What would the world be like without potatoes?

1. 85

   NiaGposted 12 years ago

   Can you imagine not eating fried potatoes, french fries, loaded baked potato?

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   1. 81

      manlypoetrymanposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I dread the thought!
      
      

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         freecampingaussieposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yum ! That looks delicious !

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      2. 59

         couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         I'm sorry, but except for the spinach, the above picture is a gross adulteration of a wholesome food.  Lay on the fat, boys.  Keep America crackin.  And by that I mean butt crackin, belly rolling, arm flapping...you know...fat!

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   2. 82

      Carmen Hposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      If I had not tasted all the amazing and delicious stuff that can be made out of potatoes, maybe.  But that I have, it is such a torture to even imagine that.
      Aww...you make me crave for my favorite baked potato skins au gratin.

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   3. 61

      mom101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Girl let me tell you. You aint got a meal without at tater.
      
      mashed  fried  stewed  baked  steamed 
      
      You can have a table full of food but without a spud, it just aint the same.
      
      Great food.

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   4. 73

      stylezinkposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I. would. die.  Really! LOL! I love freaking potatoes any style.

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   5. 65

      2uesdayposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Roast potatoes with Sunday lunch and new potatoes home grown and freshly dug up in the spring time and served with salad would be what I would miss most.

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   6. 61

      qeylerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The World without Potatoes?
      China

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   7. 61

      qeylerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The World without Potatoes?
      China

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   8. 0

      Daniella Lopezposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The Irish would be extinct. lol

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   9. 60

      calpol25posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      The world would be chipless!! AAAAAAAHHHHHGGGGG!!!!!!

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2. 61

   Captain Redbeardposted 12 years ago

   Life would lack luster and starch

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3. 59

   mel22posted 12 years ago

   Without potatoes would be like the Great Famine and we'd get an Influx of Irish immigrants who go for a Gold Rush, paving the way for a new gold standard and fixing the economy so that we can then produce more potatoes( Monsanto laced version )  ... just kidding.. but on a serious note did you know potatoes have high nicotine content( nicotanamides). They fall under the category 'Nightshade' plants which can be detrimental to those who are sensitive to nicotinamides. I happen to be one. hate it to because mash potatoes w lots'obutter are sooo dang good!

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   1. 89

      mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Absolutely true, and great you have shared the info on them being in the 'Nightshade' family here. Can I add to this in a small way by warning people not to feed potatoes, cooked or otherwise, to their dogs. These are not at all good for dogs and are a definite no no, but so many owners still give their dogs potato in many forms, roast, fries/chips, crisps etc.

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   2. 59

      couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Mel - This is interesting information.  Nicotine is a poisonous alkaloid (used at one time as an insecticide).  Nicotinamide is an amide of the vitamin B complex.  So, as you said, dogs may be suceptible because of the way they metabolize nicotinic acid (nicotinamide).  Probably most humans don't need to worry about eating potatoes because their body metabolizes properly, and are not getting the 'nicotine' found in cigarettes, which is a molecularly changed substance that changes brain receptor structure.
      
      Yes, tobacco is a nightshade plant.  So is belladonna, opium poppy, tomato and eggplant.  Crazy that some are beneficial and some are strictly to be used for 'medicinal' purposes.

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4. 85

   NiaGposted 12 years ago

   What?! High nicotine content? No, I didn't know that. That is a fascinating tid bit.

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5. 58

   KloeTButt255posted 12 years ago

   I LOVE POTATOES

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6. 66

   Pearldiverposted 12 years ago

   What would the world be like without potatoes?
   
   
   Damn... What's with all the Irish Jokes eh? 

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7. 58

   MelissaBarrettposted 12 years ago

   Bumping this because it has nothing to do with religion... and because I love me some taters

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   1. 61

      mom101posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I now dubb the spud, the new feel good plant

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8. 61

   freecampingaussieposted 12 years ago

   Can't imagine not having potatoes in a roast or fish without the chips.....
   

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9. 61

   Savva Pelouposted 12 years ago

   A world without potatoes is a world without happiness!  I love you majestic versatile potatoe, you were my friend growing up, and my buddy through university life.  We love you!

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10. 78

    kirstenblogposted 12 years ago

    No Vodka or other potato based spirits (much moonshine is made from fermenting potatoes).

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    1. 59

       couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Maybe the South would have won The War if they didn't have sour mash moonshine.  What war?  Honey, when they talk about the war down here, they're only talkin' bout one war.
       
       (I guess this is pretty much a U.S. inside joke)

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       1. 78

          kirstenblogposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Oh I lived for a few years on a goat farm near the Missouri/Arkansas boarder with my adopted family, southern enough to have heard that one before!

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11. 65

    kmackey32posted 12 years ago

    It would be a bad thing. I love potatoes. I eat them almost everynight. I even grow them in the garden.

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12. 68

    Claudia Telloposted 12 years ago

    My mom is also a potato lover and she is absolutely crazy for french fries. I must confess I really don’t get the enthusiasm for potatoes; they are one of the not so healthy food that I never eat without a problem. They are completely out of my dietary program and I don’t miss them at all.

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13. 60

    Disturbiaposted 12 years ago

    A world without potatoes would be a very sad place indeed.  Of course, if we never had any potatoes, we'd never know what we were missing, so I guess really, it wouldn't make much difference.

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14. 0

    Home Girlposted 12 years ago

    
    
    A food for your soul on a dull frosty Sunday brunch with a smile and a dollop of sour cream... let me dream! There is no life without potatoes.

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    1. 59

       couturepopcafeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       MMM...now that looks good.  Plain and simple.

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15. 85

    NiaGposted 12 years ago

    You guys are my kinda people! The world wouldn't make it without the spud. Nor without the spud lovers!

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16. 96

    leahleflerposted 12 years ago

    Potatoes are the best. The mashed potato recipe from Pioneer Woman? Divine.
    
    Another tater lover over here (though my older son hates them - I'm pretty sure he has mutant DNA).

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17. 86

    IzzyMposted 12 years ago

    Yet potatoes are a relatively recent arrival in the Americas! And Europe for that matter.
    I did a lot of research on the humble potato recently, but didn't write a hub on it because those who have already have done a great job.
    
    Google it and see! No Quack it, sorry forgot I was on a mission...
    
    The potato is the most versatile vegetable we have in the kitchen. I wrote a hub on that, but don't go looking because it is lost in the annals of self-written hubs.
    
    It's not the healthiest vegetable to diet on. Then again, if you are skint, a bag of potatoes can keep you and your family going

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    1. 96

       leahleflerposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       We lived in Ireland for a while and we were afraid to buy the "digestive biscuits" because we figured they might be some sort of Ex-Lax product. As it turns out, they were just cookies. I think it took us about six months before we were brave enough to try them!
       
       We shopped for pancakes on the foreign food aisle, along with peanut butter. If we asked for "waffles," we were directed to the frozen food aisle with bags of potato (hash-brown style) waffles.
       
       I have never had better chips than the ones we ate in Ireland. Just divine. Though my husband likes the malt vinegar dumped on them, and I never learned to like that flavor.

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       1. 86

          IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          Malt vinegar n chips! <sigh>, I can't buy malt vinegar here unless I go out of my way to go to a British shop.
          
          White wine vinegar here is 'cheap as chips' to use an old expression and it's OK - great for cleaning the bog or the build-up of deposits on the kettle (hard water area)but not the same.
          
          Digestive biscuits. <big sigh> Oh how I loved those!
          
          Waffles are in the frozen food shelves, aren't they? Peanut butter is easy enough to buy. I never did take a liking to it.
          
          Actually, you have great point...Irish and indeed Scottish potatoes are to die for.
          
          The potatoes here are average at best, pretty awful other times.
          
          Think it must be the climate or something...

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18. 68

    cre8ivOneposted 12 years ago

    Pity the thought to not have a delicious french fry ever again : (  I would be quite sad not to gnosh on a baked potato as well.  And don't get me started on mashed potatoes and gravy!

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19. 76

    barryrutherfordposted 12 years ago

    one's chips would be down for sure...

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20. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    There is not one anti-potato poster on this entire thread.
    
    Therefore...
    
    DOWN WITH POTATOES!!!

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21. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    
    Potatoes make unruly neighbors!

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    1. 86

       IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       I used to have Mr Potato Head as a kid!
       Daft toys we had then!

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22. 86

    IzzyMposted 12 years ago

    Why do Americans call chips "French fries"?
    
    I know that when they were first introduced to America, that title was used.
    
    In the UK they are called chips, as in 'fish 'n chips' or a 'fish supper', the chips are sometimes not mentioned but part of a supper.
    
    US folks call chips, what we call crisps? As in, they come in a packet for snacking.
    
    In posh restaurants in the UK, they serve up with meals with accompanying "French Fries" which we know are chips.
    
    Funny how we all describe things differently. I think the French themselves have a name like "pommes de frite" (fried potatoes) or something.

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23. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    
    Potatoes are unfaithful and will break your heart.
    
    That is a heart, isn't it...

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24. 60

    paradigmsearchposted 12 years ago

    That's it for now. My baked potatoes are done and ready to eat.

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25. 85

    NiaGposted 12 years ago

    IzzyM you have made me dizzy with the name differences between US and UK. Ha! Interesting but dizzying. Now I don't know what to call what, what. :-)

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26. 85

    NiaGposted 12 years ago

    I soooo love that paradigmsearch. Awesome!

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27. 0

    Deb Welchposted 12 years ago

    
    Stuffed potatoes, french fries, baked potatoes, creamed potatoes, potato salad,au gratin potatoes, potato soup, potato chips, mashed potatoes, home fries, potato pancakes, add ketchup, vinegar, bacon, parsley, salt & pepper - 'Where would be?' asks, Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head.

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28. 61

    Jason Limposted 12 years ago

    To be honest, a lot healthier. Since most of the potato-based foods people love come with copious amounts of fat.

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29. 60

    Hui (蕙)posted 12 years ago

    If humans never know potato or potato food until today, the world is still what it is like now, which is like that probably another amazing food exists on the earth, but humans haven't known it yet. However, potato has become a part in ordinary life, so the life without it must be like a round moon with a little tiny piece of cut. Anyone, whether like it or not, would feel uncomfortable on some level, because it is unlikely to clear it out from the mind.

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30. 0

    Muldaniaposted 12 years ago

    It is hard to imagine a meal without potatoes.  Chips, mashed potatoes, roast, baked, French fries, are so much a part of out diet, to make it impossible to imagine food without them.  The New World has provided us with so much which we now take for granted.

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