FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — If Indiana lawmakers can have some lighter moments, so can the people who cover them.
That was the thinking behind the latest column from Steve Garbacz, Executive Editor at KPC Media, where he flat out rejected any notion the breaded pork tenderloin should be Indiana’s official state sandwich.
He (jokingly?) slammed the proposal as “the worst bill I’ve ever seen and the worst bill anyone could possibly imagine.”
State Senator Andy Zay authored Senate Bill 322 to celebrate the legendary origin of the Hoosier classic at Nick’s Kitchen in Huntington, which is part of Zay’s district.
Garbacz conceded the dish is an Indiana fixture but would go no further.
“This is the nuance of the argument that I’m making here,” he explained to WANE 15. “It’s not that the pork tenderloin isn’t iconically Indiana. My argument is that it’s just not a very good sandwich.”
And he continued to dig a hole of Hoosier heresy.
“Indiana cuisine just lacks bold flavor and adventure,” he piled on. “I mean sugar cream pie. Come on. Nope. No offense to people who make it and like it but it’s just not a good pie either.”
Should the breaded pork tenderloin be Indiana's official state sandwich?
— WANE 15 (@wane15) January 19, 2023
Can we leave anything on Indiana’s Mount Rushmore?
“I am a big Euchre fan. I played a lot during college. That is an Indiana thing. And I will support that because that is actually a good fun game.”
Garbacz said he grew up a Hoosier in the Region near Chicago so his lighthearted criticism was no slam against the state, just the sandwich.
“Indiana’s wheelhouse seems to be ho-hum. Plain and kind of boring is our niche. And breaded pork tenderloin is certainly in that category.”
You can read his full column here.
