A museum exhibit featuring several American flags that had been deep-fried has been removed over concerns that the art could spark a controversy. The Customs House Museum exhibit titled "The Fat Is in the Fire," featured three U.S. flags imprinted with phrases such as "Poor people are obese because they eat poorly" and more than 40 smaller flags fried in peanut oil, egg batter, flour and black pepper.

Art student William Gentry said his work was inspired by the prevailing obesity problem in America and that he deep-fried the flag for his concern about America and America's health.

But the museum's executive director, Ned Crouch, took down the exhibit less than 18 hours after it went up, saying that the timing of the display could cause "incendiary reactions."

"It's about what the community values," Crouch said. "I'm representing 99 percent of our membership - educators, doctors, lawyers, military families."

"Over half my funding is public funding. ... I don't want to rock a boat that's hard to keep floating. It's not worth jeopardizing for an exhibit," he was quoted by The Tennessean as saying.

Although, the U.S. Supreme Court in 1989 ruled that flag-burning is protected by the First Amendment right to free speech, but the measure is still controversial and is regarded as a guaranteed way to start scuffles and fistfights.