The Popcorn Stand: Americana as smooth as butter

I’m proud to say I’m from Carson City, but I’m also proud to say I grew up in the San Joaquin Valley in California. One of the things I’m most proud of is the World Ag Expo coming up next month in Tulare, Calif.

The event began as a small farm show, but has grown into an international affair held now at the sprawling International Agri-Center. The joke is it always rains during the World Ag Expo because you know how much farmers like to tromp through the mud.

But I have to admit I became a little jealous when I read a story in Friday’s Appeal on the “A Culture of Stewardship” sculpture at the 2017 Pennsylvania Farm Show. It’s basically a sculpture made out of a half-ton of butter.

Now I’m sure the Pennsylvania Farm Show pales in comparison to the World Ag Expo, but since Tulare County has a large number of dairies, I have to admit I was a little irked Pennsylvania has its own huge mound of butter. And besides, as far as how the World Ag Expo is operated, it runs, you know, like butter.

The sculpture pays tribute to dairy farmers because they’re stewards of the land. I did take some pleasure in the fact it was “city folk” who designed the sculpture, a husband and wife team from suburban Philadelphia.

Actually this mound of butter is pure Americana. As Yogi Berra said when he heard once about a story in Ireland, “Only in America.”

Another piece of Americana is deep fried butter on a stick at the Iowa State Fair. We Americans will deep fry anything. Turkeys, Oreos, Twinkies or even fried chicken as demonstrated in “King of the Hill” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-0Gpd9Fvik.

Anyway, in America, it’s all become our bread-and-butter.

— Charles Whisnand