Welcome to your Morning Cuppa for new Year’s Day, December 1st, 2008

Today is New Year’s Day, National Bloody Mary Day, Oatmeal Day, National Hangover Day (In the UK), St. Basil’s Day (Eastern Orthodox)

Wow, what a list! There’s obviously a lot going on at the beginning of the year.

What better day than January 1st to be proclaimed national Bloody Mary and National Hangover day. (I think they go hand in hand, myself) Oatmeal day? Is there a tradition I’m missing here? I know about Black Eyed peas on the first day of the new year, but oatmeal?

St. Basil’s Day has interesting traditions, especially in Greece, where St. Basil’s Cakes (a Cake with a coin in it) is distributed in a very specific order.

“The cake is distributed in accordance to a strict order. First piece is for St Basil, the second for the house, the next for the most senior member of the household down to the youngest member and also including absent members. There may also be a piece of cake for the cattle and a large piece for the poor. Whoever finds the coin in their piece of cake will be lucky for the next year.”

Absolutely Cool.

Today in Food History:

45 BC New Year’s Day was celebrated for the first time on January 1 when the Julian calendar took effect.
(It was also the date of the very first New Year’s Hangover.) 1449 Lorenzo de Medici (The Magnificent) of Florence was born. Many in this Italian noble family were patrons of learning and the arts. Lorenzo’s great granddaughter, Catherine, is known as the ‘mother of French haute cuisine’ because when she married the French king Henry II, she brought the finest Italian chefs, and her passion for fine food, with her to France. (With apologies to my French readers. Reasonable rebuttals accepted for future publication).
(so really, his only contribution to the world of food was his sexual exploits… Hmmm)

1735 Paul Revere was born. A silversmith and American Revolutionary folk hero, he also made surgical instruments and false teeth.
(Included here because he made some truly nice teapots and silverware.)

1800 Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton died. A French naturalist, he was a pioneer in several fields including plant physiology. He conducted many agricultural experiments and introduced Merino sheep to France. First director of the Museum of Natural History in Paris.
(Why does every other place in the world get all the prime mutton?)

1876 The first world’s oldest trademark is the red triangle registered for Bass Pale Ale. (Some sources say 1883 or 1890)
(a good reason for a trademark, if you ask me!)

1876 The first agricultural experiment station was established at Middleton, Connecticut.
(Attack of the killer parsnip’s followed shortly, though it wen largely unreported. The next incident occurred in 1978, when a doctor was working with tomatoes.)

1895 C.W. Post of Battle Creek, Michigan introduced Postum Food Coffee, a coffee substitute made from wheat, bran and molasses.
(Oh, C’mon!!! Why mess with perfection?)

1898 Post Grape Nuts are introduced by C. W. Post of Battle Creek, Michigan. (There are no grapes or nuts in Grape Nuts).
( I’ve always wondered at the name myself. A quick look brought me here , where I found that the cereal got its name because it contains maltose, a grape sugar, and has a nutty taste… Who knew?)

1905 The New York Times builds the Times Tower at Long Acre Square, has the name changed to Times Square and celebrated the event with a New Year’s Eve Fireworks show. The beginning of an American tradition at Times Square.

1907 The Times introduced the New Years Eve Ball on their building at Times Square in New York. Descending to mark the end of the old and the beginning of the New Year ever since.

(neither of the above have jack to do with food, but they are interesting facts nonetheless.)

1909 Marcel Proust had a flashback. On January 1, 1909, he ate a piece of tea-soaked toast whose taste caused a flood of childhood memories. In his 7 volume allegorical novel ‘Remembrance of Things Past,’ the character named Swann has a similar experience when he bites into a lemon cookie (a ‘Madeleine’) which brings on a similar flood of memories.
(Funny, I had a similar experience with onions about a week ago… Food really is a powerful thing.)

1935 In Miami, the first Orange Bowl was played on this day in 1935. Bucknell University wins over the University of Miami, 26-0.

1935 The first Sugar Bowl football game was played on this day in 1935 in New Orleans.

(Both of the above are included because they are named after food, not because of any relation to it.)

1935 B. (Barnard) Kliban was born. A satirical cartoonist, best known for his cat cartoons. A few of his cartoon book titles: ‘Never Eat Anything Larger Than Your Head’, ‘The Biggest Tongue in Tunisia’.
(I’d call the first title just good plain common sense, myself!)

1996 The last Polynesian tree snail, species Partula turgida, died at the London Zoo. They lived on the South Pacific island of Raiatea, where the residents imported predatory snails from Florida to eat a pest snail, originally imported from Africa. Instead they ate the native Tree Snail to extinction. We never seem to learn about the consequences of introducing nonnative species.
(Next will be the three nippled carp. It’s in serious danger…)

1998 Smoking is banned in California restaurants and bars.
(And restaurants in the state loose millions in revenue for the next two years, as smokers refuse to visit the establishments.)

Your Morning Recipe:

• Vasilopita (St. Basil’s Cake) Recipe from Recipezaar.
• The Classic Bloody Mary recipe , from drinksmix.net

Today in food history information is gathered by FoodReference.com . Check out their food trivia quizzes and more!