Restaurant Rant: Why I Continue to (Really) Hate Paula Deen

Posted on January 16th, 2012 10:30am by Nancy Nichols
Filed under Bring it!, Cooking, Cult Cuisine, Food On TV, Not-so-skinny bitches, Overprivileged chimps, Politics of Food, questionable behavior, questionable judgment, Really?, State Fair of Texas, That is Just Wrong, that's just wrong., Wasted Calorie

Chicken pot pie at Lady & Sons in 2008. One serving could feed a family of four.

In August 2008, I traveled to Savannah, Georgia where I dined at Paula Deen’s restaurant Lady & Sons. We ran a post titled “Paula Deen Wants to Kill You.” I wrote:

I can still smell the rancid butter that hit us in the face when we walked in the door. I’ve got to find the pictures I took of the food I ate–everything was dripping in butter. I remember the chicken pot pie was big enough for four and almost everything was fried. OK, she admits she’s “not your cardiologist,” but she really is contributing to the delinquency of dieters. The night we went, at least 75 per cent of the diners were beyond overweight–they were obese. It was sad–like people watching at the slots in Vegas–everyone was gambling with their lives.

Last week Paula Deen confirmed the rumor: she has Type 2 diabetes. I wonder how many of her dedicated fans also suffer from Type 2? This really chaps my sass because two members of my family didn’t have a choice: they both were diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when they were young. They have to continually monitor their diet and control their blood sugar. However, Ms. Deen, and other people who put on blinders and continue to fill their body with fat and sugar, had an option. Like not eating a burger made with Krispy Kreme donuts. It’s now rumored that Deen may become the spokesperson for Novartis, a company with a drug designed to treat diabetes. If she personally profits from developing Type 2 diabetes (Hey yáll, I’m your endocrinologist!), I’m going to go berserk. I can already see the talk show circuit lighting up. It makes me sick.

81 comments

  1. What’s with all the random bolding? Stop it.

    @ 10:42 am on January 16, 2012

  2. Nancy, you’re truly right about Paula Deen. Now her son is supposedly doing her butter & fat recipes low-cal.
    They call it comfort food. I found out I was Wheat/Gluten intolerant over 5 yrs. ago. Took awhile to adjust but DO NOT miss all the flour, wheat, & sugar & butter filled foods.

    Stay on ‘em Nancy!!!

    @ 10:46 am on January 16, 2012

  3. I love Paula Deen. I’m from the South and grew up eating food that she cooks & I love it. Do I eat it every day? Of course not. Two or three times a month I’ll make something inspired by Paula & my Southern roots and the rest of the time I eat relatively healthy. Even (most) Hard-Core Southerners don’t eat like that all the time. If they do, they’re crazy, but there are lots of reasons for obesity and diabetes besides Paula Deen. What you eat and where you eat is your choice. No one is is responsible for it but you. Quit being a food Nazi.

    @ 11:03 am on January 16, 2012

  4. There’s two issues here. First that Paula’s cooking style may have contributed to her development of diabetes. I know skinny people who are Type 2 and fat people who are not diabetic at all. However it’s very clear, overall, that weight does play a role in the body’s production of insulin. Food is not the only player in how we put on weight, I know plenty of people whose liver has enlarged to the size of a good gut from love of spirits. Some of them are diabetic as well.

    The second issue is, what is Paula Deen prepared to do about it? As with her “butter and sugar makes everything better” simplistic model of good food, will she shill a drug and ignore the more comprehensive cure that would be better for EVERYONE who has diabetes? Healthy eating and exercise? Or will she continue to pander to those who watch her [garbage of a cooking] show to get their justification for how they eat themselves?

    @ 11:22 am on January 16, 2012

  5. “spokesperson for Novartis, a drug designed to treat diabetes.” I just wanted to point out that Novartis is a company and not a drug to treat diabetes.

    @ 11:22 am on January 16, 2012

  6. I agree with Jeremy regarding the random words in BOLD print. Waaaay to much!

    Regarding Paula Dean: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap”.

    @ 11:23 am on January 16, 2012

  7. I can’t help but think if Lady & Sons opened in Dallas under the chefitude of a John Tesar or a Blythe Beck or Tre Wilcox that everyone would think it was the greatest thing since sliced bread and would praise its authentic down-home “point of view”. If you’re going to go after unhealthy restaurants and food, start here in Dallas. Then again, it’s easier to pick on people from four states away. FWIW, I love Paula’s food. I’m not fat, and I run half marathons. Restaurants and overweight chefs aren’t making people obese. People are making themselves obese.

    @ 11:24 am on January 16, 2012

  8. After recently visiting Paula’s All-You-Can-Eat buffet in Harrah’s Casino out in Tunica, Mississippi, my eyes were opened. The idea of being “bad” and indulging in her buttery dishes, I admit, was appealing. However, once I personally witnessed the slopping of grease-filled gravy onto plates of oozing mac n’ cheese and watched hundreds of obese patrons wedge themselves into the booths and chairs, the fantasy of being “bad” turned into the realization that I could feel my blood sugar rising just by smelling the sugar laden, fat soaked entrees. Paula could potentially make money off of an increasingly frightening epidemic in this country. She made her money off of sharing recipes that, if consumed regularly, potentially contribute to Type 2 Diabetes, a preventable disease. Now that she has Type 2 Diabetes, she’s going to possibly partner with makers of a medication to combat the disease??? Somehow that “just ain’t right, ya’ll”. Love Paula’s personality, but I’m with Nancy on this one.

    @ 11:40 am on January 16, 2012

  9. Sue (and others): while you may have the self-control of a beatified saint and the balance of an Olympic gymnast to know what is healthy vs. non-healthy, the harsh reality is that most folks don’t. The central question is this: why is there an epidemic of serious health disorders in this country? Diet is at the top of the list. What is the cause? Leaving aside exercise, it’s portions and content. And who is driving the portion escalation and high fat/sugar content for diets? Institutions such as restaurants and cooking personalities. Sure it’s a personal choice but the dollar menu drives the cost equation and the Pepsodent smile and “permission” from cooking personalities drive the indulgence equation. I’m 200% with Nancy. News such as this is part of a massive (pardon the pun) problem that we have created. And the solution is in the bottle? That’s the worst sort of medical negligence and economic opportunism. Keep on forking in those recipes…we’ll create a prescription for you on the side. Ugh.

    @ 12:04 pm on January 16, 2012

  10. We’re all praying for Paula – and for her fans – These guys have been working a long, long time to try to educate us about why our nation is SO SICK and getting worse all the time! They are truly a blessing:

    http://www.forksoverknives.com

    @ 12:15 pm on January 16, 2012

  11. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btq3u7oi7K8

    @ 12:18 pm on January 16, 2012

  12. You guys are all right about the bolds. I just get overexcited. I’ve changed it and will do better in the future. And goodie for all of you who can eat sticks of butter and run marathons. You obviously enjoy a full life which includes both sides of the spectrum. However, Deen has been the poster chef for outrageously fattening foods such as her famous burger on donuts for a long time. And yes I could throw the same dart at Blythe Beck for her naughty food. Good point. But Tre Wilcox? The dude works out more than he eats. If she makes money on being a diabetic she should be ashamed. But then again, that’s the way the world turns these days.

    @ 12:19 pm on January 16, 2012

  13. Funny, I don’t see you saying the same for the cheesecake factory, its not a waitors responsibility to ask if you have food allergies, or blood sugar issues, its your issue to monitor! She’s not forcing anything on anyone, we are free to order off the menu and choose, you don’t want her food, then head to the salad bar.her empire was born selling chicken salad from a red wagon, and it was not fried, so stop bashing a woman who only cooks what she knows. She never claimed to be a nutrinishonist!

    @ 12:21 pm on January 16, 2012

  14. So. What should happen? Should restaurants only be allowed to serve “healthy” food? Should grocery stores stop selling butter, sugar, white flour? Should cooking oil be required to carry a “health warning” like cigarettes? People choose the way they eat. Pretty much everyone over the age of 5 knows that too much sugar isn’t good for you.

    Who better to represent a diabetes drug than someone like Paula? Are obese people with diabetes going to be more likely to listen to a slim, fit actor in a commercial or Paula? I imagine that her attitude about eating and cooking is undergoing a change and this can only be good for everyone. I don’t think a drug company would want a spokesman who was promoting an unhealthy lifestyle, so I’m anticipating changes in Paula’s cooking.

    A chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes & gravy and fried okra sounds really good right now. And some peach cobbler with vanilla ice cream for dessert. That will be my treat for the month.

    @ 12:25 pm on January 16, 2012

  15. You chose to eat there knowing darn well what she serves. You also choose to read news about her and let it bother you. Start your day off with bacon tomorrow and I promise you will be in a happier mood.

    @ 12:29 pm on January 16, 2012

  16. The chicken pot pies have come home to roost.

    @ 12:41 pm on January 16, 2012

  17. Doesn’t sound like Paula will be around for much longer anyway. :) (she’s also a heavy smoker) Atta girl, pound that medication while throwing down a donut burger, then light one up.

    @ 12:49 pm on January 16, 2012

  18. I agree with the others about the majority of restaurants here that are just as bad for you. At least she’s honest about it.

    I’m sure Paula did not purposely stuff her face in hopes of developing type 2 diabetes. She probably has food issues like 98% of the population. She just happens to be smart enough and famous enough to profit from it. Besides, I’m guessing that if Paula is going to be a spokesperson for a diabetes drug, she will be required (at least in public) to make healthy adjustments to her lifestyle.

    There are tons of free programs (private and government) to educate people about health and nutrition. There’s no excuse for people to remain ignorant about their health.

    @ 12:54 pm on January 16, 2012

  19. This is a sidenote rant, but here’s as appropriate a place as any: I’ve been advocating for years that there be a campaign to change the name of Type 1 diabetes. I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 3. My dad, who was 33 at the time, was also diagnosed with Type 1. My little brother was diagnosed with it just a few years later. Both my grandmothers were blessed with it as well. As a child, when I told someone I was a diabetic, or they’d see me take a shot or take my blood, they knew it was Type 1. But now as an adult, when someone sees that happening, they automatically assume I’m Type 2. And, inevitably, they say something like, “Oh, you’ve taken good care of yourself” or some crap like that (which, by the way, how are you supposed to respond to that?). I’m sick of it. I did not get the disease because I’m like Paula Deen and I eat crap all the time (I only eat it part of the time, and then when I do, I go run 6 miles). I got it because an organ stopped working. So I don’t want this person being the face of a disease that I have to be associated with. I’m sorry, but she brought it on herself. Some of us had no choice.

    @ 1:16 pm on January 16, 2012

  20. Paula needs to be slapped around by Mark Bittman who had a serious wake up call and made a lifestyle change for the better instead of selling out to a drug company.

    @ 1:45 pm on January 16, 2012

  21. We really need to focus some attention on this so-called “most interesting man in the world” fella because I’m sure he’s creating some very non-interesting alcoholics…

    @ 1:46 pm on January 16, 2012

  22. Notice any time Nancy gets a bit of heat ole Bobby Ewing steps out of the shower in her defense. Otherwise not a peep.

    @ 1:52 pm on January 16, 2012

  23. Give Nancy Ewing a break! It’s a free country.

    @ 1:59 pm on January 16, 2012

  24. Sorry but we are responsible for our own fat, diabetes etc. Yes I am a type II diabetic. I do mostly eat salads during the week. Yes I go to Babes once every three of four months. Yes I eat burgers once a week or so. Now I do take home half the burger and half the chicken etc.

    Funny enough most of the Paula Dean fans I know are rail thin and probably could eat her food everyday without issue.

    @ 2:44 pm on January 16, 2012

  25. There you have it, Paula Deen, the rail-thin diet.

    @ 3:05 pm on January 16, 2012

  26. I haven’t had a carb since 1998.

    @ 3:20 pm on January 16, 2012

  27. Nancy and I are not related, although I think we could be brothers in arms over this issue. I work in marketing, where I see first-hand the creative efforts behind the curtain to push for maximizing sales quantity. It butters my bread (so to speak) and It’s the American mass market way…push for maximum volume and lowest price with no consideration for quantity or consequences. And it’s not just food…it’s cultural products too such as music or television or consumer products such as apparel.

    @ 3:55 pm on January 16, 2012

  28. “…no consideration for quaLity or consequences,” I meant to type.

    @ 3:58 pm on January 16, 2012

  29. If you analyzed the caloric content of the entrees in the top restaurants in Dallas, I’m sure most contain an entire days worth of calories for a person. She’s easy to single out, but most chefs usually aren’t striving to keep the calories and fat to a minimum when they prepare their dishes.

    @ 4:04 pm on January 16, 2012

  30. The Scagnetti Levity Factor=10.

    @ 4:09 pm on January 16, 2012

  31. @Stacy – Good call!

    @ 4:16 pm on January 16, 2012

  32. Slow down killer!! Hopefully she can do some good with her revelation. As far as blaming her cuisine for obesity and diabetes, last time I checked, those diners have the option to choose better.

    @ 4:28 pm on January 16, 2012

  33. My mother’s people are from Savannah. Southerners are prone to obesity. But I see just as many fat people in Dallas as I do there. I think this is a wonderful opportunity for someone of her status to promote optimum health. Only good can come from this. I’d rather see Paula Deen and her sense of humor than that hyena, Giada, who is sickly thin and and is well known in the industry as someone who does not promote good health as a result of her multiple bed partners.

    @ 4:35 pm on January 16, 2012

  34. Per most of the commenters on F.burner today, all we need to overcome these health problems are bike lanes. Yeah, right. It’s mostly what, and how much you put in your mouth.

    @ 4:51 pm on January 16, 2012

  35. Like many no talent cooks Ms. Dean hides her lack of talent behind fat and sugar.

    I watched her on her Foodnetwork show once , and she gave a recipe for grits that replaced the water with heavy cream, REPLACED WATER WITH HEAVY CREAM. After they were cooked she then scooped about a half pound of butter in to the grits claiming this was “traditional Southern food”. Mrs. Grumpy, a Caroline Girl, called Ms. Dean on her bullshit.

    Lord, she puts HEAVY CREAM in grits.

    You can replace any of her recipes with a can of lard and bag of sugar and get the same effect.

    She made her bed.

    @ 5:26 pm on January 16, 2012

  36. @Cassie. I don’t think Giada is “sickly thin” at all. As a matter of fact, I think she’s what Jewish people would call, “zaftig”. That’s Yiddish for having hips and big boobs. But I would agree with your description of her as a hyena. “Multiple bed partners”? Giada? Tch, tch, tch.

    @ 5:35 pm on January 16, 2012

  37. Nanna Nancy myob leave Paula alone.

    @ 5:36 pm on January 16, 2012

  38. Paula Deen is more of a shill for anything that will pay her, than a real cook.

    @ 5:40 pm on January 16, 2012

  39. She’s going to endorse a diabetes medication now? Is there anything this woman won’t do for money?! Mattress deals, cruises, second-rate cookware… now she’s capitalizing on her disease with an endorsement for ‘beetus meds?! This woman is an embarrassment to the culinary world, and is a bigger sellout than Rachel Ray and Emeril Lagasse COMBINED. What a disgrace to the world of gastronomy!

    By the way, Nancy, you don’t have to go all the way to Georgia to hate someone like Paula Deen. We have our own Bishop of Butter right here in Dallas. You know, a certain NAUGHTY CHEF…

    @ 5:44 pm on January 16, 2012

  40. BTW:

    1) Thank you Grumpy Demo for referring to someone like Paula Deen as a COOK, rather than a CHEF.

    2) Stacy L: John Tesar has TALENT and doesn’t use S**T an an ingredient when he cooks. Please learn the difference between real chefs and pretend ones next time you comment.

    @ 5:48 pm on January 16, 2012

  41. Bourdain is not God. He may be a disciple but, he’s definitely not God!

    @ 5:58 pm on January 16, 2012

  42. Yeah, you’re right. Eric Ripert is God.

    @ 6:01 pm on January 16, 2012

  43. Haters hate. Go Hate someone else,leave her alone!!!

    @ 6:44 pm on January 16, 2012

  44. [...] monitor their diet and control their blood sugar. However, Ms. Deen, and other … Read more on D Magazine Posted in Diabetes Diets | Tags: &#39help, Diabetic, Diets, flavonoids, high, Type, [...]

    @ 7:09 pm on January 16, 2012

  45. Nobody holds you down and stuffs food in your mouth. If you don’t like a food, eat something else.. Being against a food show person is like those people who sue McDonald’s because they got fat. Do you also hate bakeries, candy stores, that place that only sells cupcakes?

    @ 7:25 pm on January 16, 2012

  46. @ Bobby Ewing “I work in marketing” sorry, I guess that’s why I was confused…

    @ 7:50 pm on January 16, 2012

  47. [...] Confirm Diabetes Rumors TuesdayThirdAgeDoes Paula Deen have Type 2 diabetes?The News Journal (blog)D Magazine -Bangstyle -CBS Newsall 122 news [...]

    @ 9:01 pm on January 16, 2012

  48. Last I heard diabetes was a sugar problem, not a fat problem.

    @ 1:44 am on January 17, 2012

  49. @sue: Paula uses a lot of sugar in her sweer recipes (sometimes even in the savory ones). Also, her recipes are high in carbohydrates, which contribute to diabetes.

    @ 10:31 am on January 17, 2012

  50. *Contribute to diabetes type 2.

    @ 10:35 am on January 17, 2012

  51. [...] her sons have profited from. And now the about face they will continue to profit from. I agree with Nancy Nichols at D Magazine. It makes me sick! Especially considering all the people who don’t have a choice about [...]

    @ 11:29 am on January 17, 2012

  52. Jack, Exactly! I don’t understand why so many people want to blame Paula for the diabetes and obesity epidemics in this country. Hers is only one point of view and one way of cooking. Has it caused her diabetes? Probably. But I was raised on the food she cooks and figured out that it wasn’t healthy loooong before I ever heard of Paula Deen. I hear about the healthy way to eat on tv and in magazines far more often than I see Paula and her style. One person on here said that not everyone knows how to eat healthy. Was the implication that there are people who rely on Paula to tell them how to eat because she’s popular and on tv? If they are watching Paula they have access to lots of other shows that promote a healthier lifestyle. Eating healthy is all over tv, in magazines and in cookbooks. It’s not a secret. And as someone mentioned, the drug company she will be a spokesperson for will probably expect her to promote a healthier approach to food. That can certainly be an encouragement to people with type II diabetes. Personally, I have a cholesterol problem. I have it partly because I’m genetically predisposed to it and mostly because I’ve had terrible eating habits for a good chunk of my life. I take a statin drug and watch my fat and sugar intake, but I’m not rabid about it and I certainly don’t blame Paula. I put on weight a few years ago and after getting 25 pounds overweight I decided it was time to lose it before it became 50 or 100 or 200. I lost it through portion control and cutting back on empty calories and fatty/sugary foods. I watched Paula the entire time I was losing weight and never felt like she was to blame for the food choices that caused my weight gain.

    I don’t mean to imply that an obese person or diabetic can just wave a magic wand and cut out desserts and second helpings and easily lose weight. It’s hard and frustrating. It takes commitment and will power and emotional support and good nutritional information. My heart goes out to people who’s lives depend on making hard choices and fighting this battle. They need our understanding and support and should not be judged. If Paula is successful, maybe these people will see her as an inspiration.

    @ 11:50 am on January 17, 2012

  53. I for one have nothing against her cooking. We all eat “sin food” sometimes. My problem is with her absolute lack of integrity, seeing that she’ll endorse ANYTHING to make a buck, including Big Pharma. She’s a huckster, not a chef.

    @ 12:28 pm on January 17, 2012

  54. Most people know that too much sugar and fat are bad for you but what they don’t know is how much is too much. One of our biggest problems is portion control.

    When someone goes to a restaurant such as Cheesecake Factory or Maggiano’s most of the general public don’t realize that the entree they are ordering is anywhere from 2-6 servings in one dish. I remember learning about the food pyramid in elementary school but no one ever taught us what a serving size is or how much sugar or fat makes a gram and how many grams are too much.

    Another thing that many adults also don’t realize is that for a woman a 2000 calorie diet is too much! Most women should only consume 1200 – 1600 calories/day (depending on height and body frame). These are all things that I had to find out from a registered dietitian at Baylor when I was trying to loose weight a few years ago (size 8 to a size 4). It’s knowing the little things that make a difference and if you don’t search out those little things, people don’t know what is best (southern cooking or not!)

    @ 2:35 pm on January 17, 2012

  55. Paula Deen is going to accept money to flog a product? I do declare, what *is* this world coming to??? (The real ethical question is about the drug company choosing her. As if a car company picked a spokesperson with multiple DUI or a gunmaker picked someone with a record of shooting people.)

    @ 5:04 pm on January 17, 2012

  56. Okay, I just saw Paula Deen on the news. She was diagnosed THREE YEARS AGO BECAUSE SHE WANTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DISEASE. Now she is going to promote a drug designed to help Type 2 diabetics. DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE SHE COULD HAVE HELPED OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS? INSTEAD SHE CHOSE TO KEEP ON KEEPING ON. AND CUTTING BACK ON SWEET TEA. REALLY?

    @ 5:48 pm on January 17, 2012

  57. [...] of type 2 diabetesUSA TODAYPaula Deen Rumored to Have DiabetesDiets In Review (blog)Fox News -D Magazine -CBS Newsall 1,097 news articles » diets – Google News Share and [...]

    @ 9:30 pm on January 17, 2012

  58. I can’t stand Paula Deen. She should be ashamed of herself hocking diabetes medication when her nasty fat filled cooking and diet contributed to this. Her message to the public is it ok to eat like a slob, just take a pill to make it all better! This is really disturbing. Agree with Anthony bordain.

    @ 11:10 pm on January 17, 2012

  59. Paula played us.

    @ 12:02 am on January 18, 2012

  60. [...] of type 2 diabetesUSA TODAYPaula Deen Rumored to Have DiabetesDiets In Review (blog)Fox News -D Magazine -CBS Newsall 1,168 news articles » diets – Google News Share and [...]

    @ 2:05 am on January 18, 2012

  61. I like nothing about this woman; not her personality, not her “nails on chalkboard” hick accent, not her cooking, and most importantly not her abhorrent endorsement of Smithfield, who exploits immigrant workers, and egregiously harms animals and the environment. When I heard the announcement that she was diabetic, I was of course, not surprised. I agree with the intelligent posters, and the author. My outrage was that not only does she endorse Smithfield ham and make millions, now she will be raking it in on a pharmaceutical endorsement! Diabetes can be reversed through diet and exercise, at least adult onset can. This woman is clearly in league with Satan.

    @ 9:29 am on January 18, 2012

  62. I hate her cooking. It makes me sick!

    @ 10:30 am on January 18, 2012

  63. I can understand your frustration about the ignorance surrounding diabetes since I’ve been married to a type-1 for 25 years. I find it appalling that every single type-2 I’ve met, doesn’t even bother to educate themselves on the condition & or how to help control it through diet & fitness . I’m glad that at least since I got MS as a teen, I’ve never had to deal with this type of ignorance, since there is no such thing as type-2 MS.

    @ 11:56 am on January 18, 2012

  64. I’ve been a Type 1 diabetic for 41 years and have spent every day of those 41 years trying to stay healthy so I can live a long and healthy life. I have never even watched Paula Deen because I know how she cooks – with no regard for people who eat like me. I have learned to enjoy plain food – fruits, vegetables, low fat everything. And I’m known for it – everyone I know admires my willpower. What annoys me the most is what Paula Deen says she has given up totally since she announced being diabetic….sweet tea. Big deal Paula. That is your sacrifice? Just endorse a drug for Type 2 diabetes – don’t bother changing your lifestyle and setting an example for all of your followers. Continue to eat the way you do Paula – and it won’t be long that we will see articles about your diabetes complications. Then I guess everyone will feel sorry for you. Stop promoting crappy eating habits and I will then learn to have a little respect for you.

    @ 12:33 pm on January 18, 2012

  65. Krista – Kudos for your comment. Totally understand how you feel. Totally.

    @ 12:42 pm on January 18, 2012

  66. it sickens me that a drug company would pay her for her endorsement of any drug. if she really cared, she would do it for free. how much money does she need.

    not only is she fat, her husband is fat. and i have never heard of fried butter. i watched one of her shows and she used 8 sticks of butter. not only that, she is alway sticking her fingers in her food and i think food tv should reprimand her for that. i know now why anthony bourdain thinks she is sickening,

    of course i have read (i live in the nyc area where mayor mike is fighting fatty food. at first i was angry because the calories and fat and salt content are next to each item) but maybe it is a good idea. once in a while it is okay but not like the people in the south and i know, my sister lives in atlanta, she is heavy, well you cannot go to out to fancy restaurants all the time and not exercise and expect to be thin.

    so in closing, i live in nj, our governor is heavy. my husband and i are both thin, belong to a gym, eat frugally and still have coronary heart disease and high blood pressure.

    i look at paula and wonder and i did not know she smoked. well good luck to her. maybe she should donate the money from the drug company to the diabetes foundation, but she is too, too greedy

    @ 1:10 pm on January 18, 2012

  67. Paula smokes? OMG!!!!!! Good luck with that!!!!

    @ 1:40 pm on January 18, 2012

  68. Interview with Larry King – and she had an affair with a married man….why would anyone idealize someone like her? And smokes a pack and a half a day? Smoker, Type 2 diabetic, overweight….anything else Paula?
    KING: Back with the delightful Paula Deen. You’re also a smoker? Still smoke?

    DEEN: Yes, but I’m trying to quit.

    KING: OK. How much do you smoke?

    DEEN: A pack and a half.

    KING: Does it affect the taste of food?

    DEEN: You know, I don’t think so.

    KING: But you don’t know. I was a smoker. How do you know?

    DEEN: I don’t know but I say if it tastes any better I’d weigh 500 pounds.

    KING: Then you also had an affair with a married man?

    DEEN: I did.

    @ 1:49 pm on January 18, 2012

  69. WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT? She DOESN’t KNOW IF SMOKING CHANGES THE TASTE OF FOOD? HOLY COW (LITERALLY) AND THEN TO JOKE SHE WOULD WEIGH 500 POUNDS. OH, MY. I’m not touching the married man item. I could so go there but I’m not. yet.

    @ 2:23 pm on January 18, 2012

  70. I can never understand how (or why) people like her manage to become “TV Goddesses”. Are we all sheep? She has to be the luckiest “white trash” I know of.

    @ 3:55 pm on January 18, 2012

  71. i think people should start complaining to the drug company that she made the endorsement with,

    just think of how many people she could help with diabetes if she donated the money they are going to give her.
    i know it is a dutch company and hard to get hold of by phone, so is the food network because i tried all day to call them. they need to pull her show. people need to boycott her program, write letters to food tv, and the drug company. let her donate the money she is going to make from them to help people who followed her disgusting recipes who may have diabetes and no money for drs or the medications they may need. and yes, boycott her son bobby’s new show, they knew this was coming, and the next thing you will see in the national enquirer is that bobby is gay. i do not really care about that, but it is just about how many things the Deen family has lied about. kick them off food tv. and i did not know she had an affair with a married man, he must have been blind drunk.

    @ 4:23 pm on January 18, 2012

  72. Maybe she and Wilford “Beetus” Brimley should start shagging.

    @ 4:47 pm on January 18, 2012

  73. veggiegirl216 said it the best! Thank you! I’ve seen undercover video’s of Smithfields packing facility. TOTALLY, DISGUSTING!

    @ 9:21 pm on January 18, 2012

  74. Shoot, guess it’s time to sell that Novartis stock.

    @ 3:04 pm on January 19, 2012

  75. I’m sad for Paula, but not all that surprised. Maybe she should look into a healthier diet to treat her diabetes instead of drugs? There’s lots of interesting information available at this noncommercial, science based site (nutritionfacts.org). To quote the good doctor: “It is too bad Paula Deen missed this opportunity” to tell her fans “that type 2 diabetes can be prevented, managed, treated, and even cured”. Read more at http://nutritionfacts.org/blog/2012/01/18/paula-deen-diabetes-drug-spokesperson/

    @ 1:39 pm on January 20, 2012

  76. Maybe folks should lighten up a bit on Paula Deen. Fattening comfort food is not a Southern phenonmenon, y’all. Lobster rolls in New England, deep dish pizza in Chicago, and Tex Mex in Dallas, they’ll all pack the pounds on you. Take a stroll through any public space, coast to coast, and you’ll see that we have a lot of fat people in this country.

    @ 4:13 pm on January 20, 2012

  77. Regarding the hog operations, I used to be in the meat biz. I will not purchase anything but all-natural, “never/ever” pork, like Niman Ranch, etc. I’ve seen the difference, and places like Smithfield are atrocious. Did you know that if one of the exhaust fans were to go out in one of those massive hog houses, you have less than THREE MINUTES to get out before the ammonia fumes from the hog waste overtakes you and KILLS YOU. However, if you go up the road in Iowa a few miles more to Paul Willis’ hog farm, you’ll see those pigs are in an open field, not stressed, they’re nesting, burrowing, etc. No antibiotics, etc., and the quality difference is like night and day. TOTALLY worth the money.

    @ 6:13 pm on January 20, 2012

  78. Why are people so critical about the cooking style. If it doesnt fit your eating habits, then dont eat it. he It is just that simple. Her cooking is one of the culture of the south. Some one mentioned the cheesecake factory and they have tons of calories and Im sure many other restaurants too, but to rant and rave about her menu is ridiculous. the next time you go to her restaurant, ask for your serving to be on a tea saucers. Okay so she has diabetes, she isnt alone, Im sure she will take care of it.

    @ 9:50 am on January 22, 2012

  79. HOW COULD ANYONE IN THEIR RIGHT MIND DEFEND PAULA DEEN, THE CHEFS AT FOODTV WON’T EVEN COMMENT. I THINK IT IS IRRESPONSIBLE OF THE FTV NETWORK TO NOT PUT OUT A STATEMENT ABOUT HOW EVERYONE KNEW FOR 3 YEARS AND SHE LET PEOPLE FOLLOW HER RECIPES UNTIL SHE GOT A LUCRATIVE DEAL WITH A SUBSIDARIE OF NOVARITIS IN PRINCETON NJ
    LOOK IT UP AND CALL THEM AND COMPLAIN. HOW MUCH MONEY DOES SHE NEED. ALL THE MONEY SHE MAKES SHOULD GO TO DIABETES RESEARCH.

    HAVE YOUR BEST FRIEND DIE OF THE OF THIS DISEASE AT AGE 51 AND THIS WAS IN 1998 WAY BEFORE PAULA AND MAYBE YOU STOP DEFENDING HER.

    I AM SICKENED BY THIS WHOLE THING. PEOPLE NEED TO STAND UP TO THE FOOD TV NETWORK AND THE PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY.

    I JUST LEARNED MY GODSON WAS IN A DIABETIC COMA FOR A WEEK. DOES ANYONE CARE?
    TAKE ONE LOOK AT PAULA, NO EXERCISE, VEGETABLES WITH HAM HOCKS, …….I AM BEGGING ANYONE WHO READS THIS TO CALL THE PHARMA COMPANY AND COMPLAIN., SHE IS MAKING MONEY OF A DRUG, WHICH MOST PEOPLE CANNOT AFFORD.

    SORRY FOR THE RANT

    @ 12:49 pm on January 24, 2012

  80. It makes me sick, Paula claims she kept quiet b/c she did get a deal and wanted to make sure her boys were taken care of .OMG I am so sick of ppl pulling the “take care of my kids” card for their kids when their in their 40′s

    @ 7:25 pm on January 24, 2012

  81. *correction
    WHEN THEIR KIDS ARE IN THEIR 40′S
    It makes me sick, Paula claims she kept quiet b/c she did get a deal and wanted to make sure her boys were taken care of .OMG I am so sick of ppl pulling the “take care of my kids” card for their kids in their 40″s

    @ 7:26 pm on January 24, 2012