98 Is The New 60

"All I got was a plaque."

-Michael Delligatti.

Instead of reading the obituaries of 60 year-old men way too often, it was great to see the odes to two giants of the food industry at the ripe age of 98.

Two 98 year old creators of dishes that the Center for Science in the Public Interest called "heart attacks on a plate".  But then the CSPI advocates dishes like kale salad and tofu turkey, the kind of dishes no family gathered around with smiles on their faces.

Chef Peng Chang-kuei passed away in Taiwan. In 1952 he created General Tso's Chicken, a dish that attracted fans like Henry Kissinger and much of the West.  Although General Tso was a real Chinese leader, mainland China doesn't really know anything about the dish.  I'm happy we can keep it to ourselves.

Inventor of General Tso's chicken

And Pittsburgher Michael James Delligatti also passed away at the age of 98. He invented the McDonald's Big Mac in 1967.  The keys were the two patties of beef, the center slice of bread and his "special sauce".

Creator of the Big Mac