Nice country - shame about the processed food

Sen. Barack Obama sampled $100 ham, but didn't chow down on a cheesesteak during a visit to the Italian Market yesterday. During a half-hour tour of the market, Obama sampled wares at Claudio Specialty Food and DiBruno Brothers - where he noshed on a Spanish ham that retails for $99.99 a pound.

Staff at DiBruno's told him the ham only recently became available because it was previously barred by the FDA. "All I know is it tastes good," Obama said. As good as whiz with onions? 

In fact, neither Obama nor Sen. Hillary Clinton, his rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, has made the traditional stop at South Philly cheesesteak establishments Pat's or Geno's.

Obama - I'll try that cheesesteak next time

I like cheese - good mild cheese, such as Edam. Processed cheese is another thing entirely. I can't understand how a country like America, with so much good agricultural land, could be content with a product involving "regular cheese that has been reprocessed along with additional ingredients such as emulsifiers and stabilizing agents, such as xanthan gum or carrageenan. These products derive their tanginess and flavor from additional ingredients such as citric acid and flavoring compounds." Gag me without a spoon.

So why can't Michelle Malkin work this out for herself? 

I’m flying out of Harrisburg, PA this morning, but I just had to pop in as a Philly-born girl to say my peace (sic) about Barack Obama dissing the cheesesteak.

Yes. Dissing the cheesesteak. Yo. What is he thinking?

"Yuck." If Barack Obama decided to choose "mozzarella, provolone, salami, and prosciutto" over this example of the Philly cheesesteak, then the man has taste.

I showed it to my wife. She grimaced.

"What's that?"

"It's cheese steak."

"It looks like số hai." (A literal translation of "Số hai" is "number two", and is our own family euphemism for "shit".) "That [pointing at the yellow] is people's số hai, and that [indicating the brown] is Timpani's số hai." (Timpani is our family dog - sadly missed - but adopted by our in-laws.) "Where do you get that?"

"America".

She shuddered. "If I go to America, I won't eat that!"

And neither would I.