We’re still riding high on Gordon Ramsay’s makeover of the Hot Potato Café; an unexpected side effect of the episode was that we also have a newfound sense of goodwill toward the Idaho Potato Commission, which donated three months’ worth of potatoes to ensure the success of the Café’s relaunch. Their donation was evidently just one part of their potato publicity push, as adverts starring fitness expert Denise Austin have also been in heavy rotation on TV. Procrastinating at the office today In our free time over the weekend, we spent some time poking around the Commission’s rather glossy website, which turned out to be surprisingly kooky! The highlights?
· Idaho denizen Dawn Wells (Mary Ann from Gilligan’s Island) provides video instructions on the right way to peel a potato!
· A photo gallery, which includes some shots of Idaho farmers manhandling their goods provocatively at crotch level. Sort of the northwest’s version of Lookbook.
· An FAQ that asks the question we’ve all been wondering for years: Can I make a recipe for mashed potatoes that contains cream cheese a week in advance and then reheat to serve?
· An online store that doubles as our birthday wish-list: A four-in-one clock? A potato pin?! A compact mirror with an Idaho Potatoes logo? A plush toy of the Commission’s adorable mascot, Spuddy Buddy?! YES, PLZ!!!1!
Amidst all this goodness, perhaps the only real disappointment was the website’s Harvest Game. The talents and star power of Spuddy Buddy seem wasted here, as too much of the “game” is just a cartoon potato propaganda sequence, and the gameplay is limited to arranging six pictures of said propaganda into chronological order. C’mon, Commission, is this the best that you can do? Maybe we’ve been spoiled by summers spent riding Hershey’s Chocolate World, which manages to be educational, propagandistic, and fun, but surely the young folks of the great northwest deserve a bit more from their potato funtime. We respectfully suggest an interactive game with Spuddy Buddy AND Dawn Wells modeled after Paula Abdul’s critically-acclaimed collaboration with MC Skat Kat. One can never be reminded enough times how to dance the mashed potato.
[Photo credit: The Idaho Potato Commission's photo gallery]
Wow, we’re huge Gordon Ramsey fans, but I don’t believe we saw the Hot Potato Cafe episode. We have, however, seen the Denise Austin commercials. Hoping all continues to go well!