70,000 pierogies

The New York Times reports that "among the statistics city officials proudly announced as the [Taste of Chicago] festival closed after a 10-day run: 20,000 servings of fried dough were sold, as were 70,000 pirogies and 150,000 plates of fried cheese." To quote Kramer from Seinfeld, in reference to the mystery behind Elaine's neighbor's door, "That's a lot of potatoes." Chicagoans are by and large large, which is great for anyone looking to be skinny by association, less great for those wishing to scout for models, dancers and the like. The most disturbing thing in this article-- which is ostensibly about Chicago's efforts to cut down on unhealthy foods but is really a smug reminder to New Yorkers, as if we needed such a reminder, that we are thin and fabulous--is the revelation that Chicago deep-dish pizza, at least some of the time, is made with trans fats. I can't quite get behind the local-organic craze, think it's not worth the bother to make your primary moral concern to be your food's life story, but trans fats in pizza, that's just gross.