" do we want to glorify a dessert that lists lard as its primary ingredient?"

[The Straight Story]

PORTLAND, Maine — In Europe, countries are consumed by debt. In Washington, the health care debate rages on. And in Maine, the whoopie pie is under attack.

Efforts to anoint the traditional Maine sweet as the official state dessert have divided Down Easters and raised ire among the nutrition-conscious, who say that the state is beset with obesity as it is without venerating two mounds of chocolate cake bound by a sugary, creamy filling. And now another renowned Maine treat — the blueberry pie — has been dragged into the fray.

The kitchen kerfuffle comes as a surprise to whoopie pie makers, who handed out dozens of the cakey treats to lawmakers at a legislative hearing on the matter this week and testified to the virtue of the confection as a local economic engine and beloved part of Maine’s heritage for decades.

But the whoopie pie’s swift ascension to the official Maine dessert hit a snag when state Representative Donald Pilon withheld support and derided the confection as a “frosting delivery vehicle.’’

“At a time when 31.3 percent of Maine’s children are considered overweight or obese, do we want to glorify a dessert that lists lard as its primary ingredient?’’ Pilon asked his fellow lawmakers at the hearing on Monday.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2011/02/04/pangs_of_dissent_as_maine_reaches_for_the_whoopie_pie/

[Abq_Sarah]

1. I don't have a problem with the lard

Its the sugar that I can't tolerate. Same for the blueberry pie.

[TheCowsCameHome]

2. Maine's governor is a giant Whoopie

cushion.

[MadHound]

3. First of all, the entire notion of having a political battle over a state dessert is rather bizarre,

Secondly, having this kerfluffle over whether or not this dessert is healthy or not is really bizarre. I mean really now, we're talking about dessert here, which is, by its very nature, not terribly healthy for you, be that dessert whoopie pie, blueberry pie, cheese cake, whatever. It's dessert, it's going to add on the pounds, eat in moderation, geez.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. More Bread and Circus distraction from real issues.

[snagglepuss]

5. Don't you mean pie and pig distraction?

:evilgrin:

[BrklynLiberal]

9. Yep. Much more accurate.

[jpak]

6. So? Moxie is the official Maine State soft drink

Why not Whoopie Pies?

:shrug:

[The Straight Story]

7. Cause just having them listed somewhere makes kids fat, they are powerless against the dark

side of the whoopie pies.

[Beaverhausen]

8. Whoopie Pies can be made without lard, for god's sake

[BrklynLiberal]

11. duh. Guess they never thought of that.....

Lots of commercial baked goods no longer use lard..or even saturated vegetable shorteniing...
There are endless alternatives.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/WhoopiePieHistory.htm

[rhett o rick]

15. I agree. Just use trans fats. nm

[eShirl]

23. these days vegetable shortening is made without trans fats

don't ask me how

[eShirl]

22. I grew up in Maine and didn't know anyone who made them with lard.

It was always Crisco.

[AsahinaKimi]

10. They could always VOTE on a STATE

Gun.
:hide:

[formercia]

17. State Guns

Most folks here (Maine) have more than one gun. I have one for every occasion.

[hootinholler]

12. I thought it would be about spotted dick

Which I could get past the lard, it was the raisins that turned me off, lol.

Whoopie pies are just glorified gobs.

-Hoot

[csziggy]

13. Better lard and sugar than transfat and articifial sweetners!

Seriously, I've found if I eat desserts made with real ingredients rather than engineered ones, I eat less. That is completely apart from the debates over which of the engineered ingredients may be worse for us than natural ones. There seems to be more of an "OFF" switch in my brain for satiation with natural ingredients.

[MineralMan]

14. I don't eat whoopie pies, but I make my pie crusts with lard.

Best pie crusts ever. I don't make many pies, but they all have crusts that use lard. The comments from the people I serve them to tell the story. I don't tell my secret, though. BTW, I don't serve pie crusts to vegetarians, if you were wondering. They don't get a pie...just good vegetarian recipes, of which I have many. My buddhist stew and my lentil mushroom loaf are legendary.

[provis99]

16. lard is the only way to make the best pie crusts.

If the health nut crowd doesn't like it, they can chew on a celery stick.

[EC]

18. Could lard be considered a protein? n/t

[eppur_se_muova]

20. Since it's basically 100% fat, no.

But if we're going to call catsup a vegetable, who knows what could happen ...

[pipi_k]

19. Hell yes!!! Anything made with lard should be glorified...

Seriously, though...I don't see what the problem is.

Just because it would be the state dessert, that doesn't mean people have to wolf them down by the handful each day.

One a month with an otherwise healthy diet...what's wrong with that?


Would making fried liver the state meat make it any more appetizing?

[Recursion]

21. Lard is certainly better than hydrogenated crap

I don't see why lard, of all fats, should get such a bad rep.

[kestrel91316]

24. Nothing wrong with lard. It's SHORTENING that's dangerous.