Hey y'all, it's mid-January and we've got Paula Deen on the phone. The queen of good ol' Southern cooking that is not so good for you tells this reporter that a big announcement will be coming in the next few days.

What everyone finds out soon enough is that Deen was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in 2008 and has partnered with Novo Nordisk, a diabetes drug manufacturer.

"I was determined to share my positive approach and not let diabetes stand in the way of enjoying my life," Deen told the world in her announcement.

In her interview with The Bee, Deen talked about how she really eats most of the year and the reputation she has for using too much butter.

Sacramentans will get to lob a few questions at Deen when the doyenne appears Friday at the Sacramento Community Center Theater. She'll field questions from the audience, demonstrate some Southern cooking and spin yarns about her life as a Food Network icon.

This reporter will write about one of Deen's favorite ingredients, butter, in Wednesday's Food & Wine section, but until then, y'all, here's the dish Deen shared with The Bee:

I've got to ask this straight away: Are you wearing the official Paula Deen butter-flavored lip balm right now?

Deen: "Ha-ha, no, but I sure do need some. My lips are chapped."

I was wondering if you could melt down that lip balm for making grilled cheese sandwiches.

"Oh, I would not. It would, like, be eating paraffin."

Do you think you get a bad rap for using too much butter? It's a key ingredient for all kinds of chefs, and I've seen lots of it used in some fancy kitchens.

"It's just really strange, Chris. You would think I was the one who invented butter, but all you have to do is watch Julia Child and your big-name chefs, and they're all about butter. I've given this a lot of thought. I spend six weeks out of my life filming the show, and those six weeks are all about butter, cream cheese, sour cream – all these decadent ingredients. That's just six weeks out of 52. The other 46 weeks, I'm not cooking like that."

"So what's a typical dinner like for you?"

"It can vary, but we don't eat a lot of fried foods. I think that's the culprit. Of course I might want fried chicken, and I could eat a fried pork chop every day. I don't, but I could. It's truly all about moderation."

What did you eat last night?

"(Yesterday) was a busy day, so my husband picked up takeout. I had moo goo gai pan."

Here's a question for a reader. He wants to know if you feel pigeonholed into Southern cooking and wanted to explore other culinary avenues. Could you imagine a Paula Deen guide to, say, Asian fusion cooking?

"I don't get too far from my roots. I was always told to do what you know, and that's what I know. I always had a hankering to be taught Asian cooking and learn Thai food. My husband and I love it, but we go out to eat for that."

Your son, Bobby, has a show called "Not My Mama's Meals." How does that title strike you?

"Oh, do I adore his show. He's so natural, so relaxed, so true to himself. Bobby leads a different lifestyle from everyone else in the family. He's single; he's a jet-setter. Bobby spends three hours in the gym every day, and he loves jiujitsu. Because of that, he eats a lot of fish and salads, but he'll be the first one to tell you if he comes to mama's house for Sunday lunch, he wants that traditional Southern meal."

Might his show influence any of your own eating habits?

"Absolutely it does. I'm a member of the baby boomers, and if we're lucky to live long enough, different things are going to hit us. You come to a time where you have to reassess and rethink things. There's a real misconception of the South, that we eat fried chicken and vegetables every day. We eat a lot of vegetables, and not everything is fried. But because fried chicken and pork chops put us on the map for delicious meals, it doesn't mean we eat that every day."

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

Call The Bee's Chris Macias, (916) 321-1253.

• Read more articles by Chris Macias