Thursday, December 15, 2011

Butter Shortage?

Everything's better with Butter on it?

Yeah, butter shortage.  Whoodda thunk?

Such is the word of what is happening over in the Old Country.  Seems there is a very adequate supply of product here in the States, and now butter is indeed hitting the bigtime, like at the Iowa State Fair, where a stick of deep-fried butter apparently fills all your cholesterol needs for the next 3 months.

On the Steven Colbert Report, the host went so far as to talk with awe about this everyday condiment - if that's what it is - as delicious even when eaten "on the cob," which he proceeded to do, only to pause long enough to spread more butter on it, because "EVERYTHING tastes better with butter on it!"

Officially, here is what the AP is reporting:  High demand for butter used in Norwegian Christmas dishes has caused a big shortage, leading to butter smuggling.  (Those DASTARDLY Norwegians!)
In fact, officers at a border checkpoint with Sweden recently arrested a man with 200 pounds stashed in his car.  (Aha!  It's the SWEDES who are dastardly, NOT the Norwegians!)
Butter consumption has steadily increased in Norway.  Growth in demand peaked at more than 30% in November, compared with the previous year.
But this year's wet summer caused poor quality milk yields, affecting domestic butter production in  a country with steep import tariffs.


And here we are wasting butter at the State Fair by selling it by the stick, probably over-using it in Decorah in their fall festivals, where you can buy anything Norwegian, or in Emmons, at their annual lutefisk supper.  If they knew about this, real Norwegians would be ready to share with the rest of the world, yeah, sure, you betcha, so I can hear Sven right now:  "Get da bot ready, Ole, I'll bring da paddles and we'll head on over dere to deliver some of our own, den."

On the other hand, they probably have more snow in the Old Country than they need and the forecast here in the midwest is for another brown Christmas, just like Caleefourneeya.  Perhaps Sven will negotiate a swap.  If not, Stan, Merrilee, and Arlyn will be enjoying weather as if they were actually at home.  But a little greener.  And warmer.

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