PSA and Mini Rant

My delicious corn that I will eat tomorrow at dinner.
Technically it's a fruit. 

I love corn. I love corn on the cob, creamed corn, corn tortillas, corn bread, etc. Corn is a grain. Corn is a starch. Corn goes on the plate where the potato goes. Corn goes on the plate where the rice goes. Corn goes on the plate where the pasta goes. CORN DOES NOT GO ON THE PLATE WHERE THE VEGETABLE GOES BECAUSE IT IS NOT A VEGETABLE.

Arrrrrgh! Many times I've heard corn listed as one of the vegetables that people like and it makes me whimper. I nod and stay silent, or a murmur a tiny protest. I try to say the truth politely. I try to smile so nobody feels bad. But after hearing it at least five times from five different people over the last week it's become a pet peeve. Then to make it worse, one of my handouts at work from the UDSA actually lists the corn as a vegetable and I WANT TO SCREAM. I want to put it in a blinking sign behind my desk at work.

So here is your official PSA:

CORN IS NOT A VEGETABLE. IT IS A GRAIN.

By the way our friends at the USDA have replaced the food guide pyramid with a plate. I am glad. That silly pyramid made less and less sense with each incarnation. At least the plate looks pretty reasonable. Half vegetables and fruits. There's a corner for protein. There's also a corner for your grain where if you choose you can put your corn.