Johnson: In Praise Of Spud Bowl

Let’s get this out of the way right off the top: there is no better potato in the world than the Idaho potato . World class. Dependable quality. The tuber gold standard. And the “brand” is valuable. Years ago some enterprising fellow in New Mexico got the bright idea of importing potato sacks with the “Grown in Idaho” mark and filling them with spuds grown, of all places, in New Mexico. A stop was put to that pronto. You can’t have an Idaho potato grown in New Mexico. It’s like Champagne. You may call it champagne, but if it ain’t made from grapes grown in the Champagne region of France and bottled there, it isn’t “real” Champagne, it is merely sparkling wine. Same with an Idaho spud. So, given the historic Idaho association with the Famous Potato, it’s a natural, I guess, that the once named Humanitarian Bowl football game is now the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl / Marc Johnson , The Johnson Report. More here.

Question: If it wasn’t for the almighty potato, what would Idaho be known for?