I’d like to start today by talking about the potato.  It is most often associated with Ireland.  The Irish were first to adopt it as a staple of their diet in the 18th century, and by the mid-19th century, “reports describing the appearance of a mysterious disease on the potato crops in various parts of Europe in 1845 were regarded with curiosity rather than alarm within Ireland” (quote from The World Potato Congress website – yah, it’s a thing, click here).  1845 marked the arrival in Ireland of Phytophthora infestans (Potato Blight).  The period of 1845-1852 was known as the Great Famine (or Potato Famine); more than a million died from starvation and disease, and more than a million emigrated from Ireland to Britain and the United States.  Because of this, Ireland remains one of the few European nations whose population is smaller today than it was during the 19th century. All because of the potato!

The Irish are the ethnic group most associated with the potato, due in large part to the Potato Famine and the mass exodus from Ireland that ensued.  But in the country of Slovenia, where the national dish is sautéed potatoes with onions, the “Society for the Recognition of Sautéed Potato and Onions as an Independent Dish” is trying to change that. Bostjan Zrimšek, the society’s spokesperson, said of their members, “There are three main rules.  One is that you eat sautéed potatoes with onions once a week in the presence of 3 persons who can confirm this!  The second one is that eating French fries is prohibited!  The third one is we are not related in any way to politics, you shouldn’t talk politics and business in potato meetings!”  It’s that third rule I love the most, not because we could all use a break from politics given the shitshow in Washington DC right now, but because there are such things as potato meetings!

This potato-loving Society organizes gala potato evenings, potato excursions, and even international potato festivals. In fact, The World Festival of Sautéed Potatoes was held in Črna na Koroškem, in the north of the country, just last September.  The Society has its own anthem, Pražen Krompir (“Home Fried Potatoes”), sung at the official opening of the festival just after noon.  The number of sautéed potato making teams was limited to 60 in 2024 due to space restraints. Wow, that’s a lot of pražen krompir.

I love everything about the Society for the Recognition of Sautéed Potato and Onions as an Independent Dish.  I’m thinking of starting a local chapter here in Palm Springs and holding potato meetings. Remember, there is no talk of politics at potato meetings, which is reason enough to hold them, as if a reason was needed.