Why I Like Paula Deen

Hey Y'all, 

just had to get that out of my system... This may be shocking to those of you who know me and know about my picky diet, but, I love watching Paula Deen Best Dishes on the Food Network. I'll admit it. The reason this may be shocking to those who know me is because, well, I kinda do everything the opposite of Paula in my life. First off, I'm one of those vegetarian-turnedVegan-backtoVegeterian people (you know, the ones who constantly switch off from being vegan to vegeterian?). I haven't eaten an animal for over 5 years now because of my animal activist roots. It has been my experience that a person can survive without the consumption of animal meats and be happy and healthy. I am also an avid advocate of naturally grown foods and extremely anti-GMO and anti-processed goods. That's not to say that I don't have these things sometimes as it is nearly impossible not too. I think health is a huge issue in this country and I'm therefore a huge advocate of stricter FDA regulations and restaurant codes such as requiring food distributers and restauranteurs to label the amount of calories in every dish they serve as well as have them offer healthier alternatives at affordable prices. 

What's the first word you think of when you think of Paula Deen's cooking? (I'm pretty sure you're not thinking seitan...) Is it butter? Yep, the Georgia-raised southern chef is notorious for the fatty meals and lardelicious, hi-cal deserts that come steaming and bubbling out of her kitchen. It seems very counterintuitive that I would like a show where I get to watch chicken being fried, pig butt (which is actually a shoulder) being pulled, and crabs being boiled. Don't get me wrong, I hate all of that stuff. But I have found her show to be almost therapeutic in quenching my "curiosity craves". Some vegetarians/vegans might know what I'm talking about; it's when you randomly start either craving or thinking about beef, pork, poultry, or seafood. I was a huge steak eater before I became a veg and, although it wasn't hard to give it up at all when I realized where all that food was coming from, I definitely do feel that curiosity sometime. However, instead of feeling guilty about that, I've decided that the safest way to deal with these feelings was by watching other people eat it without giving money directly to the meat industry. And voila, that's how I met Paula. Not only do I vicariously nibble on that shrimp gumbo with her, but I also get to lick the icing off of her coconut glazed bunt cake. It may be weird, but I think it's a good solution for now. Besides, there are much, much stranger guilty pleasures out there than pretending that you're Paula Deen's tastebuds, right?...