I asked my wife what I could blog about in honor of Thanksgiving. She jokingly said, “Tater tots.” She knows I love them! How can anyone deny they do!?
I laughed, but then it dawned on me: tater tots are an excellent example of what makes America great.
According to wikipedia.com:
“Tater Tots were first created in 1953 when Ore-Ida founders F. Nephi Grigg and Golden Grigg were trying to figure out what to do with left over slivers of cut up potatoes. They came up with the novel idea of chopping up the potato slivers, adding flour and seasoning, then pushing the mash through holes and slicing off pieces of what came out on the other side. Tater Tots were born. They first became available in stores in 1954. Today, Americans consume approximately 70 million pounds of ‘Tots’ per year.”
The Thanksgiving holiday is about millions of American stories like this. Think about it. The Grigg brothers, two brilliant (what would you call them? They invented tater tots after all!), American entrepreneurs determined not to waste any precious spuds and to somehow make them even better. These tater tots started with home grown potatoes–in soil born and raised right here!
Let me remind you, they did this in a free country where people are free to succeed and fail in business. The Griggs had freedom to invent! They didn’t have to file paperwork with the czar of potatoes. They didn’t need a bail out.
The Griggs worked hard (one of the forgotten American traditions).
People, with freedom and capital, invested in their company.
Tater tots were born!
Before long people were eating more and more of these delicious mana-like potato blessings.
And folks eating these tots are still free to eat them, not having to settle for whatever the government deems best for nutritional purposes. Not only are average people happy, but the manufacturers are happy. Employees are happy. All because of tater tots–an American dream realized.
Happy Thanksgiving!
God bless America!
