Random Tater Pic of the Day #207

Today's image comes from this very blog a few years back. I can think of no better way to celebrate the day that #LoveWins here on French Fry Diary than with a plate of rainbow fries. It's also a pleasure to turn a negative image into a positive one. Congratulations everyone!

French Fry Diary 458: Freaky Eaters II

Yeah, I know, after last time, I should just avoid this TLC show like the plague. This is the show that finds folks who are addicted to one particular food, and then they display them like freaks and try to force Health Nazi therapy on them.

I've hated this program every time I've watched, but they drew me in again with another episode about French fries. In this case it's Eric, and as the highly original episode title states, he's "Addicted to French Fries," and Doctors Dow and Virgin are back to browbeat the poor young man into changing his ways.

Amber, the young woman in the first episode had a genetic condition, and like the Clockwork Orange mad scientists they are, Dow and Virgin tried to change her. What was odd was that Amber's daughter, who did not have the condition, they didn't give a crap about. Her daughter was why Amber was on the show.

540 pounds of fries... 

Here, Eric was already being harangued by a nagging wife and mother. I was sure Dow and Virgin would just add to it. Now here's the kicker, Eric is Eric Willmann, of The Daily Fry, which is linked here on the sidebar to the left. Yeah, it's true, Eric is my brother from another mother, a fellow French fry blogger. I was shocked that Dow and Virgin were after one of us. We are an endangered species after all.

The two Doctors' first plan of attack is to show Eric what's going in his body, first a vat of transfat (not pretty), and then 540 pounds of French fries. I had to wonder what happens after this vulgar display. Do they throw the fries out? What about the people who don't have enough to eat, and these two are throwing out 540 pounds of fries! They called it a 'box of death,' so I guess the homeless starve tonight...

Dow and Virgin

Next they gave poor Eric blood tests, with results indicating high cholesterol and potential heart disease. Not funny, and very serious. That's how determined they were to break this active skateboarder who liked writing about French fries. In the end, they did break him. He ate pizza and they skateboarded, I'm sure for the producers, that was a great end to the show.

Eric Willmann of The Daily Fry

However, anyone that clicks the link for The Daily Fry knows what the real loss is. They killed a fellow blogger. Nothing since August of 2011. Eric is doing well. He's not as picky an eater as he used to be. I would assume he's healthier, but he's not writing about the favorite fried food any more.

At least not yet, but here's Eric himself answering my question about it in the comments section of his blog. I asked: "…why did you stop updating your blog here? Was it because you aren’t eating fries that often any more?"

And here's Eric's reply a few days later: "I have only been eating fries once a week. But I should start updating again here soon. keep posted".

There you go. Time will tell…

French Fry Diary 192: Freaky Eaters on TLC

There's a show airing on The Learning Channel called "Freaky Eaters." In this American version of the original BBC series, the emphasis is on the freak. No one should as picky as these picky eaters are seems to be the point of this series. It's bad for you, and the Health Nazis are coming for you if you're like this.

Case in point - Amber the so-called French fry addict in the episode called, appropriately enough, "Addicted to Fries." It is mentioned early on, but never again, that Amber's lifelong eating of French fries, and only French fries, has not affected her heath at all. She just wants to know if there is anything wrong with her that that is all she wants to eat, and if there is anything wrong with her daughter who seems to be following in her footsteps.

The show hosts, Doctors Dow and Virgin, who try to help Amber are like a cross between rabid dogs and those shrinks on "Hoarders." They think there's something wrong with her, and that they have to fix her. Even though the fries have never impacted her health, they have to go.

Just for the record, and for those folks who do like the favorite fried food, Amber's weapon of choice is Ore-Ida crinkle cuts, deep fried in a pot of oil. Hmmm. Not the best way to do it. Unless of course you like greasy fries.

It does turn out that Amber does have something wrong with her, genetically. Her system can only tolerate French fries and a few other foods; anything else will make her sick. So it's genetic, and extremely rare, so she can't help it. Her daughter on the other hand has no such anomaly. So I'm watching this show, waiting for the two genius doctors to help the daughter expand her range of foods.

Nope. These Health Nazis won't let Amber be and insist she try new foods anyway, even if they make her sick. They basically ignore the daughter, who does need help. The doctors start by making Amber try French fries in different colors, which is absurd. Picky eaters have trouble with other colors and textures of foods, but they already determined she doesn't fit into that category, and yet this 'therapy' is forced upon her. What about her daughter?

On a side note, the rainbow fries do remind me however of those Funky Fries that Ore-Ida made for a while.

I love this. It's just like those darn Health Nazis when they complain about McDonald's and other fast food places. They would be happy if all the restaurants shut down and French fries were made illegal. Mind you, I have no doubt that cigarettes and alcohol would still be legal in their world. Wake up, people, blame the behavior, not the food.

The doctors finally do incorporate the daughter into the treatment and they got both mother and daughter to try a cucumber. The epilogue mentions that Amber has added fifteen new foods into her diet. There's no mention of her daughter.