National Bagel Day 2024

If there's a commonly munched-on food that deserves its own special day, the bagel certainly qualifies. And that day of celebration, National Bagel Day, arrives Monday, Jan. 15.
Let's give the doughy circular delicacy its due. Admittedly, we have made-up holidays devoted to other favorite foods such as National Taco Day, National Hamburger Day, and National Mac and Cheese Day But none of those foods has the legacy that bagels do.
One food that might be able to challenge the bagel is pizza, which became popular in the 19th century, according to History.com, but the word "pizza" likely arose centuries earlier. Perhaps that's why there's a National Pizza Week, which runs Sunday, Jan. 14, to Saturday, Jan. 20, and a National Pizza Day on Feb. 9.
A brief look at the history of the bagel

The bagel originated in 13th century in what is now Poland, according to National Geographic, which credits the history to Maria Balinska, author of "The Bagel: The Surprising History of a Modest Bread." Jewish bakers made larger ring-shaped boiled breads, then transitioned to a smaller single serving bread known as the "bajgiel" in Polish and "beygal" in Yiddish.
Bagels came to the U.S. as a food with European Jews who began immigrating in the 19th century. By the mid-60s, bagels were the "fastest-drawing bun in the yeast," the New York Daily News reported in 1965, National Geographic says.
 

 What happened to the classics?

Where did they go? Greenville had historically great classic restaurants that defined Greenville for generations. In a blink they were gone. They didn't just serve food. They represented a way of life. Places that were home away from home. Where you knew the owners and servers and they knew you. Food was good and reasonably priced. The cost was fair. You didn't feel ripped off. It didn't break the bank. What you got was expected. No more. No less. Places for breakfast like Tommy's and Genes's and Bullocks. Real meals cooked like you would at home. Nice places like Stax Peppermill and The City Club and The Open Hearth and Gerards. Consistent places like Capris, Perones and K & W and Dragon Den and Comos Petes and Little Pigs BBQ Lake Forrest with the school desks. Downtown places like Addeys, The Red Barron and Charlies Steak House and The 858 and Luna Rosa and Nantucket and Barleys. So many that have come and gone. Just memories that fade away with each passing year. TEM

 

Too Much

Everything today seems to be too something. Too expensive. Too long. Too much. Here are some TEM thoughts:

Golf - 18 holes are too many. After 15 you are worn out. You are swung out. You are hot and tired. 15 holes would be perfect. 9 is not enough. After 9 you want a few more, but not 9 more (maybe even 12)

Portions - Too big. We live in a gluttonous society. We eat 2-3 times the art we need to sustain a healthy life. One meal can easily be shared by two adults. We eat too much

House - Again, too big. In the 1950s the average home size was 983 sq ft. Today it is 6121 sq ft. Why? Family size is smaller than ever. Most of these large homes are for just 2 people

Cars - Too expensive. Way too expensive with less quality than ever. So much plastic

College - Too expensive. Way too expensive. Not worth the expense. Poor ROI and forever debt

Gas - Are you kidding? A blink ago it was under $2/gal. A blink before that it was under $1/gal. Drill. Drill. Drill. We were near energy independence, then we weren't. More natural gas and solar and wind and nuclear and electric and whatever

Medicine - Too much medicine and way too much money. Everything is a pill. Even if your insurance allows you to buy medicine for $25, look at the "actual" amount on the receipt. $2500? I guess that is what the pharmacy is charging the insurance company. Ridiculous

Insurance - How much insurance do we need? Apparently a lot. They sell insurance for everything. Too many plans. And you're scared not to buy it. It's easy to become insurance poor. There is even "Plant Insurance". More ridiculous

TMI - Too much information. Life was simpler when we didn't have so much information. We learn too much too fast. Ignorance is bliss. I miss the bliss

Let's all try to simplify and uncomplicated our lives. Less is More

TEM

 

Eating Post Pandemic

The pandemic changed everything. Including where and what we eat. For some ridiculous reasons the cost of eating has skyrocketed. 

Grocery shopping has gone from pleasure to pain. You need a second mortgage to pay the exorbitant costs. But, eating in is still much less than eating out. A few suggestions: Beans and Rice / Rice and Beans - You need filler food. Beans, Rice, Potatoes, etc. Foods that won't break the bank. Buy BOGOs - Buy One Get One Free. Buy sale items. Buy store brands vs name brands. If it is not on sale or not a store brand or not a BOGO .... don't buy it. If chicken isn't on sale this week, don't eat chicken this week. 

Eating out is a new adventure. Restaurants are hardly printing menus anymore since they are raising prices faster than than the ink can dry. A few tips to eating out semi ok: Don't be afraid to ask the waiter or cashier for their thought as to the best deal on the menu. If they won't say, ask to speak to someone else. There is a best deal. You just have to find it. As an example, at Panera there is a little known and never pushed item called "Duets". It's the best deal they have. For $6.99 (was $5.99 up until just a few weeks ago) you get a combo of two. Either soup, salad or sandwich. At The Big Clock you can get a Fried Chicken dinner with salad, bread and side for $7.99. You must call head because it takes 20 minutes to make. At Tropical Grille there is what could be the best double smash burger in town with a side for $8.99. At Harris Teeter you an get a large, made from scratch, hot, unlimited toppings pizza on Mondays for $8.99. Waffle House -$5.00 for two eggs, toast and hash browns, with free entertainment. There are deals out there. They just take a little effort to find them (A few more tips - Share. Most portions are plenty big enough for two people to share. That will cut the cost in half. We all eat too much. Try to avoid restaurants where you have to tip. Tips drive your costs up. And lastly, drink water. Restaurants really get you on there drinks. Way too expensive. Especially, alcoholic drinks. They drive your meal cost way up). TEM

 Covid Thoughts

2020. What a year. Sadness on so many levels. From a food standpoint, a most interesting year. Mostly bad, but some fascinating revelations. We didn't go out to dine-in so much. But, we did get lots of takeout. I assume we have gained significant weight as a society. In fact, a recent report revealed that due to the crazy year, we will all live one year less. Actually, two or three years less depending on your skin color. And, we all learned how to cook. We discovered that eating at home was actually better, healthier and less costly than eating out. New recipes were tried out. We opened up our minds and stomachs to new treats. Let's always look at the positives. A few other Covid thoughts -

• Why do people look so much better in masks? A woman walks in a room with a mask on. She looks good. Apparently very attractive. Pretty eyes. Hair ok. The mask comes off and she looks rough. No makeup. Bad teeth. Ugly, if any, smile. Older than first thought. Maybe we need to wear masks forever. I am going to lobby for mandatory Burkas

• Does Covid only exist 4' and higher? Is there no Covid when we sit down? We have to wear masks walking in and out of a restaurant or if we go to the bathroom. But as long as we sit, we are immune

• Smiling takes effort. With masks, we will never have to smile again. And, we can make nasty faces and stick out our tongue, all while saying "have a nice day." Hypocrisy can be taken to a new level

• What's up with these restaurants still not allowing eat-in dining? Even at any percentage. That is as far left (or right) crazy as anything. Starbucks has been closed to eat-in forever (remember they are headquartered in Seattle). So has Chick fil A. Panera has never closed. Waffle House has a "Welcome Covid" sign on their doors. I hate hypocrisy and inconsistency. Open up

Last thought for now. I implore all of you to get your Covid vaccine. There is no government conspiracy. You won't start glowing. The government is not putting a tracking chip in you. You WILL save your life and others. Stop hesitating. Get your vaccine

TEM

 

Brain Freeze: How To Prevent It From Happening

When trying to win an ice cream sundae or milkshake challenge, both loaded with very cold substances, you need to understand how to effectively minimize the risk of getting brain freeze. Nothing will ruin your  enjoyment of a delicious 5,000 calorie bowl of ice cream or gallon of milkshake quite like a painful and intense brain freeze. An “ice cream headache” or “brain freeze” is caused by quickly eating or drinking cold substances, and it is experienced when those cold substances (ice cream, milkshake, Slurpee, etc.) touch the roof of your mouth, or palate. The roof of your mouth is filled with nerve endings and receptors, and a brain freeze is the direct result of the rapid cooling and rewarming of the capillaries. We will keep the scientific portion to an extreme minimum, but basically the blood vessels contract in response to the cold substance in an effort to prevent loss of body heat. As the coldness recedes, the blood vessels relax again, quickly increasing blood flow to your brain. This sudden reaction is what causes the intense headaches.

The brain freeze sensation typically lasts for twenty to thirty seconds and it is really tough to keep eating or drinking while experiencing that pain, so most people just have to take a short break and let the pain go away before they continue. If your challenge has a time limit, and especially if you are trying to set records, you cannot afford to spend thirty seconds waiting for a brain freeze to go away. Therefore, you need to understand what you can proactively do before and during your challenge so that you can all but eliminate your chances of getting a brain freeze. I have beaten a milkshake challenge and have conquered many ice cream challenges, and I have never gotten brain freeze. After those challenges, people always ask why I did not get a brain freeze, and I jokingly respond, “Because there is nothing up there to freeze!” The truth is though that I do certain things to make sure I don’t ever get brain freeze, which is really not that hard to do at all. Here are simple tips that you should follow during your own ice cream and milkshake challenges to help you avoid getting brain freeze too:

Preventative Tips You Should Follow To Avoid Getting Brain Freeze

1. Do NOT use  a straw to drink milkshake and melted ice cream – No matter how you do it, your main goal is to keep the cold dairy away from contacting the roof of your mouth. By drinking through a straw, you are giving that milkshake and melted ice cream an open “golden ticket” to touching the roof of your mouth. Using a straw is almost a guarantee that you will get brain freeze. Use a spoon or pick the container up and drink it instead.

2. When using a spoon, flip it over when it enters your mouth – As recommended in How To Win An Ice Cream Challenge, you should use an extra large spoon during sundae challenges so that you can scoop as much ice cream or frozen custard into your mouth as you can at one time. You will be able to eat more ice cream at a faster pace and win the challenge. If you are not careful though, this quick eating can lead to brain freeze. You can easily prevent this from happening by flipping your spoon over as it enters your mouth. By doing this, you are putting the plastic or metal from your spoon in between the ice cream and the roof of your mouth. Swallow the ice cream while pulling out your utensil and the ice cream will never have even touched the roof of your mouth!! This will also help you clean all the ice cream off your spoon so you can dig it back in and get more.

3. Drink your milkshakes rather than using a spoon – Did your parents ever tell you to “Quit playing around with your food and just eat it?” Using a spoon to consume a milkshake is definitely playing with your food. During milkshake challenges, you are given a spoon, and you of course have the option of using it, but really it should only be used to stir up the milkshakes to make them more “runny” and drinkable. Using a spoon is definitely recommended over using a straw, but that will take way more time and effort than just simply picking each milkshake up and drinking it. By chugging the milkshake, you are basically sending it directly to the back of your throat so that it can quickly be swallowed. It will barely have a chance to contact the roof of your mouth. Using a spoon allows the ice cream to linger longer which just increases your chances of getting brain freeze.

4. Drink warm water or coffee during the challenge – Water has a high “specific heat” and can transfer energy (heat) to other substances very quickly, so it is highly recommended that you drink warm water or coffee along with your milkshake or ice cream challenge. If you begin feeling a brain freeze sensation developing in your mouth, quickly take a drink of your warm liquid. You will notice that the liquid quickly warms the temperature of your mouth back up to normal so that you can happily swallow the substance and continue eating. Sometimes I immediately chase my big bites of ice cream with warm water just to make sure I don’t get any short feeling of discomfort. I do this when drinking milkshakes quickly too. Out of all the tips in this article, this is definitely the most important one to remember. If you do end up getting an intense brain freeze, which may happen of course, just take a quick break and sip your warm water or coffee. This will be much more effective than covering your mouth and breathing quickly or pressing your thumb up against your palate. You will definitely have to request the warm water, just like you will have to request the hot coffee (if you like coffee with ice cream), and you will probably get a weird look from your server. If they bring you water that you feel is not warm enough, you may need to take your cup into the bathroom and pour your own hot water from the faucet. 

Follow the four main tips above and you will avoid getting brain freeze too. TEM

As I write, we are all under duress as we fight the not-so-great virus war of 2020. Our only thoughts re food are 1. When can I eat out again? and 2. Do I enough toilet paper? Soon  and you do. I assure everyone that this is not the new normal. There may be a new normal, but this is not it. This too shall pass. Hopefully we have all stocked up on necessities. Not hoarded. Just well stocked for 2-3 weeks. Not 2-3 months. Remember that our supply chains have not been interrupted. We have plenty of everything for everyone. You see empty shelves at the stores because people are hoarding and stores can't restock fast enough. Take a deep breath. It's going to be ok. As answers come into focus we will find clarity. Without clarity we have confusion.

" Confusion is the chief cause of worry" 

I ask my millions of loyal followers to not worry. I, The Eating Man, assure you that soon we will all be once again enjoying the delicious tastes we love. TEM