Comfort food alert: ‘Spaghetti Day’ is Jan. 4

Yum. Jan. 4 is National Spaghetti Day in America. “Buon Appetito” is an Italian term that means “enjoy your meal.” 

The usual response is “Grazie, Altrettanto,” indicating “thanks; likewise.”

“Spaghetti” is the plural form of the Italian word “spaghetto,” which is generally defined as “a stringy, round noodle.” 

U.S. diplomat Thomas Jefferson was a noodler. He “discovered” spaghetti while on assignment in Europe from 1784-89. 

“He enjoyed the dish so much that he returned to Monticello, his home in Charlottesville, Va., with two cases in tow,” reported Tori Avey, a food historian. “When his supply ran out, he sent for reinforcements via a friend from Naples, Italy.”

 Tori Avey

The Monticello archivist said that Jefferson also brought home the recipe for spaghetti noodles: “6 eggs, 2 wine glasses of milk, 2 pounds of flour, a little salt. Work them together very well.” 

During Jefferson’s tenure as U.S. president from 1801-09, spaghetti was a mainstay on the White House menu for formal dinners. 

America’s love affair with spaghetti was sparked even more by the arrival of the Boiardi family in 1914, who came from Piacenza, Italy. 

Brothers Hector, Paul and Mario Boiardi all found work in the culinary department at the swanky Plaza Hotel in New York City. Within a year, Hector was promoted to head chef. He was good. 

By 1924, Hector’s dream of having his own restaurant came true in Cleveland, Ohio, where he opened Il Giardino d’Italia (Garden of Italy).

 

When customers started begging Chef Boiardi for his spaghetti sauce to take home, he began filling old milk bottles with his sauce and giving them to customers. 

“Whatever time the chef had away from his restaurant was spent filling those bottles in his loft apartment,” reported Michele Norris of National Public Radio. 

Anna Boiardi, Mario’s granddaughter, said that one of her “Great Uncle Hector’s customers was a truck driver. He began distributing the sauce as he drove throughout the country. And people loved it.” 

“By 1928, the demand had increased to the point that factory production became necessary,” Anna wrote. 

Hector Americanized his name to Chef Boy-ar-dee and expanded operations. The family upfitted an abandoned silk mill in 1938. It was located in Milton, Pa., in the rich agricultural area of the Susquehanna River Valley. Tomatoes and mushrooms were plentiful and grown within 10 minutes of the factory. 

Spaghetti products were an inexpensive way to feed the whole family. Pasta and sauce were easy to produce in mass and could be sold at reasonable prices at a time when the average American didn’t have much money to spend on food. 

During World War II, the Milton factory worked around the clock to produce rations that went to American soldiers. Hector Boiardi spent many hours planning and figuring how to make the foods that would be shipped overseas. 

“Uncle Hector moved his bed into the office with a chalkboard. On the chalkboard, he figured out the chemistry to make it work,” Anna said. 

Hector told his employees in 1943: “It is up to us to make sure that every soldier gets plenty of good nourishing food. That is our job, and no one can over-rate its importance.” 

The local community applauded his war efforts, and Hector was awarded a Gold Star, the highest civilian honor, by the U.S. War Department.

 

The Chef Boyardee brand was sold to American Home Foods for $6 million in 1946. It lives on today under the umbrella of Conagra Brands.

Happy New Year…eat for good luck

Auld Lang Syne is not a doddering old fool on the New Year’s Eve dance floor. It’s the title of a song…a song that nobody knows the words to.

Thanks to writer Brandon Specktor for sharing that juicy tidbit in his recent article contained in Reader’s Digest magazine. 

“Auld Lang Syne” is the name of a 1788 Scottish poem by Robert Burns, typically sung and slurred on New Year’s Eve around the world. “The phrase ‘auld lang syne’ literally translates to ‘old long since,’” Specktor said.

 

“Auld Lang Syne is a piece of the tradition of belting out a tune about: ‘Should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind?’” Followed by: “We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” 

That’s about all of the song that most folks know or care about. Forget memorizing all five verses…and move on to the “good luck New Year’s food.” 

Reader’s Digest has that covered, too. 

Food writers Meaghan Cameron and Marissa Laliberte have counted 15 “lucky dishes to bring prosperity and good health to your friends and family.” Eat them on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day…or both. 

In the South, a “mess of collard greens” is at the top of the list. “They’re easy to find in the colder months. Greens resemble cash money,” the writers said. (Mustard greens, turnip greens, chard, kale, cabbage and similar leafy green vegetables can be used as substitutes where collards are unavailable.) 

Next, you need some cowpeas, Carolina field peas or black-eyed peas, symbolic of coins. Combine with rice, onions and bacon for a true southern dish – Hoppin’ John. (Left-over “Hoppin’ John” is called “Skippin’ Jenny.”) 

Another traditional food, cornbread, can also be served to represent wealth, being the color of gold.

 

For the entrée, Cameron and Laliberte suggest pork and/or fish, for good healthy eating. Italians traditionally consume lentils with their New Year’s pork dinner. 

Also from the international buffet, select some grapes. “Spaniards pop a grape for each stroke of midnight, with each representing a page of the calendar ahead.” Keep score, the writers advise. “If one grape is bitter, watch out for that month!” 

“In a Greek tradition, families toss a pomegranate against their front door when the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve. The more seeds fall out, the more luck and fertility that household will be blessed with,” said Cameron and Laliberte. 

Avoid the mess and “whip up some cranberry pomegranate margaritas instead,” the writers recommend. 

“According to German and Eastern European superstition, ringing in the New Year with a heaping plate of sauerkraut means wealth. The more you eat, the bigger your bankroll!” For good measure, German-Americans are known to eat a glazed soft pretzel on New Year’s Day. 

In Mexico, the go-to dish of tamales symbolizes familial bonds, so important to the heritage and culture of the Mexican people. 

“Fresh mandarin oranges are one of the main symbols of the Chinese New Year, said to bring prosperity,” wrote Cameron and Laliberte. “Having an orange with the stem and leaf attached will bring a long life and fertility.” Making and eating dumplings is another Chinese custom. 

In Japan, “toshikoshi soba is the traditional New Year’s food of choice. The length of the soup’s soba is said to symbolize a long life. Part of the tradition is slurping the buckwheat flour noodles. Your luck runs out if you break or chew the noodle.”

Magical powers of mistletoe stir the holiday spirit

Kissing under the mistletoe is a long-standing Christmas season tradition, one that was nurtured by American author Washington Irving (1783-1859). In his 1820 essay, “Christmas Eve,” Irving wrote:

“The mistletoe is still hung up in farmhouses and kitchens at Christmas, and the young men have the privilege of kissing the girls under it, plucking each time a berry from the bush. When the berries are all plucked the privilege ceases.”

 

Don’t run out of magic berries. The solution is to get a mess of tangled mistletoe branches that are shaped like rounded “baskets” and found in trees. The National Wildlife Federation (NWF) says a mistletoe basket can reach 5-feet wide and weigh 50 pounds. Large baskets are known as “witches’ brooms.”

 

Female mistletoe sprigs sprout the pearly white berries. Male plants are berryless, according to Roger Di Silvestro of Burke, Va., a contributor to the NWF. The berries are toxic to humans, but birds and animals find them quite tasty. 

Di Silvestro said: “A variety of birds nest directly in witches’ brooms, including house wrens, chickadees, mourning doves, pygmy nuthatches, spotted owls and Cooper’s hawks. Several tree squirrel species also make their home in witches’ brooms.” 

Passing through birds’ digestive tracts, mistletoe seeds are kind of sticky and latch onto tree branches. “Mistletoe is hemiparasitic plant,” noted historian Bill Petro of Colorado Springs, Colo. “It sends its roots into the tree’s bark and derives its nutrients from the tree itself, though mistletoe also engages in photosynthesis.” 

The English village of Tenbury Wells is the “world mistletoe capital,” reported Bethan Bell of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The town sits alongside the River Teme where the counties of Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire meet in England’s West Midlands region.

 

Here are the king and queen of the Tenbury Wells Mistletoe Festival.

Queen Victoria, who visited the area at the end of the 19th century, referred to Tenbury as “my little town in the orchard.” 

Nick Champion, 63, has served as Tenbury’s mistletoe and holly auctioneer since 1977. One of the apple growers who harvests mistletoe from his trees and sells it at Champion’s auctions is Michael Lewis. 

“Mistletoe brings a bit of brightness into people’s lives, and it’s part of Christmas, just like mince pies,” Lewis told Bell.

Here’s an idea: Could ‘Boxing Day’ become a U.S. holiday?

Don’t forget about “Boxing Day.” It’s coming up on Dec. 26, the day after Christmas. It’s a really big deal in Great Britain and some of the other Commonwealth countries, including Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

 

It has nothing to do with cardboard cartons or prize fighting. Boxing Day’s true origin is a bit fuzzy, but European in nature. 

Houses of worship often had an alms box bolted to a wall in which to collect charitable donations for the poor. Some theologians suggest that this practice may date back to Pope Innocent III, who served from 1198-1216.

 

Traditionally, the alms box would be unlocked and opened on the day after Christmas and its contents would be distributed to the needy. Hence, “opening the box day” became an important event for the church family. Congregants would rush out into the community spreading their generosity. 

Was it a coincidence that Boxing Day was the same day as Saint Stephen’s Day? Probably not, according to historian Christopher Klein of Andover, Mass. 

In the Bible, Stephen was the leader of the seven deacons who were appointed by the apostles “to minister to the physical needs of the faithful.” 

Stephen was known for his acts of charity toward the downtrodden. He was described by Luke in the Book of Acts as being “full of faith” and “full of grace and fortitude.” 

“The Lord used Stephen mightily in ministry,” said the Rev. Andrew Moore of Saint Stephen Orthodox Church in Hiram, Ga. Stephen “was called upon to serve tables – that is, be sure that provisions for widows and orphans of the church were made each day. He performed great wonders…among the people.” 

By the 19th century, “boxing” was used a term to describe the awarding of holiday bonuses to postmen and others who worked in “lowly service positions.” 

One source remarked: “In England, gifts among equals were exchanged on or before Christmas Day, but beneficences to those less fortunate were bestowed the day after.” 

Klein said: “Lords of the manor and aristocrats typically distributed ‘Christmas boxes’ filled with small gifts, money and leftovers from Christmas dinner to their household servants and employees” to take home after being required to work on Christmas.” 

Some credit England’s Queen Victoria, who reigned from 1837-1901, for instituting Boxing Day as a national holiday, granting domestic employees a day off to celebrate with their own families.

 

Could Boxing Day become Americanized? It’s highly unlikely. Dec. 26 is an important day for Americans to return gift items that are the wrong size, wrong style, wrong color or defective in any way.

 

Perhaps the almsgiving aspects of Boxing Day could be a point of emphasis, however. Charlotte Riggle, an author in Sumner, Wash., suggests families consider some charitable activities, such as collecting food during Advent. 

“St. Stephen’s Day would be a perfect day to deliver it to your local food bank,” Riggle said. “Or pick up two or three second-hand coats at a thrift store and deliver them to a homeless shelter. Buy pet food for a local animal shelter. Send a check to a charity that serves the poor. The important thing is pick one and do it!” 

Afterward, bake a batch of “footprint cookies” in remembrance of the Christmas carol “Good King Wenceslas,” and “the holy saint’s footprints in the snow,” Riggle said.

 

Find the recipe and lyrics on the Catholic Cuisine blog posting from Dec. 26, 2012.

Harry Stewart’s Christmas song will make you smile

Yogi Yorgesson is back on the radio singing his hit holiday song, “I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas.”

You instantly recognize his “comically exaggerated Swedish American accent.” Yogi began his “career” as a radio character created by Harry E. Stewart in 1932.

Stewart’s big break in the entertainment industry came in 1949, when he wrote “I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas” for Capitol Records. The 45-rpm recording featured “Yingle Bells” with twisted lyrics on the B-side. 

By mid-December, both sides had landed on the Billboard Best-Selling Pop Singles Top 20 list, and the week before Christmas, both sides were in the Top 10. Right after Christmas, “I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas” reached Number 5, and the single became one of Capitol’s permanent hits – being reissued virtually every year.

 

Stewart was still riding the crest in 1956, when he died in a single-vehicle crash at age 47. He recorded more than 40 songs for Capitol. 

“I Yust Go Nuts at Christmas” was memorialized in 1989, when it was selected as one of the top 16 Christmas novelty songs of all-time for a holiday season CD produced by Barry Hansen, who is known professionally as Dr. Demento, an American radio broadcaster and “record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonography.”

Dr. Demento thinks Stewart’s “most famous song is hysterical.” Judge for yourself from these selected lyrics:

 

Oh, I yust go nuts at Christmas

On that yolly holiday

I’ll go in the red like a knucklehead

Cuz I’ll squander all my pay.

 

I look at nightgowns for my wife

Those black ones trimmed in red

But I won't know her size and so

She’ll get a carpet sweeper instead.

 

I look at my watch and midnight is near

I think I’ll sneak off for a cold glass of beer

Down at the corner, the crowd is so merry

I end up by drinking about 12 Tom & Yerry

 

Yust before Christmas dinner, I relax to a point

Then relatives start swarming all over the yoint

On Christmas, I hug and I kiss my wife’s mother

The rest of the year we don’t speak to each other.

 

Oh, I’m so glad Merry Christmas comes yust once a year.

  

(A Tom and Jerry is a traditional Christmastime cocktail in the United States. It is a variant of eggnog with brandy and rum added and served hot, usually in a mug or a bowl.)

Here’s the story about ‘Good King Wenceslas’

Christmas carol character “Good King Wenceslas” was modeled after a very good man named Wenceslaus, who was the Duke of Bohemia and lived from 907-35. 

Historian Elizabeth Davis of London, England, said Wenceslaus was the elder and “good son” born to a Christian king and a mother who came from a pagan tribal family. Wenceslas’ younger brother, Boleslaus, was labeled the “cruel son.”

Wenceslaus was revered by the people of Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic), according to the chronicles recorded by Cosmas of Prague. He wrote of Wenceslaus’ legendary deeds:

“Rising every night from his noble bed, with bare feet and only one chamberlain, he went around to God’s churches and gave alms generously to widows, orphans, those in prison and those afflicted by every difficulty, so much so that he was considered, not a prince, but the father of all the wretched.” 

The next part of the story does not go well for Wenceslaus, who became a popular Christian ruler at age 18, succeeding his father. Wenceslaus was slain at age 28 by brother Boleslaus. 

“Wenceslaus was regarded as a martyr and saint almost immediately after his death, but he wasn’t promoted from Duke of Bohemia to King of Bohemia until Holy Roman Emperor Otto I, who ruled from 961-73, gave him the title posthumously,” Davis wrote. 

“There’s a brilliant legend attached to a statue of St. Wenceslaus in Prague,” she said. “If the Czech Republic is in danger, the statue of King Wenceslaus will come to life, raise a sleeping army and reveal a legendary sword to bring peace to the land.”

 

In 1853, the Rev. John Mason Neale of London, an Anglo-Catholic priest, scholar and hymnwriter, memorialized the spirituality and generosity of King Wenceslaus in his “Good King Wenceslas” Christmas carol.

 

Rev. Neale pictured Wenceslas watching a poor man collecting wood on a cold winter’s night on Dec. 26 (Saint Stephen’s Day). 

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night, tho’ the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel. 

Dr. Ralph F. Wilson, a Baptist pastor with Joyful Heart Renewal Ministries in Loomis, Calif., explained: 

“Wenceslas directs his page to gather meat, drink and firewood that they will personally carry to the poor man’s home. The servant almost gives up, but Wenceslas calls on him to walk directly behind him. And miraculously, the servant can feel the saint’s warmth as he walks in his footprints.”

 

“The carol concludes with a call to all Christians to bless the poor, and in that find a blessing for themselves,” Dr. Wilson said. 

Rev. Neale’s carol became the anthem of “Boxing Day” on Dec. 26. It trumpets the British tradition of charitable giving on the second day of Christmastide.

Rev. Neale experienced poor health his entire life and died in 1866 at age 48. The Most Rev. Richard Trench, Archbishop of Dublin, called John Neale “the most profoundly learned hymnologist of our church.”

Rev. Neale could read, write and think in 21 languages and was especially conversant in Latin and Greek, making him “one of the most erudite scholars, one of the best linguists, one of the most profound theologians and the foremost liturgist of his time.” 

His coffin there was inscribed by his own direction: “J. M. Neale. Poor and unworthy priest resting under the sign of the cross.”

Wassailing is an English tradition to extend holiday cheer

Ready, set…wassail. The holiday season is the reason for all of England to imbibe by drinking from large bowls of wassail…as long as winter lasts.

The beverage is a concoction of mulled ale, curdled cream, roasted apples, eggs, cloves, ginger, nutmeg and sugar…and served warm. The drink was considered an “elixir of life.” 

The translation of “wassail” is: “Be in good health.” The brew was sometimes called “Lamb’s Wool,” because the pulp of the roasted apples was frothy and looked a bit like the soft wool from a lamb. 

There was always singing and merriment to accompany the wassailing. Or was all that carrying on caused by the drinking of the wassail?

 

During the 1600s, in England’s cities, towns and villages, groups of yuletide merrymakers would go from one manor to another, carrying their wassail bowl in hand, singing traditional songs and generally spreading fun and good wishes…asking in return for more alcohol, figgy pudding and money.

 

As the traditional song, “Here We Come a-Wassailing,” tells us: 

We are not daily beggars

That beg from door to door;

But we are neighbours’ children,

Whom you have seen before.

 

Love and joy come to you,

And to you your wassail, too;

And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year.

 

Freelance journalist Lucas Reilley of Baltimore said: “At Christmastide, the poor expected privileges denied them at other times, including the right to enter the homes of the wealthy.” Here’s another verse:

 

Good master and good mistress,

While you’re sitting by the fire,

Pray think of us poor children

Who are wandering in the mire.

 

Jurist John Seldon (1584-1654) was a party pooper who expressed great disdain for wassailing. He said: “You must drink of the slabby stuff; but the meaning is, you must give them money.” 

The practice of wassailing was watered down in America to become known as “caroling,” sans the boozy bowls. 

Rural communities had a different form of wassailing. Where apples were grown in England, historian Ellen Castelow said: “People would bless the trees by going into the orchards, singing songs, making loud noises and dancing around to scare off any evil spirits.”

 

This activity would “‘wake up’ the trees so they will give a good crop” in the following autumn, according to Castelow. 

“It was also common to place toast, which had been soaked in wassail, into the boughs of the trees to feed and thank the trees for giving apples. That’s where the term to ‘toast’ someone with a drink comes from,” she said.

 

A common song by the orchard wassailers began:

 

Old Apple tree, we worship thee,

And hope that thou will bare

Hatfuls, capfuls and three bushel-bagfuls…

A little heap under the stairs.

Three cheers for the apple tree.

It took several centuries, but the orchard version of wassailing arrived in America in 2014, reported Jennifer Nalewicki for Smithsonian magazine. She said apple cider makers in New York state have begun to embrace wassailing as a new holiday season custom. 

Wassailing is a big production for the DeFisher family, owners of Rootstock Ciderworks in Williamson near Lake Ontario, east of Rochester, N.Y. This year’s celebration in the orchard will occur on Feb. 2, from 6-11 p.m. and features live music by the raucous six-member band “Banned From the Tavern.”

Let’s raise our voices to sing a holiday classic

Seventy years ago, Perry Como and The Fontane Sisters with Mitchell Ayres & His Orchestra recorded one of the Christmas classics – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

 

The upbeat tune was written in 1951 by Meredith Willson of Mason City, Iowa. Willson is best known for writing the music and lyrics for the 1957 hit Broadway musical “The Music Man.” 

“It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” has been covered through the years by the likes of Bing Crosby, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Kate Smith, Johnny Mathis, Harry Connick Jr., Michael Bublé, Martina McBride, Meghan Trainor and Kelly Clarkson.

 

The song contains a lot of nostalgia, including the mention of “Hopalong boots” that were on the wish list of Barney and Ben. 

Not everyone is old enough to remember that great American cowboy who always wore a black Stetson hat – Hopalong Cassidy. He was portrayed first in the movies and then later, both on radio and television, by actor William Boyd.

 

In contrast, Hopalong’s trusty stallion Topper was pure white. They worked well together, riding through the West, “saving damsels-in-distress and righting wrongs,” remarked Stephanie Berget, an author of western romance novels. Neither man nor horse ever kissed one of the damsels, however. 

The original Hopalong character was created by Clarence Mulford, who wrote 28 Hopalong Cassidy novels between 1906-41. Mulford’s Cassidy was a rough-and-tumble cowboy “who got shot in the leg during a gunfight, which caused him to walk with a little ‘hop,’ hence the nickname,” Berget said. 

For the movies, the Hopalong character gave up drinking, cursing, gambling and using tobacco. He was transformed into “a clean-talking, polite, sarsaparilla drinking cowboy hero,” Berget said. In all, William Boyd starred in 66 films from 1935-48. Called “Hoppies,” they were noted for their fast action and beautiful outdoor photography. 

TIME magazine once declared: “Boyd made Hoppy a veritable Galahad of the range, a softspoken paragon…who tried to capture the rustlers instead of shooting them, and who always let the villain draw first if gunplay was inevitable.”

 

Next came the Hopalong Cassidy radio show, which ran from 1948-52. Radio historian John Dunning said: “Boyd had one of radio’s perfect voices. His voice could do anything – comfort a bereaved widow one moment, scare the boots off her husband’s killer the next.” 

Beginning in 1950, several of the Hopalong films were shortened for television. An additional 52 half-hour episodes were produced to continue the television program’s run from 1952-54. 

Actor William Boyd identified with his character, even dressing as Hopalong for public appearances. The Wikipedia biographer said Boyd “believed that it was his duty to help strengthen his ‘friends’ – America’s youth.” (You can easily find the 10-point “Hopalong Cassidy’s Creed for American Boys and Girls” online.) 

I cherish the letter Hoppy sent me in 1953, thanking me for attending the “Chicken by the Sea Tuna Party” in Toledo, Ohio. He addressed it to Master Mike Wagoner. I was 4+ years old. That was pretty cool. 

The typewritten message read: “I had a wonderful time, and I was especially pleased to be able to meet you personally. I only wish we could have been with you longer to get better acquainted. Say ‘hello’ to your folks for me. Good luck from your friend, Hoppy.” 

I proudly display a black-and-white photo of Hoppy with me and two other young friends. It’s positioned next to my Hoppy plate, bowl and cup. 

The Hoppy “pistol that shoots (caps)” is safely tucked away.

 

 America’s ‘cowboy culture’ deserves to be revered

 Thanks to The Buckaroo Band of Houston, Texas, for preserving the history of “the matinee cowboys,” such as Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. 

“Today, in addition to singing the songs of our heroes, we love to watch the reruns on the Western Channel and recall a simpler time in our history when right and wrong were not measured by polling a group of citizens,” the band members say. 

“Return with us to those thrilling days of yesteryear” and “our cowboy heroes’ codes, creeds, oaths, prayers and rules.” 

Begin with “Hopalong Cassidy’s Creed for American Boys and Girls.” Here it is: 

1 - The highest badge of honor a person can wear is honesty. Be truthful at all times. 

2 - Your parents are the best friends you have. Listen to them and obey their instructions. 

3 - If you want to be respected, you must respect others. Show good manners in every way. 

4 - Only through hard work and study can you succeed. Don’t be lazy. 

5 - Your good deeds always come to light. So don't boast or be a show-off. 

6 - If you waste time or money today, you will regret it tomorrow. Practice thrift in all ways. 

7 - Many animals are good and loyal companions. Be friendly and kind to them. 

8 - A strong, healthy body is a precious gift. Be neat and clean. 

9 - Our country’s laws are made for your protection. Observe them carefully. 

10 - Children in many foreign lands are less fortunate than you. Be glad and proud you are an American. 

To learn more about The Lone Ranger, Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, go to buckarooband.com.