Emilee Phillips
Staff Writer
An anonymous chip off the old block, known only as “Potato Man” or “Potato Bandit,” has been making the rounds in Seven Lakes North and South.
Some may need a refresher on the definition of bandit because bandits steal. This spud slinger leaves potatoes on residents’ doorsteps in the dead of night. But, that’s neither here nor there. Potatoes have become the talk of the gated communities and no one knows why it started.
Potato Man has slowly gained popularity on the Seven Lakes North & South Residents Facebook page. While some have stressed the dangers of going on another’s property after dark, most are enjoying the silliness.
Some potatoes have arrived with notes. One resident even received a bottle of potato vodka. Group members have started asking to be “potatoed,” making special requests. Some have even generated their own AI images to poke fun at the mystery.
Is the tater trotter a teen? Is it a group of people? Or is potato man not a man at all, but an idea that adults are slowly adopting, like Santa or the Tooth Fairy? The group has also identified an alleged “copycat” that leaves sweet potatoes.
Perhaps the important question is less about the “who” and more about the “why.”
Seven Lakes residents received an official email encouraging them to report suspicious activity. Condoning random porch vegetable abandonment is not something we’ll legally support but sometimes lighthearted shenanigans are the reminders we need to be a spud, not a dud.
