1 00:00:03,240 --> 00:00:06,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to Part Time Genius, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:11,560 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: Guess What Mango? What's that? Will? All? Right? So I 3 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,320 Speaker 1: know we both love Mr potato At least I remembered 4 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:20,040 Speaker 1: that you loved Mr potato Head. Did you remember that 5 00:00:20,239 --> 00:00:22,360 Speaker 1: I love Mr potato Head? I did not remember that 6 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:26,239 Speaker 1: at all. Yeah, big fans, big, And you know who 7 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: invented Mr potato Head. It was George Learner, created back 8 00:00:29,440 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: in nineteen So my favorite thing about Mr potato Head 9 00:00:34,880 --> 00:00:37,040 Speaker 1: was that it was initially just a bag of like 10 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,479 Speaker 1: base parts, and kids would supply their own potatoes to 11 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:44,400 Speaker 1: jab these face parts into it. Right, that is exactly right. 12 00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:46,600 Speaker 1: You could use any like use your imagination here. You 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: could use carrots, turnips, or really any root vegetable that 14 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:53,600 Speaker 1: you want to But potatoes were chosen. This was interesting. 15 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: Actually I didn't know exactly why. But one, they're cheap. 16 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,639 Speaker 1: Of course, they were affordable, and they were available year 17 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: round on plus. I guess you could argue they're funnier 18 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,760 Speaker 1: than Mr turnip Head, but I don't know that. It 19 00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: seems debatable. But the craze then took off when Hasbro 20 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: made this big TV commercial for the product and they 21 00:01:10,959 --> 00:01:13,399 Speaker 1: sold it was something like four million dollars worth of 22 00:01:13,440 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: these toy parts within a few months. Now, that was 23 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: a fortune then. And the interesting thing though, is that Mr. 24 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,840 Speaker 1: Potato had actually wasn't the first potato toy on the market. 25 00:01:22,880 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: I don't know if you knew this. I did not 26 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,360 Speaker 1: know that what was before it. Well, it was the 27 00:01:26,400 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 1: first with three D pieces, so they added a D 28 00:01:29,400 --> 00:01:31,800 Speaker 1: to what was being done out there in the world. 29 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: It was competing with these these potato head toys at 30 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: the time that we're using two D pieces, like more 31 00:01:38,040 --> 00:01:41,120 Speaker 1: like paper product type stuff, and so you would stick 32 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:44,240 Speaker 1: these just onto the vegetable. But what's interesting is that 33 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: in nineteen thirty one, this was a full eighteen years earlier, 34 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 1: So think about this, like potato toy technology was not 35 00:01:51,000 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: fully evolved yet. But the Soviet Union, of course they 36 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: had to be first. They launched this guide for kids 37 00:01:57,760 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: on how to play with potatoes. So basically it was 38 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: like this. It was a pretty delightful guide on how 39 00:02:04,520 --> 00:02:07,360 Speaker 1: you could use a pen knife and match dicks and 40 00:02:07,440 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: you could turn a bunch of potatoes into these little playthings. 41 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:13,600 Speaker 1: And so there's this illustration on how to make two 42 00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: little potato kids and have them see sawing on this 43 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:19,400 Speaker 1: bigger potato. And then there was another one on how 44 00:02:19,440 --> 00:02:22,519 Speaker 1: to turn five or six potatoes into a race car 45 00:02:22,639 --> 00:02:25,919 Speaker 1: with a tiny potato driver, or this little potato man 46 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: walking his potato pig on a string leash. It's it, honestly, 47 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: it is a pretty delightful guide. So but but you know, 48 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,320 Speaker 1: seeing this charming guide made me think of how much 49 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:40,480 Speaker 1: joy potatoes bring the world, whether it's through ridiculous Soviet sculptures, 50 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:43,639 Speaker 1: this is not this is real megati potatoes. But we 51 00:02:43,800 --> 00:02:46,960 Speaker 1: there's now more than ever we need potatoes to bring 52 00:02:47,040 --> 00:02:50,160 Speaker 1: the world joy or a bag of supersized fries, which 53 00:02:50,160 --> 00:02:51,959 Speaker 1: I know you and I are both big fans of. 54 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember this in college when 55 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:56,240 Speaker 1: you thought you were a vegetarian and yet then you 56 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,560 Speaker 1: realize that the potatoes had been cooked in and animal fat. 57 00:02:59,639 --> 00:03:03,279 Speaker 1: But but I thought we'd make a whole show about potatoes. 58 00:03:03,639 --> 00:03:27,119 Speaker 1: I am all about this. Let's five in ye ai 59 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:30,120 Speaker 1: their podcast listeners, Welcome to Part Time Genius. I'm Will Pearson, 60 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:32,040 Speaker 1: and as always I'm joined by my good friend man 61 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: guess how Ticketer on the other side of that soundproof glass, 62 00:03:35,160 --> 00:03:38,560 Speaker 1: wearing a shirt that says am my readings. I think 63 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:42,320 Speaker 1: it says taters over haters. Is that what it says? Yes, 64 00:03:42,960 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: I don't know what that means, but I love it 65 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,040 Speaker 1: and I feel like I need one as well. That's 66 00:03:47,040 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: our good pal Ramsey. So some ango, what's up this week? 67 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:56,000 Speaker 1: So I want to apologize to the listeners for this tease. 68 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,480 Speaker 1: We had a few I guess like a month ago 69 00:03:58,800 --> 00:04:02,840 Speaker 1: or and thank them for being so patient because you 70 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:04,960 Speaker 1: and I got to make an episode right before my 71 00:04:05,040 --> 00:04:09,560 Speaker 1: dad passed away, and my dad just loved it and 72 00:04:09,800 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: he's listening from the hospital, and you know, I had 73 00:04:12,760 --> 00:04:15,119 Speaker 1: every intention of just plomming through and turning the show 74 00:04:15,160 --> 00:04:18,400 Speaker 1: weekly again. But your parents are incredible and we are 75 00:04:18,440 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 1: just so lucky, Like both our parents were so important 76 00:04:21,440 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: in giving us love and support, and we got to 77 00:04:24,160 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: go to this incredible college and then we chose the 78 00:04:26,400 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: dumbest possible career and I'm just grateful that we get 79 00:04:34,640 --> 00:04:36,479 Speaker 1: to do this. So so thank you for making time 80 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: this week to talk about potatoes whatever ridiculous topics. So 81 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:43,280 Speaker 1: where do you want to start? Do you want to 82 00:04:43,320 --> 00:04:45,640 Speaker 1: talk about how the universe might be shaped like a 83 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:51,039 Speaker 1: Pringle ship or how the Alaskan gold rush h during 84 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:54,200 Speaker 1: a desperate miners used to actually trade gold for potatoes 85 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,840 Speaker 1: because it was so nutritious. Or what are you gonna 86 00:04:56,839 --> 00:04:59,440 Speaker 1: start with these? That's there's some good teases there I 87 00:04:59,480 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 1: feel like should be considered. But I'm actually going to 88 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:05,200 Speaker 1: start with a fact about France back and then seventeen 89 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:09,960 Speaker 1: hundreds when the potato mango it was actually declared illegal. 90 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,839 Speaker 1: M okay, yep. So potatoes came to Europe by way 91 00:05:13,839 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: of the Spaniards, who themselves had brought the vegetables back 92 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:20,039 Speaker 1: from the Inca Empire in South America, of course, and 93 00:05:20,120 --> 00:05:24,760 Speaker 1: immediately there's this real distrust of the vegetable. Distrust. Yeah, 94 00:05:24,800 --> 00:05:27,880 Speaker 1: I mean partially because potatoes are not mentioned in the Bible. 95 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:29,960 Speaker 1: I don't know if you know this fact, and partially 96 00:05:29,960 --> 00:05:33,800 Speaker 1: because they grow underground, so people are weirdly suspicious of 97 00:05:33,839 --> 00:05:38,560 Speaker 1: them and at the time they're mostly fed to pigs. Wait. Wait, yeah, 98 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,280 Speaker 1: you've done like a word search and found that potatoes 99 00:05:41,360 --> 00:05:44,520 Speaker 1: aren't aren't found in the Bible. That they are not. No, 100 00:05:44,640 --> 00:05:46,560 Speaker 1: I did the full search. No, I actually just read 101 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:48,400 Speaker 1: through it. I should have done a search all but 102 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:50,400 Speaker 1: I just kind of read through the whole thing. I 103 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: didn't find it once. So anyway, basically nobody will touch 104 00:05:54,720 --> 00:05:59,080 Speaker 1: these things, even hungry commoners. And then potatoes get blamed 105 00:05:59,120 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: for things like when leprosy spreads, of course everybody blames 106 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: it on the potatoes. And in all this mayhem, the 107 00:06:05,720 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: French Parliament decides to ban the vegetable. Now this was 108 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:14,120 Speaker 1: around seventy and the potato is actually banned until seventeen 109 00:06:14,240 --> 00:06:17,720 Speaker 1: seventy two, So good twenty four years of no potatoes. 110 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: So I've actually read this thing in medtalphilast years ago 111 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:24,560 Speaker 1: that early farmers would plant potatoes on Easter and sprinkle 112 00:06:24,640 --> 00:06:26,919 Speaker 1: them with holy water because they wanted the plant to 113 00:06:26,920 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: grow safely and not be dangerous. But how do potatoes 114 00:06:30,680 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: make their way into favor in culture? So there's this 115 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,640 Speaker 1: army officer, Antoine Parmentier, and he gets captured by the 116 00:06:38,680 --> 00:06:41,760 Speaker 1: Prussians in the Seven Year War and so basically he's 117 00:06:41,800 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: fed potatoes at this prison, and he doesn't notice any 118 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,120 Speaker 1: ill effects, like he's supposed to get leprosy and get 119 00:06:48,120 --> 00:06:50,839 Speaker 1: all sick and all these other things. He stays healthy 120 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,880 Speaker 1: pretty much the whole time. But also he notices that 121 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:56,880 Speaker 1: France at the time has stopped exporting grains, and the 122 00:06:56,880 --> 00:07:00,360 Speaker 1: Prussian army actually uses potatoes as a replace he spent 123 00:07:00,400 --> 00:07:03,360 Speaker 1: for it in their diet. So Permentier looks at all 124 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: of this, and as he learns more, he realizes that 125 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: potatoes don't take that much effort to grow. So when 126 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:12,240 Speaker 1: he's released back to France, he starts this campaign to 127 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:16,600 Speaker 1: rehabilitate the potatoes image. He throws these dinner parties where 128 00:07:16,600 --> 00:07:19,960 Speaker 1: he serves all these potato courses to celebrities, like then 129 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:22,680 Speaker 1: Franklin came to one of these things. He gives potato 130 00:07:22,760 --> 00:07:26,840 Speaker 1: flowers to Marie Antoinette, and she then popularizes these things 131 00:07:26,840 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: by wearing them in a hat. So people start getting 132 00:07:30,360 --> 00:07:33,480 Speaker 1: curious and you know, trying to figure out what's going 133 00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:35,920 Speaker 1: on with this leprosy fruit, which is the potato. But 134 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:39,680 Speaker 1: then he pulls off his greatest stunt, which I haven't 135 00:07:39,720 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 1: even mentioned yet. So what's his greatest stunt. He plants 136 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: a potato patch. He puts a ring of armed guards 137 00:07:47,360 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: around it, so everyone starts thinking of them as like 138 00:07:50,400 --> 00:07:52,880 Speaker 1: this luxury. I mean, this really is pretty smart. I 139 00:07:52,960 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: think of them as this, you know, very valuable thing. 140 00:07:56,520 --> 00:07:59,680 Speaker 1: But then he quietly tells the guards to accept bribes 141 00:07:59,760 --> 00:08:03,400 Speaker 1: and allow people to start stealing the potatoes. So in 142 00:08:03,480 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy two, all these peasants steel potatoes and treat 143 00:08:07,320 --> 00:08:10,640 Speaker 1: them like this precious food. And then the Paris Faculty 144 00:08:10,640 --> 00:08:15,560 Speaker 1: of Medicine finally declares the potato edible and makes them 145 00:08:15,880 --> 00:08:19,080 Speaker 1: legal Again, isn't that amazing? French science is just on 146 00:08:19,200 --> 00:08:22,160 Speaker 1: top of it. I know what they're doing. So its 147 00:08:22,200 --> 00:08:25,720 Speaker 1: Parmentier like famous in France for doing this. I mean, 148 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:28,000 Speaker 1: I guess kind of and he, you know, the potato 149 00:08:28,120 --> 00:08:32,199 Speaker 1: helped France get through some difficult famines, and Louis the 150 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: sixteenth rewarded him for his work, actually declaring how important 151 00:08:35,920 --> 00:08:39,720 Speaker 1: Parmentier was keeping the masses fed. And when he died, 152 00:08:39,840 --> 00:08:43,800 Speaker 1: Parmentier's casket was actually placed in a plot circled with 153 00:08:43,880 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: potato plants, and in the middle there's this bronze statue 154 00:08:47,440 --> 00:08:50,400 Speaker 1: of him handing a potato to a commoner who's standing 155 00:08:50,400 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: below him. So, just so you know, I would also 156 00:08:56,240 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: like a statue of me handing out potatoes to commonders, 157 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:01,800 Speaker 1: just so I can remembers like a man of the people. Yeah, no, 158 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,320 Speaker 1: I kind of expected this. So there's already one in 159 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,959 Speaker 1: the works. I've started up paying thing and in installments 160 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: so that it will be ready. It's going to be 161 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:13,240 Speaker 1: very expensive. But anyway, enough about Parmentier. What fact are 162 00:09:13,240 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: you going to start with? I've got one about baseball. 163 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:20,000 Speaker 1: So you've heard of the old baseball trick where a 164 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,800 Speaker 1: first baseman might walk up to the picture and fake 165 00:09:22,880 --> 00:09:25,000 Speaker 1: hand in the baseball, but actually he keeps the ball 166 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:27,319 Speaker 1: in the glove and when he walks back to the 167 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,079 Speaker 1: bag of the base runner steps off the base tick 168 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: lead he sort of tagged them out. Yeah, of course, 169 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:33,440 Speaker 1: and it's it's it's like this old trick that mostly 170 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:35,439 Speaker 1: gets used. I don't know, I feel like in kids 171 00:09:35,440 --> 00:09:38,760 Speaker 1: movies about baseball, Like you remember this Rookie of the Year, 172 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:40,240 Speaker 1: I mean, one of the greatest films of all time. 173 00:09:40,280 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 1: I think, yeah, it is a very Rookie of the 174 00:09:42,600 --> 00:09:46,040 Speaker 1: Year play. But but this minor league catcher for the 175 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,360 Speaker 1: Williams Sports Bills, his name is Dave Bresnahan, he was 176 00:09:49,440 --> 00:09:52,559 Speaker 1: completely obsessed with this trick play. And this was in 177 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:57,600 Speaker 1: the late eighties, and Bresnahan was actually obsessed with a 178 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:00,920 Speaker 1: variation of that trick using a fake base ball. I 179 00:10:00,960 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: love that anybody was obsessed with this trick. But anyway, 180 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,160 Speaker 1: how does that work? Yeah, so in this case, the 181 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,040 Speaker 1: catcher replaces the ball in his glove with the potato, 182 00:10:09,080 --> 00:10:11,839 Speaker 1: because you know how people always confuse like baseballs for 183 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:16,040 Speaker 1: potatoes always, So the way the trick works is that 184 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,199 Speaker 1: the catcher accidentally throws the potato into outfield like it's 185 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: an error. And then you know, when the base runner 186 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:24,560 Speaker 1: tries to steal home, the catcher shows that he actually 187 00:10:24,559 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: has the baseball hidden his glove the whole time and 188 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,360 Speaker 1: tags him out. And do people they actually did this 189 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: in baseball games. So according to the l A. Times, 190 00:10:32,880 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 1: which is where I read about the story, I guess 191 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:37,280 Speaker 1: a few people got away with it in their earliest 192 00:10:37,320 --> 00:10:40,920 Speaker 1: days of baseball. It was called the Tator trick um 193 00:10:41,000 --> 00:10:43,880 Speaker 1: and anyway, So so Presenthan decides he's going to pull 194 00:10:43,920 --> 00:10:45,840 Speaker 1: off the Tator trick in a real game, and he 195 00:10:45,960 --> 00:10:49,120 Speaker 1: goes all out. He pays an artist to carve a 196 00:10:49,200 --> 00:10:52,599 Speaker 1: potato and paint seems on it like it's a real baseball. 197 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:55,360 Speaker 1: He even picks the perfect game. He wants to do 198 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:58,240 Speaker 1: it against the Phillies farm team in reading because the 199 00:10:58,240 --> 00:11:00,319 Speaker 1: Philly fanatic will be there and that means still be 200 00:11:00,360 --> 00:11:03,560 Speaker 1: more of a crowd, and he starts trying to lay 201 00:11:03,600 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: the groundwork. Like in games before the big one, he 202 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: starts trying to pick off players at third, so he's 203 00:11:09,240 --> 00:11:11,800 Speaker 1: kind of getting this reputation as a catcher who picks 204 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:15,720 Speaker 1: off players. Anyway, the big day arrives and in the 205 00:11:15,760 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: sixth inning he gets into the perfect situation. There are 206 00:11:18,760 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: two outs and a man on third, and Presidenthan knows 207 00:11:22,400 --> 00:11:24,880 Speaker 1: this is his moment, so he comes up with this excuse. 208 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,120 Speaker 1: He tells the Empire that the webbing on his glove 209 00:11:27,240 --> 00:11:29,120 Speaker 1: is off and he needs to replace his glove, and 210 00:11:29,160 --> 00:11:33,600 Speaker 1: then he walks the dugout, grabs this ridiculous carved potato, 211 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,120 Speaker 1: and then walks back. So does anybody notice that he's 212 00:11:37,120 --> 00:11:40,480 Speaker 1: doing this? The whole team like, I don't think the 213 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:43,160 Speaker 1: manager new, But the whole team starts laughing, and they're 214 00:11:43,160 --> 00:11:45,920 Speaker 1: having a hard time like controlling themselves because they know 215 00:11:45,960 --> 00:11:48,959 Speaker 1: what's up. And Presidenthan himself is trying to keep it together. 216 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,360 Speaker 1: But but when the runner on third takes a lead 217 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,800 Speaker 1: and the pitch lens in his glove, he snaps into 218 00:11:53,840 --> 00:11:56,720 Speaker 1: action and he makes the switch and he throws this 219 00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:01,400 Speaker 1: potato to third, but in dead of overthrowing the potato 220 00:12:01,440 --> 00:12:05,000 Speaker 1: past the third basement into the field, he accidentally underthrows 221 00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:08,040 Speaker 1: it and it bounces and the potato breaks into three 222 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,360 Speaker 1: pieces and it lands right in for the third base umpire, 223 00:12:11,760 --> 00:12:16,079 Speaker 1: but the player doesn't notice, and you know, he charged 224 00:12:16,120 --> 00:12:18,480 Speaker 1: his home and Resonahan shows him the ball and tags 225 00:12:18,520 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: him out, and then he walks to the dugout. And 226 00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:24,200 Speaker 1: here's the thing, right, reson Han assumes if his team 227 00:12:24,280 --> 00:12:26,480 Speaker 1: follows him, the other team will walk off too and 228 00:12:26,559 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: the game will just move on and continue. So does 229 00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: this work? Not at all? The officials are super confused. 230 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:37,320 Speaker 1: His teammates stay on the field, and the meantime, the 231 00:12:37,360 --> 00:12:40,640 Speaker 1: third base goes to inspect this you know, broken up potato, 232 00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,240 Speaker 1: and when he realized what's happened, the officials just award 233 00:12:43,320 --> 00:12:46,800 Speaker 1: the runner home plate. And then Reresonehan gets pulled from 234 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,520 Speaker 1: the game for his shenanigans and the next day he's 235 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:53,280 Speaker 1: fined fifty dollars and cut from the team. Oh my gosh, 236 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 1: that we have way more sad than I expected. That's 237 00:12:55,679 --> 00:12:59,679 Speaker 1: a funny trick. Presdonhan actually didn't mind that much because 238 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 1: he was not that great a player, and the fans 239 00:13:02,480 --> 00:13:06,240 Speaker 1: loved it, so he became such a like fan favorite 240 00:13:06,320 --> 00:13:08,760 Speaker 1: or this legend that the team ended up retiring his 241 00:13:08,880 --> 00:13:12,280 Speaker 1: jersey at the sold out game and uh, and they 242 00:13:12,360 --> 00:13:14,840 Speaker 1: charged a dollar for tickets where not only could you attend, 243 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 1: but you also got a potato with your ticket and 244 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:21,240 Speaker 1: uh and actually the largest chunk of that potato he 245 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:23,960 Speaker 1: threw uh in that Phillies game is in a jar 246 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:27,600 Speaker 1: of alcohol sitting on display in a baseball history museum 247 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:31,079 Speaker 1: in California. So, like, I think the actually feels like 248 00:13:31,120 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: he went out and end. Yeah, he came out on top. 249 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: That's pretty fun. So what do you have this next? Alright? 250 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: How about um a quick one from the Farmer's Almanac. 251 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: I know you're a fan of the Farmer's Almanac. I 252 00:13:43,040 --> 00:13:46,400 Speaker 1: feel like that's where my favorite of almanacs. Oh, definitely, definitely. 253 00:13:46,679 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: So if you've got a knife with some small rust spots, 254 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:53,520 Speaker 1: you can actually use a potato to fix that. So 255 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,800 Speaker 1: how's that work? Do you like, use the potatoes sproper 256 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:57,719 Speaker 1: way the rust or what I mean? That would be 257 00:13:57,840 --> 00:14:00,160 Speaker 1: one way, but according to the Almanac and had a 258 00:14:00,200 --> 00:14:03,559 Speaker 1: few other online sources, it's actually even easier than that. 259 00:14:03,840 --> 00:14:06,600 Speaker 1: So you just insert the knife into the potato, let 260 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: it sit, and the oxalic acid and the potato will 261 00:14:09,400 --> 00:14:11,600 Speaker 1: work on the rust and soften it so that it 262 00:14:11,640 --> 00:14:14,839 Speaker 1: then rents his away. How great would it be if 263 00:14:14,840 --> 00:14:17,719 Speaker 1: that was like the best way to clean all your utensils, 264 00:14:17,720 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: Like you sad them into potatoes and leave them overnight 265 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,160 Speaker 1: to clean them. Be the best feeling. Just get to 266 00:14:22,200 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 1: keep stabbing potatoes. I'd have so many potatoes around. Um. 267 00:14:27,160 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: Speaking of a lot of potatoes, here's a trend I 268 00:14:30,200 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 1: kind of want to bring back from two thousand twelve 269 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: in Japan, and it's the McDonald's potato party. I mean, 270 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,880 Speaker 1: we've established you do love McDonald's french fries, I know, 271 00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,280 Speaker 1: with sweet and sour sauce's. It's like one of the 272 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:45,560 Speaker 1: many works and loves I have. But about a decade ago, 273 00:14:45,760 --> 00:14:48,400 Speaker 1: the McDonald's in Japan started running a sale kind of 274 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: like the dollar menu, where large fries were suddenly deeply discounted, 275 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,760 Speaker 1: And so some teens ordered twenty three large fries and 276 00:14:55,840 --> 00:14:58,040 Speaker 1: made a mountain of them on a bunch of trays 277 00:14:58,120 --> 00:15:02,760 Speaker 1: and posted to social media. People just went crazy, I guess. 278 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,920 Speaker 1: And and this is according to give moto. The McDonald's 279 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:09,400 Speaker 1: Japan use a more polite form of Japanese, so even 280 00:15:09,440 --> 00:15:11,600 Speaker 1: though it's not fancy, you're supposed to act with like 281 00:15:11,680 --> 00:15:15,000 Speaker 1: a little bit more decorum, I guess. And the photo 282 00:15:15,040 --> 00:15:19,720 Speaker 1: gets retweeted thousands of times, and people are angry that 283 00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:22,520 Speaker 1: kids are acting silly and being a bother to the McDonald's. 284 00:15:22,520 --> 00:15:24,520 Speaker 1: And some people are just stunned to see that many 285 00:15:24,520 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: fries in one place. But the biggest chorus around these 286 00:15:28,080 --> 00:15:30,840 Speaker 1: photos is this argument that if you order that many fries, 287 00:15:31,200 --> 00:15:34,240 Speaker 1: you have to eat them or is disrespectful. And I 288 00:15:34,240 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 1: would agree with that, but but did this become a trend? Yeah, 289 00:15:37,720 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: Like potato parties started popping up all over the place, 290 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,520 Speaker 1: and some kids saw the twenty three fry order as 291 00:15:43,520 --> 00:15:46,880 Speaker 1: a challenge, obviously, so in Okinawa, some kids ordered forty 292 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 1: large fries. At the McDonald's near Okayama Station, a small 293 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: group of kids ordered sixty large fries, and that photo 294 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: got retweeted tens of thousands of times apparently, And so like, 295 00:15:58,680 --> 00:16:01,920 Speaker 1: you know, the kids are supposed to finish these fries, 296 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:04,360 Speaker 1: and they actually do, like like I think it takes 297 00:16:04,360 --> 00:16:09,360 Speaker 1: them about three hours, but the employees get super upset. 298 00:16:09,840 --> 00:16:12,600 Speaker 1: Apparently the fries took up a whole large table on 299 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:15,760 Speaker 1: their own, and then all the people watching these kids 300 00:16:15,760 --> 00:16:18,880 Speaker 1: house these fries take up another large table, so you know, 301 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:21,120 Speaker 1: it felt like they were losing business. And and one 302 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: employee from the restaurant took to Twitter and just asked 303 00:16:24,360 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: for it to quote please stop, please stop. That said, 304 00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:33,440 Speaker 1: if you are handing trays and trays of fries over 305 00:16:33,480 --> 00:16:35,160 Speaker 1: to kid, you've got to expect there's gonna be a 306 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,560 Speaker 1: little chaos. When you said the three hours, though, the 307 00:16:38,600 --> 00:16:41,040 Speaker 1: only thing I could think of is like, while the 308 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:45,560 Speaker 1: fries are delicious, after about thirty minutes, if they're sitting there, 309 00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:49,400 Speaker 1: they go from really good to pretty gross pretty fast. 310 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,480 Speaker 1: I wonder they must have just kept ordering them rather 311 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: than ordering a bunch at one time, because I don't know, 312 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,240 Speaker 1: I'd have to see how that works. But how did 313 00:16:57,240 --> 00:17:00,120 Speaker 1: the trend finally die down? So McDonald's just up the 314 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,240 Speaker 1: price on the fries to their regular price and it 315 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: kind of stopped really soon after that, which is a 316 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: pretty simple fix. Yeah, alright, so here's a weird. When 317 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 1: I was watching this little documentary about potato chips and 318 00:17:14,920 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: ed her from hers potato chips, and he said that 319 00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:20,160 Speaker 1: if they still made potato chips the way they used 320 00:17:20,200 --> 00:17:22,880 Speaker 1: to this was about fifty years ago when the company started, 321 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:27,199 Speaker 1: they would have to charge twenty five dollars a bag bag. 322 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: Why why is that? I mean, that's just how much 323 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,080 Speaker 1: the industry has automated since then. It's actually kind of 324 00:17:32,080 --> 00:17:34,760 Speaker 1: amazing to to watch how it all works. So when 325 00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:37,560 Speaker 1: a truck full of potatoes goes to the Hers factory, 326 00:17:37,800 --> 00:17:40,439 Speaker 1: the trailers pulled onto a scale where the potatoes are 327 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:43,280 Speaker 1: then weighed, and then it lifts the potatoes and dumps 328 00:17:43,280 --> 00:17:47,199 Speaker 1: the potatoes onto a conveyor belt, and the whole process starts, 329 00:17:47,280 --> 00:17:49,880 Speaker 1: kind of without humans. The whole thing is starting there, 330 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: and instead of watching to see which potatoes are colored 331 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:56,080 Speaker 1: green and which ones are good, this computer sorts all 332 00:17:56,119 --> 00:17:58,880 Speaker 1: of this out and the imperfect potatoes and chips are 333 00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:02,720 Speaker 1: all weeded out along the way. Ed Her actually says 334 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: that when his mom was involved in the business and 335 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:08,280 Speaker 1: used to supervise the bagging of these chips, they would 336 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: bag five the ten pounds of chips every hour, and 337 00:18:11,600 --> 00:18:14,480 Speaker 1: now with fewer people, more computers on the line, they 338 00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:18,240 Speaker 1: bag five to six tons of potato chips every hour, 339 00:18:18,400 --> 00:18:22,679 Speaker 1: which is insane. That is amazing, you know. Speaking of 340 00:18:22,680 --> 00:18:25,879 Speaker 1: potato chip bags, here's a quick interesting one. So people 341 00:18:26,040 --> 00:18:30,280 Speaker 1: absolutely hate that potato chip bags are over. In fact, 342 00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,880 Speaker 1: Korean college students in two thousand fourteen protested this fact 343 00:18:33,960 --> 00:18:37,520 Speaker 1: by taking a hundred sixty potato chip bags, finding them 344 00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: together with plastic and tape, and using them to build 345 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:43,880 Speaker 1: a raft to float across the river. And apparently plus 346 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:47,520 Speaker 1: people watched that feet But um, the question remains, why 347 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:51,360 Speaker 1: do potato chips have so much air in them? Yeah? 348 00:18:51,359 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: And do you do you have an answer to this? Yeah, 349 00:18:54,640 --> 00:18:59,080 Speaker 1: it is intentional. It is called Slackville, and that's the 350 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:02,480 Speaker 1: industry term. Sasically, those bags are pumped full of a 351 00:19:02,520 --> 00:19:05,760 Speaker 1: little extra nitrogen to both keep the chips preserved, but 352 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,240 Speaker 1: also because if the bags are packed with air, they 353 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:10,679 Speaker 1: won't get mishandled and you won't end up with a 354 00:19:10,720 --> 00:19:13,639 Speaker 1: bag full of crumbs. It's basically a way to protect 355 00:19:13,680 --> 00:19:17,000 Speaker 1: you from getting a half bag of like fully round chips. 356 00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:20,280 Speaker 1: Oh that's interesting. I guess we always assume that it's 357 00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:23,199 Speaker 1: just too to you know, be cheap or cheat us 358 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:25,119 Speaker 1: out of a certain number of chips or something. But 359 00:19:25,160 --> 00:19:27,440 Speaker 1: that's pretty interesting. All Right, We've got a couple more 360 00:19:27,480 --> 00:19:29,879 Speaker 1: facts to go, but let's pause for just a quick break. 361 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:45,760 Speaker 1: Welcome back to Part Time Genius, where we're talking about 362 00:19:45,760 --> 00:19:50,080 Speaker 1: a really important summer topic, potatoes, of course. So Mango, 363 00:19:50,240 --> 00:19:52,960 Speaker 1: we've each got one fact ago, what do you want 364 00:19:52,960 --> 00:19:55,320 Speaker 1: to close with? Well, I know you're probably a little 365 00:19:55,359 --> 00:19:58,000 Speaker 1: late to celebrate this, but I want to point out 366 00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:00,960 Speaker 1: to you that in two thousand eight, the UN declared 367 00:20:00,960 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 1: it the International Year of the Potato. Okay, well, we're 368 00:20:04,320 --> 00:20:07,640 Speaker 1: just what fourteen years behind celebrating this historic event that's 369 00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,760 Speaker 1: never never too light, It's okay, Well, it's kind of 370 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 1: interesting why the UN decided to do this. Uh As, 371 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:15,960 Speaker 1: as they put it, they wanted to shed new light 372 00:20:16,040 --> 00:20:19,080 Speaker 1: on a hidden treasure. And part of the reason is 373 00:20:19,119 --> 00:20:23,600 Speaker 1: that growing potatoes is surprisingly efficient in combating hunger. Because 374 00:20:23,640 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: potatoes aren't really traded across borders, because they're so easy 375 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: to grow across climates from low to high altitudes, and 376 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:34,479 Speaker 1: because they're not really globally traded like most cereal crops, 377 00:20:34,560 --> 00:20:37,000 Speaker 1: they offer a lot of food security and farmers don't 378 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,080 Speaker 1: have to worry about the prices fluctuating because of global markets. 379 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:43,680 Speaker 1: Apparently that year, places like Peru encouraged locals to use 380 00:20:43,720 --> 00:20:47,160 Speaker 1: potato flour to reduce the reliance on wheat imports, and 381 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,440 Speaker 1: both the Chinese and Indian governments leaned into potato production 382 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:52,960 Speaker 1: to feed their growing populations. And I kind of like that, 383 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: after all that time, the UN finally gave the potato 384 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,400 Speaker 1: it's due in this giant report. I agree. I kind 385 00:20:59,400 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: of like that to So how are you going to 386 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:04,239 Speaker 1: close this up? All? Right? Well, I was torn. There 387 00:21:04,280 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 1: were a couple of facts I was looking at, but 388 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:07,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna save one of them for this. I think 389 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 1: we need to do a follow up with nine more 390 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 1: great facts about potatoes, because there's they're just so many. 391 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,520 Speaker 1: But how about a fact about couch potatoes? So unlike 392 00:21:17,560 --> 00:21:21,080 Speaker 1: most etymology, which can be pretty frustrating because the origins 393 00:21:21,119 --> 00:21:23,480 Speaker 1: are always, you know, pretty murky, we've dealt with that 394 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,359 Speaker 1: on on several topics before. There is an exact start 395 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:31,119 Speaker 1: date for the word couch potato. It first appeared in 396 00:21:31,160 --> 00:21:33,840 Speaker 1: print back in nineteen seventy nine that you're both you 397 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 1: and I were born. This was in the l A Times, 398 00:21:37,040 --> 00:21:40,600 Speaker 1: while referencing afloat on a parade route. According to the 399 00:21:40,680 --> 00:21:44,080 Speaker 1: article quote the couch potatoes will be lying on couches 400 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:47,760 Speaker 1: watching television as they are towed towards the parade route. 401 00:21:48,200 --> 00:21:51,320 Speaker 1: According to the excellent site Today, I learned a man 402 00:21:51,400 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 1: named Tom Lacino was the first to coin the phrase. 403 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 1: He had this good buddy named Bob Armstrong, and they 404 00:21:57,560 --> 00:21:59,959 Speaker 1: had already started this little group called the boob Too 405 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:03,320 Speaker 1: Uber's and it was kind of this ridiculous protest against 406 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:06,320 Speaker 1: the California health craze at the time, and the boob 407 00:22:06,359 --> 00:22:08,960 Speaker 1: tubers were basically committed to sitting in front of the 408 00:22:09,000 --> 00:22:12,359 Speaker 1: TV and snacking instead of jazz er sizing or whatever 409 00:22:12,400 --> 00:22:16,399 Speaker 1: the fad was at the time. So after recruiting their friends, 410 00:22:16,440 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: they launched this float in the Duda Parade. None of 411 00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:23,399 Speaker 1: this sounds real, uh, this joke parade to parody the 412 00:22:23,480 --> 00:22:27,960 Speaker 1: Tournament of Roses Parade. But one day in Latino called 413 00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:32,080 Speaker 1: up Armstrong and when his girlfriend answered the phone, he asked, Hey, 414 00:22:32,200 --> 00:22:35,120 Speaker 1: is the couch potato there, And apparently she looked over 415 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:38,760 Speaker 1: saw her boyfriend just planted on the couch and started laughing. 416 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,359 Speaker 1: And after that they rebranded as the couch Potatoes and 417 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: tried to trademark the word but it actually became too 418 00:22:45,240 --> 00:22:48,560 Speaker 1: popular in pop culture for them to protect the mark. 419 00:22:48,680 --> 00:22:51,959 Speaker 1: I had actually never heard the story before, you know, 420 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:54,960 Speaker 1: doing the prep for this episode. So that is so 421 00:22:55,000 --> 00:22:57,479 Speaker 1: funny that there's actually a person who invented that phrase. 422 00:22:57,760 --> 00:23:00,520 Speaker 1: Tom Latino, I think you deserved this week's trophy for 423 00:23:00,560 --> 00:23:03,240 Speaker 1: best Fact, but since I don't actually know you, I 424 00:23:03,320 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: think will you should accept this award in his honor. 425 00:23:07,119 --> 00:23:09,760 Speaker 1: All right, I guess I'll do that. Thanks so much, Tom, 426 00:23:09,800 --> 00:23:12,600 Speaker 1: I appreciate it, buddy. That's it for this week's Part 427 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,200 Speaker 1: Time Genius. Will be back with more very important facts soon. 428 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:32,119 Speaker 1: Thanks so much for listening. Part Time Genius is a 429 00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: production of I Heart Radio. For more podcasts for my 430 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,480 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple podcast, 431 00:23:37,640 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite show.