Deen's Diabetes

(Photo by Jeff Christensen)

I'm a little late in rushing to Paula Deen's defense. When I heard two weeks ago on the radio that Deen was about to announce she has Type 2 Diabetes, I knew the food police and food snobs would swiftly denounce the Food Network celebrity chef as a hypocrite and a bad influence.

The harsh media reaction to Deen's diabetes announcement is about as surprising as someone with her eating habits getting diabetes. (She had already been called "the most dangerous person to America" by chef/media personality/anti-Food Network provocateur Anthony Bourdain, who as an admitted former drug addict knows a thing or two about dangerous lifestyles.)

So far, Deen has refused to change the high-butter, high-sugar cooking style she's become famous for. Some say she's a hypocrite for cooking foods that she can't eat herself, apparently not knowing that Type 2 diabetics can eat most foods but have watch their portions.

I agree with this editorial from the Kansas City Star: "She went public as part of a campaign in partnership with Novo Nordisk, a company that makes diabetes meds. Is that tacky? Yes. Is her brand built on recipes that are high in fat, loaded with butter and overly sweet? Yes.

"Still, Paula Deen is not the boss of your plate. She doesn’t cook your meals. She isn’t in your house, force-feeding you. Your genetics and your workout plan are yours to manage."

I'd add that there is plenty of culinary and cultural snobbery at work here. As a folksy purveyor of Southern cookin', Deen has been in the crosshairs of the blue-state PC crowd for a long time. They should remember that being a diabetic, even a diabetic chef who cooks high-calorie dishes, isn't a crime--at least not yet.