‘He’s having the time of his life!’ How Tariq the Corn Kid embraced global fame – and broccoli

The seven-year-old's deep love of sweetcorn made him a viral sensation. But how do you top meeting Michelle Obama and starring on The Drew Barrymore Show?

It was the height of summer when seven-year-old Tariq declared: For me ... I really like corn" - and promptly became an internet sensation. His video interview with Julian Shapiro-Barnum, host of web series Recess Therapy, went viral, as his description of corn as a big lump with knobs" and general enthusiasm for the vegetable racked up views around the world.

What do you like about corn?" asks Shapiro-Barnum in the video, which was shot at Smorgasburg, a weekly food festival in Prospect Park, New York. Ever since I was told that corn was real, it tasted good," says a gap-toothed Tariq, seemingly bemused by the sheer existence of corn. But when I tried it with butter, everything changed! ... I can't imagine a more beautiful thing! It's corn!"