Each year, the heads of state of the two football teams place a bet on the outcome of the Super Bowl. This year, New York’s Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has placed Greek yogurt as his bet.
When the Giants beat the Patriots, Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts will be sending to a New York food bank several Centerville pies, some clam chowder and 46 cases of Food Should Taste Good chips.
But in the unlikely inconceivable event the Giants lose, Mr. Cuomo will be sending to New England 46 dozen Ess-a-Bagels, 46 Junior’s cheesecakes — and 46 cases of Greek yogurt, which the governor’s office characterized in a press release as New York’s “newest and hottest export.”
“Greek yogurt is the healthy choice for New York’s economy and a natural fit for a bet demonstrating the best our state has to offer,” Austin Shafran, a spokesman for the Empire State Development Corporation, said in a follow-up call. “New York is working hard to be a global leader in the manufacturing of Greek yogurt, which has shown it has the winning formula to create jobs and economic growth.”
Greek yogurt — ultra-rich yogurt with most of the water and whey strained out — is indeed a booming industry in New York, thanks in part to the large amount of milk produced in the state. In 2010, New York produced 368 million pounds of Greek yogurt, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Markets.
Source: New York Times