Soon I won’t know what gender any of the plastics are around my home.
Marcia Clark,lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson trial: I do not think you meant to interview me for this oral history.
Trevor Brown: Sure enough, Greg came over and said, “Did you hear? It’s finally happening.” And I said, “What’s happening?” And he said, “They are making a gender-neutral potato, so we’re gonna secede.” And I said, “Yeah, that sounds about right. I remember how upset you were when Harry Styles wore a dress on the cover of Vogue, and he is not even a potato.”
Greg Biff: I just want to live in a country where potatoes are men, as God intended. I like to look at all the potatoes in my house and think, they will not ever tell each other what they are feeling or share intimate secrets that reveal their insecurities and doubts.
James Gadsden, “the Henry Knox of Potatopia”: I went quickly down the list of all the things the country would need. Of course we would need lots of potato guns and drones. Our military budget would be vast. And we would also need a navy because I just like how the navy makes a point to gender all its ships.
Marcia Clark: I am certainly happy to talk to you, but I don’t have any information about the potato country.
Helen Helenson: My precocious 6-year-old saw me crying and said, “Mommy, what has cancel culture wrought?” And I said, “Oh, Tomi, they are coming to take the gender away from all of our potatoes.” And Tomi started sobbing, too. We ran around the house seizing all the items we could think of — our masculine plastic potato, our feminine robot vacuum — and we hid them in the root cellar so Hasbro could not come and tell us their gender was a myth. We threw the television (masculine) out the window, but then we were sad because we could not watch “Veggie Tales,” where all the vegetables have genders as God willed them to have but none of them are interested in sex.
Ken Burns, documentary filmmaker: Once I heard that they were seceding, I was very sad, because I knew the toll of civil war. But I was also, of course, ready to make a documentary. I found a very moving letter.
Helen Helenson: Then I saw on my phone there was going to be a new country where potatoes were men. I said, “Tomi, we are going there right away. We are going to apply for asylum, and we will lead a better life there, with deep roots and open eyes.”
Ken Burns: “My dearest Sarah, I have gone to fight for my potato republic. I hope to return to see our tots, but then the love of my country, where all potatoes have Hasbro-assigned binary genders, comes over me like a strong potato-scented wind, and bears me irresistibly on to the battlefield. Po Ta To.”
Greg Biff: But then we saw that Hasbro had sent another tweet.
Hasbro,3:37 p.m., 2/25/21: Hold that Tot — your main spud, MR POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere! While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD.
Greg Biff: I sobbed with relief. We have a country again.
James Gadsden: At first I was relieved, but then I thought, without the potato tax revenue I was banking on, where am I going to get the billions of dollars required to pay for this navy I ordered?
Greg Biff: Then I got sad Potatopia wouldn’t exist anymore, but Lucille suggested I could start a party. A Gender Reveal Party. I liked that.
Marcia Clark: I wasn’t on Twitter at all yesterday, and I don’t know what any of this is referring to.
Read more from Alexandra Petri:
February 27, 2021 at 03:34AM
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An oral history of the Potato Head secession - Washington Post
This week the VERIFY team tackled misinformation about vaccines, questions about the costs of winter storms and false claims about a toy line's rebrand.
This week the VERIFY team focused on tackling questions about the COVID-19 vaccine, looking into potential costs of last week’s winter storms in Texas and to confusion around a popular toy brand.
Are fully vaccinated people still getting COVID-19?
There are rare cases in which fully vaccinated people are still getting COVID-19. In fact, that’s expected because no vaccine is perfect.
Both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are about 95% effective, which means that there will be some people who might end up getting sick even after they receive the vaccination.
Do COVID-19 vaccines meet the medical definition of vaccines?
There is no official medical definition for vaccines. But the COVID-19 vaccines do meet the criteria based on definitions by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.
The CDC says vaccines are “a product that stimulates a person’s immune system to produce immunity to a specific disease, protecting the person from that disease.” That’s what the COVID-19 vaccines do.
Some people have also claimed that the COVID-19 vaccines can alter your DNA, but that’s not how they work. Just because the vaccines use an mRNA technology doesn’t mean they have any impact on your DNA.
Dr. Daniel Salmon, a professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, explained that just because you eat an apple, essentially consuming its DNA, your DNA doesn’t become an apple’s DNA and you don’t become an apple. Likewise, just because mRNA enters your body doesn’t mean your DNA gets changed to match that.
Most Texans, however, have electricity plans that sell power at a fixed rate. So this experience isn’t universal.
Currently, the governor of Texas is looking to address the high costs some Texans faced, but a plan hasn’t been announced yet.
Luckily, Texans shouldn’t have to worry about a hike in their insurance deductible associated with named storms. The National Weather Service is in charge of naming storms and does not do so for winter storms. Media outlets like The Weather Channel choose to refer to these storms by name, but their names for the storms aren’t official.
So, most insurance policies with a named storm deductible shouldn’t apply those deductibles to this.
Is Hasbro turning Mr. Potato Head into just ‘Potato Head’?
No. Hasbro is renaming the full lineup of potato head toys to Potato Head but leaving the individual names the same.
The company's press release states, “Hasbro is officially renaming the MR. POTATO HEAD brand to POTATO HEAD to better reflect the full line. But rest assured, the iconic MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD characters aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. and MRS. POTATO HEAD.”
Hasbro plans to launch a "Create your own Potato Head family" toy pack later this year. Given that only one character in this three-person potato family is actually Mr. Potato Head, Hasbro is rebranding the product line to just the family name.
KSTP
Updated: February 26, 2021 08:49 PM
Created: February 26, 2021 08:47 PM
A St. Paul distributor is recalling 33 pounds of potentially contaminated ready-to-eat meat and poultry salads and wrap products.
According to a release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Services (FSIS), 33 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry salads and wrap products that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause Listeriosis.
February 27, 2021 at 09:47AM
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St. Paul distributor recalls 33 pounds of potentially contaminated salads and wraps - KSTP
New York-based restaurant chain Just Salad plans to pilot its popular reusable bowl program for digital orders in the near future. The announcement comes as part of the fast-casual chain’s annual sustainability report, which was just released, and tracks company progress on making its business more eco-friendly.
If you’ve ever set foot inside a Just Salad, you’ll know the company’s line of colorful bowls made from heavy plastic resin that can be washed and reused on a regular basis. Just Salad started its reusable bowl program back in 2006 with the aim to cut down on single-use packaging for to-go orders. Customers could purchase a reusable bowl (mine cost $1 when I bought it in 2012), take it home, wash it, and bring it back for a refill each time they bought a meal from the restaurant.
In its most recent sustainability report, Just Salad said that sales of its reusable bowls grew more than 100 percent year-over-year in 2019 — then were abruptly halted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In New York City and elsewhere, reusable containers were banned from restaurants in an effort to lessen the spread of the coronavirus. Simultaneously, homebound customers switched to digital ordering and delivery formats, neither of which lend themselves to reusable packaging.
Now, in 2021, Just Salad said it plans to expand its reusable bowl program to serve off-premises channels like delivery. Under the new phase of the program, customers can order digitally for delivery and pickup. Food arrives in a Just Salad reusable bowl, which can be returned to any Just Salad location for cleaning and sanitizing afterwards. The phase is currently in beta and only available at one location, at the chain’s 3rd Avenue spot in Manhattan.
Just Salad told Nation’s Restaurant News this week that without any extra marketing done, roughly 30 percent of customers have already used the program since it launched earlier this year.
The expanded reusable program is one item on a growing list of initiatives Just Salad has around sustainability — an area the company was championing long before the pandemic. Another notable item this week’s report mentions is Zero Waste delivery pilot. In partnership with NYC-based company DeliverZero, the Just Salad location in Park Slope, Brooklyn offers delivery items in reusable containers. Customers have six weeks to return the containers to either a delivery person or at a Just Salad location. Multiple other NYC restaurants work with DeliverZero, many of them local businesses.
Hopefully that number grows, and quickly. If delivery and off-premises restaurant formats aren’t going away, nor is the mounting packaging waste problem, not if we don’t do anything to stop it. Restaurants account for 78 percent of all disposable packaging, much of it plastic. And plastic production has increased 200-fold since 1950, growing at a rate of 4 percent per year since 2000, with most plastic winding up in the landfill or ocean. Needless to say, our appetites for off-premises aren’t helping this problem.
In response, circular-economy-style delivery is slowly but surely making its way into the restaurant industry. Reusables are by no means the norm yet. However, major chains like Burger King and McDonald’s have various tests underway, which is encouraging for the industry as a whole.
Just Salad, meanwhile, has a number of other sustainability initiatives on the table, including its meal kit program aimed at combating both packaging food waste and a partnership with food “rescue” company Too Good to Go.
Related
February 27, 2021 at 03:00AM
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Just Salad's Reusable Bowls Are Going Off-Premises, Too - The Spoon
OK, why not. But why stop there? Let's go full bore and global: Potatx Cabeza, anyone?
If Mr./Mrs. Potato Head is a target for public backlash on gender neutrality, then everything must be.
Po, as his/her friends call him/her, has forever been anatomically absent — it is a potato for Pete's sake.
Still, for all we know, Mr. Potato Head may have been a female in the ground and identified as male before becoming a household name. In truth, since potatoes are self-pollinators, each potato possesses male and female flowers to make more tater tots.
That said, keep your head on a swivel, Stretch Armstrong.
Speaking of coming out of the cabinet
It's hard to understand the Oreo ordeal. Three words — "Trans people exist" — swept social media Thursday. Of course they do.
Debate the motives and the details all you want, but it's hard to question the Oreo's history of inclusion, which has been anything but cookie-cutter.
First, the racial harmony of the original Oreo is clear for everyone to see. Then, Oreo was the first snack to stand up against body shamers, unapologetically offering doubled-stuffed versions, then Big Stuffs.
Now, there are a slew of flavors and colors mixed with both black and white cookies. It's a veritable rainbow of options and metaphors, milk optional.
Side question: After the NBA folks were criticized for speaking out on social issues and were told to stick to sports, do Oreo's haters say 'Shut up and nibble?'
Pyramid scheme
Has there ever been major sports decision worse than FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, giving the 2022 World Cup to Qatar more than a decade ago?
Sure, we knew the fix was in from the get-go when FIFA gave the world's most-followed event to a nation where summer temperatures are in the 120s. The event, normally held in the summer months, will be in November and December because then temperatures will be in the mid-to-upper 70s on average.
We also knew the fix was in because I'm pretty sure at least one of the F's in FIFA stands for "fraud."
Now comes news that 6,500 migrant workers have died during construction accidents during the building of facilities needed for the '22 event, and Qatar leaders say those numbers are in line with expected numbers. WHAT?
They expected to have 12 deaths a week since construction started in 2010? Seriously? Not since the Egyptians erected the Pyramids have workplace death tolls like that been viewed as standard operating procedure.
They are building seven soccer stadiums, and working day and night to fill up all local cemeteries, apparently.
Obit observations
Few names are as easily associated with one another in our neck of the woods as Ankar and hoagies.
So when I saw Yasmeen Ankar, our local first lady of fine sandwiches and the Mrs. (Onion) Ring Leader, in the obituaries, this week's observation was clear. Mrs. Ankar died Tuesday. She was 93.
Family and faith are frequent factors in death notices. That's understandable.
Somehow, though, I wish there was a way to count and convey smiles. True and genuine smiles, because through the years, Ankar's Hoagies — the local eatery the family founded and runs today — was overflowing with them.
And when the Lord calls our name, the joy you spread has to be one of the first line items on the checklist, right?
Thanks, Mrs. Ankar, from everyone who's ever enjoyed a steak in a sack, and here's knowing your next table is ready.
HENDERSON, Nev. (KLAS) -- A 10-year sentence for a Henderson woman convicted of distributing fentanyl was reduced to two years. According to court records, it was a compassionate release because of COVID-19.
The woman sold fake drugs to a friend, resulting in a drug overdose, and the victim's mother is calling for justice.
February 26, 2021 at 11:54PM
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What’s Trending: Twitter Super Follow, Potato Head and Post Malone - KLAS - 8 News Now
Hasbro is giving its venerable Mr. Potato Head toy a more gender-inclusive identity by dropping the “Mr.” from its brand name and packaging.
“Hasbro is making sure all feel welcome in the Potato Head world by officially dropping the Mr. from the Mr. Potato Head brand name and logo to promote gender equality and inclusion,” the company said in an initial statement on Thursday.On social media, some people took the statement to mean a change to the Mr. Potato Head character. Before long, Hasbro issued a clarifying statement on Twitter saying that the Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head characters would retain their individual courtesy titles.
“Hold that Tot — your main spud, MR. POTATO HEAD isn’t going anywhere!” the company said. “While it was announced today that the POTATO HEAD brand name & logo are dropping the ‘MR.’ I yam proud to confirm that MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD aren’t going anywhere and will remain MR. & MRS. POTATO HEAD.”
In an email, a spokeswoman for Hasbro acknowledged “there was confusion around the status of Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head.”
In the fall, the company will introduce its new “Potato Family Pack” that will encourage children to “create your Potato Head family.” The pack will come with two large potato bodies, one small potato body and 42 accessories.
The brand name change will be accompanied by “a whimsical color palette and more inclusive messaging,” the company said.
Rich Ferraro, the chief communications offer for Glaad, an L.G.B.T. advocacy organization, applauded the change, saying it was part of “a larger movement towards greater diversity and inclusion in toys and media aimed at kids.”
Hasbro is the latest toymaker to update or reinvent some of its classic brands to make them more inclusive and diverse.
Mr. Potato Head has been a signature toy for Hasbro since it was introduced in 1952.Credit...Hasbro
Last year, Mattel rolled out several new Barbie dolls that it described as its “most diverse line,” one that featured “more skin tones, hair types and body shapes than ever before.”
One doll is bald, another has a prosthetic limb and another has her dark hair brushed away from her face to show that she has the skin condition vitiligo.
In 2019, Mattel unveiled a new line of customizable gender-neutral dolls called Creatable World that allows “kids to create their characters.” The box includes several wardrobe options, accessories and wigs so children can style the dolls “with short or long hair, or in a skirt, pants, or both.”
In 2016, Mattel announced that it was expanding its Thomas the Tank Engine franchise by adding more female train characters and friends from countries such as India, Brazil and Mexico. And American Girl, the maker of 18-inch dolls, introduced a boy doll in 2017.
Mr. Potato Head has been a signature toy for Hasbro since it was introduced in 1952. The company said it was the first toy to be advertised on television.
The toy, which allows children to swap out different parts such as eyes, mustaches, glasses and hats, has long been associated with Rhode Island, where Hasbro is based. Over the years, the toy has been featured in parades, campaigns and even on state license plates.
February 26, 2021 at 10:12PM
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Mr. Potato Head Brand Goes Gender Neutral (Sort Of) - The New York Times
