I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream About Fried Butter

I was all set to write some sort of sarcastic bit about the fried butter "treat" (yes, you heard me) that was apparently all the rage at the Wisconsin State Fair this year. I was going to point out how the organizers of the state fair apparently don't think Wisconsin's got enough obesity related health problems to contend with. I was then going to assure you that I'm no rigid health nut and can most definitely appreciate deep fried goodness (as in the delectable fried cheese curd) once in a while but that it doesn't seem especially wise to encourage such highly and deeply (as in deeply fried) unhealthy foods. For me, it's on par with those twenty ounce porterhouse steaks. Just, blech.

I was about to write all sorts of things about mass consumption in some of its ugliest forms when I chose to check in with the news first. I opened NPR's home page and this is what I saw. Now granted, I was already sort of on a rampage about our culture's constant demand for excess everything but this image about put me over the edge.

And yes, I get it. Fried butter. Ha ha, those crazy fair go-ers. Rachael, lighten up, it's all in ridiculous fun. But sometimes, I just can't find the humor in the absurdity of it all. While some people actually scout out ways to treat their bodies to the most ridiculous forms of excess, there are those on the other side of the globe, searching for the bare minimum to simply keep their bodies functioning.

So yes, famine in Somalia? Rather important. Fried fat? Not so much.