Raise a Toast to the True History of Thanksgiving

Holidays are interesting events. Often their original meaning and even purpose is lost over time. This is especially true of Thanksgiving, an American holiday celebrated on the next to last Thursday in November.

It’s true that since colonial times various states and cities had held harvest celebrations but there was no national holiday called Thanksgiving on the calendar.

Sarah Josepha Hale was the first figure to seriously urge that a national day of giving thanks be established. Beginning in 1827 and continuing for the next 36 years (!) she used her position as editor of the influential Godey’s Lady’s Book magazine to press governors, senators, and presidents alike to create such a day of gratitude and reflection.

As a member of Boston literary elite (and a working mother) she also spoke against racial inequality – an issue it seems America is still struggling with as evidenced in our last national elections.

At the same time there was another younger person working in a distance frontier tavern, serving shots of applejack brandy to all who’d listen to his folky but pointed stories.

And he too was questioning the injustice of inequality.

In 1863 that same man would make Hale’s dream of a national Thanksgiving holiday a reality.  

He did so to remind the nation during the darkest days of the Civil War that there are some truths and values so universal that they are worth fighting for no matter the cost or the time it takes… thoughts captured so well by the Union Colonel Joshua Chamberlain as he spoke to his men on the eve of the critical battle of Gettysburg.

Yes, the person who created Thanksgiving as a national holiday in the U.S. was Lincoln. His courage and strength saved a nation. His fight to do so was not easy as shown in Steven Spielberg’s new movie, Lincoln.  He never gave up. There is a lesson there.

Perhaps when we celebrate Thanksgiving this year we should do more than remember Pilgrims in funny hats. In addition to giving thanks for the turkey and dressing, perhaps we should also give thanks for the many brave men AND women who have throughout history fought so bravely with words and deeds for the human rights that should belong to all people.  

That feast should belong to us all everywhere.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Anna Karenina and Vodka Equal Great Chemistry

We can thank the Russians for great literature, and of course, for vodka. And this fall we will get both.

Kicking off the winter season is a new movie that creatively re-envisions Leo Tolstoy's great heroine, Anna Karenina.

Directed by Joe Wright and starring the breathtakingly beautiful actress Keira Knightley, it is staged on a stylized inclusive theater set, designed to reflect the closed world of values that sought to control the last days of czarist Russia.

The film’s elegant style is sure to affect culinary trends this fall including vodka cocktails, caviar service and all things grandly Russian. 

Yet few in the culinary world would connect the creation of science’s esteemed Periodic Table of Elements (something every chef interested in molecular experimentation should have) with the creation of Russian vodka.

Yet Dmitri Mendeleev, who labored long and hard to develop the Table, also used his amazing skills to define the precise formula to produce the perfectly balanced vodka – 40% alcohol by volume.

For that we should thank him most hardily. Thank you, thank you!

And yet, there is not a single vodka cocktail that honors him (or Tolstoy) by name.

Perhaps that omission will be correct this winter as the message of the new Anna Karenina movie reminds us all that the vital right to decide our own life’s course is a freedom to be treasured - and protected. 

To that we at Your Culinary World gladly raise our glasses!  We hope you do as well.

Post Note, November 30, 2012: In a creative marketing move that must be a reflection of current trends, the new Anna Karenina movie props are for sale on the Internet, including tables, chairs and mother-of-pearl cutlery. Amazing times these! Beautiful bargains! 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012 

Usain Bolt Celebrates Close of London Olympics with Gold Champagne

The final week of the 2012 Summer Games have come, sadly, to an end.

And while the final fireworks fired from the Olympic Stadium (truly the best use for gunpowder), millions of people worldwide have been inspired by the breathtaking feats of the athletes and thankful that no acts of senseless violence have marred the Games.

There have been so many unforgettable moments – the fact that every nation’s team included women for the first time, the breathtaking soccer games, the sleek and speedy swimming champions, and, of course, the high flying courage of the gymnasts.

But certainly one of the greatest memories from the games was when Usain Bolt ran, winning gold in the 100 meters, the 200 meters and anchoring Jamaica's world-record gold medal performance in the 400-meter relay.

The speed, the elegance of form, his supportive gesture of the first physically challenged runner marked him as a modern athlete in the true tradition of the classic Olympic spirit.

So how does one celebrate winning triple Olympic gold in London?

Bolt chose to celebrate by enjoying a large Nebuchadnezzar size bottle of Armand de Brignac Champagne (also known as the Ace of Spades Champagne) at the very hip club Movida. 

Don't worry that his future endorsements will have to cover the final tab for the bottle – £80,000 (US $125,496)! It was comped - thank goodness! But lest you think fame has gone to his head, he shared the fun and this world-famous gold toned bottle of champagne with his assembled fellow medal winners. Well done Bolt!

And well done London! It's been a great two weeks! What fantastic Olympic Games! Rio, the selected site for the 2016 Games, will have to work very hard to top the 2012 London Olympic Summer Games, that’s for sure. Bravo Britain!

Post Note, August 14, 2012: The Olympic flag has been transferred to Rio de Janeiro, which will host the 2016 Summer Games. Considering that Rio will also host the 2014 World Cup Soccer Games, all things Latin American are sure to be an emerging culinary trend. 

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Enjoy Historic Food and Drink for an Honest Fourth of July This Election Year

Soon the U.S. will be celebrating its Independence Day. No president is more associated with American ideals than George Washington. Yet, similar to the current presidential campaign rhetoric, myths equally abound regarding the nation’s first president and Colonial War hero. Just consider...

Childhood

• Then: George Washington never chopped down a cherry tree.
• Now: Barack Obama was never born in Kenya.

Education

• Then: George Washington left formal education at 14.
• Now: Barack Obama attended Columbia University and Harvard University on work and grant scholarships.

Personal Wealth

• Then: George Washington refused his general’s salary of $48,000 while serving for 8 years as commander of the Continental Army. Instead, he billed Congress only for his expenses, which totaled $447,220!
• Now: Mitt Romney has accepted no public campaign donations, choosing instead to rely on Super PACS funded by millionaires.

Human Rights

• Then: George Washington was the only slave-owning President who ever freed his slaves – all 124 of them.
• Now: Despite current political ads, illegal immigration is down 60% since 2000.

 Religion

• Then: George Washington never knelt at Valley Forge or anywhere else. He occasionally attended the Episcopal Church but was known to never kneel with the Congregation or to receive Communion.
• Now: Barack Obama is a Christian. Period, end of discussion.

Temperance

• Then: Washington operated one of the new nation’s most commercial successful distilleries at Mt Vernon, producing rye whiskey, apple and peach brandies.
• Now: Religious guidelines aside, the White House needs to continue to represent the bounty of America to its many international guests, including California’s wines and Kentucky’s legendary whiskeys and bourbons.

Hospitality

• Then: George Washington hosted a nearly endless stream of guests. He also belonged to many social clubs and service organizations such as the Fish House Club and Masons.
• Now: Mitt Romney often restricts press and public access, limits questioning and won’t release multi-year income tax filings.

As you can see, the U.S. has come a long way, and yet, still has further to go. So, why not skip the patriotically named red-white-and-blue colored cocktails this Fourth, and drink what Washington drank, the famed Fish House Punch, matched with his favorite Colonial Hoe Cakes.

It’s a strong drink, but it’s honest – the way we still long for our politicians to be.

Fish House Punch

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 3 ½ cups water
• 1 ½ cups fresh lemon juice (6 to 8 lemons), strained
• 1 (750-ml) bottle Jamaican amber rum
• 12 oz. Cognac (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 oz. peach brandy (1/4 cup)
• Lemon Slices
• Special Equipment: Half Gallon Cardboard Juice or Milk Carton, Top end cut off

Directions

• To make ice block, fill carton with water and freeze until solid, about 8 hours.
• Stir together sugar and 31/2 cups water in a large bowl or pot until sugar is dissolved.
• Add lemon juice, rum, Cognac, and brandy and chill, covered, at least 3 hours.
• Put ice block in a punch bowl and pour punch over it.

Colonial Hoe Cakes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups self-raising cornmeal
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp melted shortening
• ¼ cup melted shortening

Directions

• Combine cornmeal and baking soda in a medium bowl.
• Add buttermilk, egg and 1 tbsp melted shortening.
• Stir until just moistened.
• Heat ¼ cup of shortening to 365 in large cast iron skillets. (Originally baked on a hoe’s metal surface, hence the name).
• Pour ¼ cup batter into skillet for each hoe cake.
• Fry 1 to 2 minutes until golden brown.
• Serve with butter and honey.

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012

Post Note, June 27, 2012: If you are looking for a great movie to honor the 4th that is historically accurate and entertaining, check out 1776, the Musical. It's a patriotic must.

The Unknown Champions of Wimbledon Are Food Service Staff and Culinary Suppliers

The Games have begun, yet many of the half-million devoted tennis fans who will watch Nadal, Federer and Djokovic on home televisions and office Internet connections are unaware of the massive food service that supports this famous 14 day tournament of strength and skill.

Just consider the most recently released figures which reveal just how hard the 1,700 member FMC Catering staff at Wimbledon will be working for those 14 exciting days of play: 

To Be Served 

• 130,000 Lunches Served
• 40,000 Char-Grilled Meals Served
• 30,000 Fish and Chips Served
• 30,000 Meals for FMC's Own Staff
• 12,000 Kilos (26,455 Pounds) Poached and Smoked Salmon
• 17,000 Bottles of Champagne Lanson
• 150,000 Pimm’s Cocktails
• 100,000 Pints of Beer and Lager
• 300,000 Cups of Tea and Coffee
• 250,000 Bottles of Water
• 190,000 Sandwiches
• 150,000 Bath Buns, Scones, Pasties and Doughnuts
• 135,000 Ice Creams
• 60,000 Sausages
• 30,000 Liters (31,700 Quarts) of Milk
• 23,000 Bananas
• 22,000 Slices of Pizza
• 20,000 Frozen Yoghurt Cups

As you might have noticed, the above list does not include Wimbledon’s famed “Strawberries and Cream” which are a must when attending the Games. Well, they are in a food class all by themselves where tradition meets logistics.

On average Game spectators will consume 28,000 kilos (61,730 pounds) of English strawberries - 2,000 kilos (4,409 pounds) and 7,000 liters (7,397 quarts) of fresh cream every day of play.

When added up, that’s a total of 28,000 kilos (61,726 pounds) of strawberries and 98,000 liters (103,558 quarts) of cream prepared and served in just in 14 days! WOW! 

And these aren't just any generic strawberries. They're Grade 1 English strawberries from Britain’s finest strawberry producing farms such as the Hugh Lowe Family Farms.  Suppliers are working extra hard this year to meet the tournament’s demand as heavy rains and overly long cloudy skies have delayed the usual ripening season.

But with a courageous spirit equal to that of any tournament player, England’s berry growers are working hard to make their 5:30 A.M. delivery date each and every day.

The very same words used in the newest Wimbledon ad should also be used to describe the hard working catering staff and culinary suppliers to the Tournament – Super Human, Tough as Nails, True Champions All!

Your Culinary World copyright Ana Kinkaid/Peter Schlagel 2012 

Post Note, May 26, 2012: You know you're a star when you're profiled on 60 Miuntues, America's in-depth Sunday News program faithfully watched by millions. This past Sunday Novak Djokovic was so honored.

The resulting story highlights how Djokovic's skill and courage led him from battle torn streets of Belgrade to the emerald green grass of Wimbledon. Impressive and touching. Thank you 60 Minutes!