Food news antipasto

Let’s start this week’s installment off with something that definitely fits the ‘quirky’ food news category, about a Canadian bartender’s dying wish. You might expect that it would be to meet an icon in the field or to serve a drink to someone famous. Not even close. The real truth is so absurd that I doubt you could guess it in 100 attempts, and it is so weird that I can’t bring myself to actually type it. You’ll just have to read it for yourself.

If the thought of making a huge holiday meal is making you panic, read this article about Thanksgiving the Julia Child way. Take a cue from the inimitable Child, who did not go overboard with making fancy or fussy dishes. She kept things simple because she realized the meal was more about the people gathered around the table than it was about the food.

The next link comes to us from an EYB Member, and it is a good one heading into the dreary winter months for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Cold and flu season can leave us or our loved ones in the doldrums, and sometimes chicken soup is the perfect remedy – and that is a literal remedy, not just a platitude. While scientists do not fully understand why soups and other foods help make us well, studies show that these comforting foods can actually aid in our recovery.

Do you have a Christmas pickle ornament hanging from your tree during the holidays? If so, you might have grown up in Michigan or surrounding states, where the ornament and accompanying tradition, which rewarded children who found the pickle on the tree, likely got its start. Southern Living delves into the mysterious origins of the Christmas pickle.

Photo of Chicken noodle soup from Everyday Annie by Annie & Cook’s Illustrated