New in PJ Media:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. could well be the first secretary of health and human services since the department was rebranded in 1981, and maybe even the first since the Department of Health, Education and Welfare was established in 1953, to be determined to take positive and concrete steps actually to improve the health of Americans rather than to line the pockets of Big Pharma or promote the nationalization and bureaucratization of the health care system. With precisely the goal of improving Americans’ health in mind, RFK Jr. traveled to Florida over the weekend and stopped by the popular burger joint Steak ‘n Shake.
Fox News reported Monday that RFK made the trip to Steak ‘n Shake to honor its announcement that “it would be cooking its iconic shoestring fries in beef tallow.” RFK said, “Steak ‘n Shake has been great. We’re very grateful [to] them for RFK’ing the french fries. They turned me into a verb.”
RFK was referring to a March 2 post on X, in which Steak ‘n Shake declared with Trumpian exuberance: “RFK’d Fries! Too much Flavor! Too much Winning!” Quite aside from the health benefits of cooking fries with beef tallow instead of vegetable oil, this in itself was a significant cultural moment. There are still numerous corporations out there that will happily feature all manner of leftist cultural figures in their advertising, and do so without a second thought. They would recoil in horror, however, at the prospect of featuring Trump or anyone who supported him.
It has been this way for as long as fast food joints have eschewed beef tallow, and possibly longer. American popular culture has treated leftism as the default mode, and patriotism as some sort of weird anomaly that only deserved marginal tolerance at best. Whenever a patriot broke out of this cultural straitjacket and made an appearance in a nonpolitical forum, leftists made such a hue and cry that usually the sponsor of the forum in question immediately backtracked, apologized, and, of course, dropped the patriot.
Remember, to take just one of a myriad possible examples, back in 2003, when Rush Limbaugh briefly became a professional football commentator for ESPN? The outcry was so shrill and so insistent that ESPN tacked hard in the opposite direction, not only dropping Rush but becoming a woke propaganda organ that occasionally pretended to be a sports network.
It’s a significant indication of how much the times have changed that now Steak ‘n Shake is clearly thrilled that RFK stopped by, thanking not only him but also Sean Hannity, whom he was with, for dropping by. Leftists are expressing the usual self-righteous rage in the comments, but Steak ‘n Shake is clearly not worried about a backlash. The left has lost its cultural power, which not too very long ago seemed absolutely invincible.
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࿗Infidel࿘ says
As a Hindu, I’m gonna have to give up on fries cooked in public, since beef tallow is a non-starter. I also don’t buy that all seed oils are equally toxic, as the Means siblings seem to claim while crusading against seed oils
I do hope that restaurants and eateries explicitly spell out which of these oils they use for cooking, so that people can make informed decisions
carpediadem says
Seed oils are inflammatory but if you’re generally healthy. the occasional little dish of fries cooked in sunflower oil should be all right.
Try to avoid canola/rapeseed oil though.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Thanks
Yeah, I normally use sunflower oil. Although in Costco, the only options I see, aside from olive oil, is soya and canola
At home, for fries, I spray the non-stick spray on the fries, and then bake them for half an hour. Unfortunately, it’s usually canola. But I do avoid deep frying them that way
somehistory says
The absolute best fries are cooked in bacon grease.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I love bacon grease. The best part of it is that one doesn’t have to add salt while cooking in it. I’ve found it particularly handy for omelettes
somehistory says
Bacon grease is basically free since you already have the meat. And it really does make other foods taste good. Flavor stewed tomatoes with it. all kinds of dishes.
Keys says
Infidel – have you tried avocado oil?
I believe RFK suggested that one even in this interview. I mostly use that and prefer it, but watch its shelf life. Also, it has a higher smoke point than some other oils.
But …
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-890/avocado
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Keys
I have the avocado oil spray from Costco, but other than using that w/ some dishes I baked, I haven’t really tried it
somehistory says
Olive oil is good too. And you are right to avoid canola….which companies put in just about everything because it’s cheap. I read long ago an article written by a cardiologist that canola is very bad for the heart.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
It is relatively expensive, which is why I believe people use seed oils for mass cooking
somehistory says
I imagine you are right about the cost factor. It’s a matter of weighing things when the cooking is done at home….spend a little more on healthy eating, and less later on medicines to cure the ills.
Canola oil is cheap off the shelf, but costs a lot in the health department.
James Lincoln says
The most healthful olive oil is cold pressed extra-virgin, somehistory.
somehistory says
I had heard that, James, thanks for the reminder.
Tuna in olive oil is so much better than that in water.
James Lincoln says
Genova yellowfin tuna packed in olive oil is the best, somehistory.
somehistory says
I agree, James,
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Keys
I have the avocado oil spray from Costco, but other than using that w/ some dishes I baked, I haven’t really tried it
John Allan says
‘RFK said, “Steak ‘n Shake has been great. We’re very grateful [to] them for RFK’ing the french fries. They turned me into a verb.”‘
I appreciate that EATING involves DOING!
But HOW did S ‘n S manage to turn him into a VERB!?
BeccaR says
Even if beef tallow was used instead of toxic seed oils, fried potatoes are in no way a healthful addition to anyone’s diet. In addition one would have to question whether the tallow was from an organically grass raised cow. If not the tallow is a repository for all the toxins and antibiotics, growth hormones, and glyphosate used in the pastures. I am not impressed with this. Having said that, I support RFK Jr’s stance on Big Pharma, unnecessary vaccines, and gain of function experimentation.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Yeah, that’s the problem w/ people like RFK coming out w/ food suggestions: there are pros & cons w/ all the alternatives, that different people have to weigh out. Like you, I support him on Big Pharma, vaccines whose efficacy is still questionable and definitely gain of function projects. On the foods, just eliminate the conflict of interest based corruption in the Department of Agriculture, and let them just present all the science based facts to everyone, and let us decide what sort of foods, prepared whichever way, should we be consuming
somehistory says
Steak and Shake serve some of the best tasting food.
And Mr. Kennedy has some really good ideas.
somehistory says
If you go to their website, they plainly state in big letters that they use beef tallow. Now, I could wish they would fry some of their food in pork fat….plainly state it and watch the you-know-who complain.
If they used bacon grease, it would keep a certain group from eating there.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Or more importantly, working there. You don’t want them spitting on your food, do ya?