Jon Stewart mirthfully chronicles New York State's amazing yogurt debate

Jon Stewart mirthfully chronicles New York State&#039;s amazing yogurt debate

(Image credit: Daily Show)

last updated 8 January 2015

This is admittedly an implausible topic for 10 minutes of good, solid comic relief, but on Thursday night's Daily Show, Jon Stewart spent the whole first segment recapping the New York Senate's debate over making yogurt the official state snack. And he made a convincing case that it was one of the best moments in any state legislature, ever.

Making the argument for yogurt is State Sen. Michael Ranzenhofer (R), whom Stewart dubs "the Ken Jennings of yogurt" for his deep knowledge and fluid advocacy of the "pro-business, probiotic" topic. Most of the humor derives from the fact that there's any dissent against the symbolic measure, but a handful of Democrats raise some objections. It's kind of like watching a high school debate, but it's a good story. And with some help from "Senior State Snack Correspondent" Jessica Williams (who comes on for one pretty good joke), Stewart managed to turn a local news story into something better — like uncovering the raspberries in your fruit-at-the-bottom yogurt. --Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.