Glass Houses
Holy crap.
I mean, I knew the Internet was full of vitriol on the best day, but really? During a week when some asshat cruise ship captain pretty much yelled, “Everyone for themself!” and the US government was about to finagle a loophole to destroy free speech online and various other horrible things happened on this planet-
Via Foodnetwork.com
Some of the biggest nasty I saw online was directed at a Southern woman who has a cooking show about Southern food.
Really?
Now, I’ve scanned through Paula Deen’s recipes on The Food Network site. Oh sure. A lot of them are rich. Yes, the butter thing.
Has that woman EVER once said that people should be eating those recipes every day?
Let me explain something, if you’re just having a knee-jerk reaction to this story:
The recipes she makes on her show are occasion food. They’re for entertaining. They’re for brunches with friends and family, Sunday dinners, parties. There’s no difference between the stuff she tosses out there and what that Barefoot Contessa person cooks other than region of the country.
Ms. Deen, in my past viewing, has never once told anyone they should eat like this every day. Every meal.
I’ve seen arguments that she should change her dietary habits rather than shill a pharmaceutical, “fix.”
Ever known a diabetic? Or three? Count on your hands. I’ll wait.
I’ve known many a diabetic who’s not been helped by diet and lifestyle alone. I’ve known diabetics who’ve been so careful over every last damn bit of sugar or calorie, and they needed insulin to survive. NEEDED it to survive. Know what?
At least two of them were skinny as hell.
The last I saw online- people were bitching about fake foods. Fake sugar. Fake fats. Chemicals created in labs that do terrible things to the body, as we’ve learned over years of ingesting them.
Ms. Deen cooks real food. Sure, a lot of it is really heavy, but not all of it is.
I never once saw a show of hers that recommended anything manufactured by science over anything manufactured by nature. I’d also be willing to bet that the adoring bite she’d take for the benefit of the cameras was as far as she went for most shows. This woman has given up Sweet Tea, and laugh if you will- but people down here- this is what they drink. When the spewage started the other day I wondered if everyone would be so hard on Anthony Bourdain when he’s finally diagnosed with lung cancer or emphysema. Shilling drugs for COPD.
I’d bet not.
I’d also be willing to bet, whether conscious or not, that if Paula Deen were not a full-figured, Southern woman the pissyness wouldn’t be nearly as rampant.
The Internet, very often, is like a river full of piranha waiting for the next unlucky animal to fall in. Here’s a paraphrased quote from comments on CNN-
“She needs to learn to speak English. I heard her pronounce ‘BREAD’ with at least three syllables.’”
Here’s an actual quote- not edited-
“I never like her, she looks and talks like a trailer thrush.”
Another-
“Is anyone really surprised? I mean, I heard her next episode was on how to deep fry your diabeetus supplies from Liberty Medical into a delicous butter rich paste.”
Really?
I know I said that before, but, really?
Is it because she’s a woman, because she’s an older woman, or because she’s Southern? Because I really don’t think the shit would be hitting the fan so hard if Gordon Ramsay revealed that he’s got an endocrine disorder. Would it?
Know what really burns my butt? The people castigating this woman are always on the search for some novel way to incorporate bacon into something new. The bacon meme. Everyone loves bacon. Put bacon on some tits, and call it good.
Here’s a woman whose shtick is Southern Occasion Food. Didn’t reveal her disease to the gossip-slavering American public for three years.
Because it was really none of our goddamn business.
Look at how fit and trim her sons are. Even though they likely grew up with her televised food, “on occasion.”
Then go see your doctor and have YOUR CBC and endocrine levels checked, and get back to me.
I’m going to keep cooking with real fats and real sugar. Food-food. Sunday breakfasts. Richer foods for special occasions.
And if the shit hits the fan for me, and clean living doesn’t make a damn bit of difference, you can bet your ass I’ll hope science helps me.
And I’ll let everyone know it did.
18 Responses to “Glass Houses”
Are You Gonna Eat That? by Julie Summerell is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
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You know. I like bacon. I really, really like bacon. But I never got the bacon meme. And those epic mealtime videos always seemed like such a stupid waste to me. (although at the same time, I’ll admit to being fond of Regular Ordinary Swedish Mealtime, but that’s something else entirely.)
The first I heard of this Paula Deen thing was through the Daily What, which immediately jumped aboard the shilling thing. I can’t say I know much about her, or on the matter in general, but I did feel a massive lack of respect just from that.
This post kinda makes me glad I’ve been kept from it. I know people with diabetus. And not all of them are fat. What they are though, are people who are doing that extra bit just to stay alive and well. If shilling also covers talking about that, or to promote that, something you need to stay alive, then fuck it, I’m in favor of selling out.
I would totally sell out if I thought it would help people who needed help.
Years back, I bought a classic cast iron skillet with the endorsement of a Texas chef (name escapes me now) and recipes to go along with. Many of the recipes were rich, comforting, and yes, fat indulgent. He ended his collection admitting that “Yeah, these are recipes high in calories and fat. They make you feel good, just don’t eat them all the time.” (paraphrasing) I am lucky to have the sort of metabolism that keeps me thin, but not through any virtue of my own. And both of my parents were just as skinny as I am, but they both died young. What kind of diet keeps us healthy? I’m not sure, but real food, fat, sugar, critters, produce, seems like the best place to start. And yeah, keep those stones for skipping on the pond…
I always love how you end a comment.
I always love your posts because they’re articulate, honest and heart-felt.
I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I’ve never watched her show and thought I needed to cook as big and grande every singe day, but I sure do have her cookbook on my wish list. She’s just sharing what she knows… with the people THAT WANT TO KNOW!
Great post, Julie. You’ve put into words all of my thoughts this week. People are entitled to their opinions, but it sure would be nice if we weren’t so damn heartless about it.
It’s the heartless that gets me the worst.
Rock on sister!!’ real food. People should try it some time. I too was surprised at the venom spewed at this woman. I am reading and nodding with every sentence. Smooches!!!
Oh- speaking of-
Today I saw a can of tomatoes that yelled that it was gluten-free.
I laughed and thought of you.
I hope you’re doing okay.
I’m actually good. The diet is pretty easy. And Of COURSE tomatoes are gluten free. Dumbasses. Seriously. If nothing else, glad it made you laugh AND think of me. Good combo. love you!
As someone who has Type 1 “diabeetus” and eats butter, starch and chocolate every damn day yet still is more healthy than 90% of America, I can only say thank you, Julie, for making sense. Thank you.
I didn’t know that. And rock on!
I think the assumptions people have made piss me off more than anything.
I dig what you’re saying, and the vitriol — especially when it’s at her weight or her gender or even at the disease — is over the top.
For me, the problem isn’t her lifestyle or even the food she cooks. I mean, okay, she sometimes goes beyond good Southern cooking and, y’know, makes recipes like donut-hamburgers and fried butter (seriously), but hey, whatever.
The problem I see is, she knew she had diabetes, then waited till she had a pharmaceutical endorsement deal before she chose to tell her audience that she was diabetic. Three years go by and when she finally decides to tell people is when there’s money on the table for her to make cash off of, well, other people’s diabetes — it actually weirds me out to have celebrities (or celebrity chefs or whatever) have endorsement deals with drugs. Seems there should be a separation there, but I dunno.
Her announcement played like an infomercial. And all for a company and a drug that is, at best, dubious. (Google “Victoza” to see.)
That, coupled with her endorsement of Smithfield (known for factory farm abuses), is where I have a problem with Deen.
Of course, IMHO, YMMV, etc.
I was far more disappointed with her endorsement of Smithfield for that very reason than I am over what in this case, to me, seems to be a non-issue.
I really feel that up until this point her condition was no one’s business but her own, but naturally if she chose to endorse this medical product people were going to wonder why.
Sabrina sums up my feelings well. Opinions are opinions, but the hateful way people are expressing these opinions yet again makes me want to just shut down my Internet and stay away. I’m just really, really getting over this culture of, “Look at my snark.” Pretty ashamed I ever participated, too.
Thank you for this.
I’ve never been to your post before – and being a Scot, I don’t even really know who Paula Deen is – but I absolutely salute you for coming to her defence against those deeply unpleasant people who just can’t wait to spill vitriol and take such pleasure from doing so – regardless of the reason really.
Being a Scot – I come from a land of unhealthy eaters – we’re renowned for eating deep-fried Mars Bars for heaven’s sake! I’ve actually slipped through the net because I enjoy fruit and veg (clearly I must be a throwback to some other nationality…) but in any case – I think it’s up to the individual to decide what to eat – enough of the nanny state already!
Hear, hear. If anything, it seems to me Ms. Deen’s diagnosis is evidence she walks the walk, that she lives what she cooks. And perhaps if folks would stop publicly flogging her, the fact that she’s chosen to tell folks she’s dealing with diabetes as a result — a disclosure personal enough I suspect few of her critics would dare have done the same — might allow for a dialog that could benefit a whole bunch of people in the very same situation.
(Also, Paula Deen’s curried chicken and wild rice casserole with cornbread stuffing is freakin’ delicious. Granted, you may as well eat it on a treadmill, but damn if it ain’t worth it.)
I dont care how I dont care how healthy btuter is supposed to be, its so disgusting to eat a straight up stick of btuter, and I dont see how so much btuter at once can really be a good thing?Is it exempt from moderation?Anyway, the sugars are the killer, not the btuter. I agree with that at least. Was this answer helpful?