One Potato

McMahon (Dream of Another America) serves up a biting satire of genetic engineering and its discontents. Everyman protagonist Eddie Morales works in R&D for Idaho-based Tuberware, which he describes as “the world leader in all potato-related products.” His big project is a vending machine capable of producing French fries on demand, but that changes when CEO Warren Shepherd orders him to travel to the troubled South American country of Puerto Malogrado to deal with a potential PR disaster. Puerto Malogrado had been growing Tuberware’s DS400 tubers, which had been genetically modified with dog saliva to resist bacteria, while FDA approval remains pending. A dozen years of testing has proven the DS400s infection-free, but reports have emerged that three children born in the area where the potatoes were tested can only walk on all fours, which Shepherd suspects are hoaxes fomented by those opposed to GMOs. Despite having no background in genetics or public relations, Morales is dispatched to the country, accompanied by a journalist eager to break a sensational story. What he finds endangers his career and his life. McMahon successfully parodies the excesses of corporate greed while presenting a moving portrayal of life in an impoverished country. This winning story feels all too real. (Apr.)