Tomatoes have been called a super food for their many vitamins, nutrients, and health benefits. Many people consider tomatoes to be delicious, but do you consider a tomato to be a fruit or a vegetable? Well, botanically, a fruit is defined as the part that develops from the fertilized ovary of a flower. Vegetables, on…
As we prepare to “ring in” the New Year with all sorts of revelries, like toasts, kisses, New Year’s resolutions, movie marathons, and more…have you ever wondered why none of those things ring? So why do say we’re going to “ring in” the New Year? Back when the phrase first originated, it actually involved things…
Anyone who’s ever watched a cartoon knows that camels store water in their humps…right? Or do they? Water isn’t the only scarce desert resource; food is, too. And because of that scarcity, camels consume as much food as they possibly can (when it’s available), storing the excess fat in their humps & drawing from that…
Asking for a pancake or a flapjack could leave you with a very different food item, depending on where you are.
Whenever you see a snow-covered hillside, that means one thing: it’s sledding time! Or is it sleighing time? Or maybe tobogganing time? Or what about bobsledding time? Which is it? What’s the difference between them all? Originally a Dutch word, a sled (or “sledge” as British folks refer to it) is any equipment used to…
Everyone has their own Christmas traditions, but not everyone’s are the same. Some folks open presents after breakfast, some people hang stockings up for their dog, some display homemade decorations…and then there are some folks who hide a Christmas pickle ornament in their tree. What is that all about? The tradition, which is believed by…
Ever heard the phrase, “Bah! Humbug!” around Christmastime & wonder what it means? The most famous examples of the phrase come from Charles Dickens’s timeless 1843 tale, A Christmas Carol, in which the curmudgeonly Ebenezer Scrooge regularly proclaims “Bah! Humbug!” when referring to Christmas. Since Scrooge particularly hates the otherwise happy holiday, it’s easy to…
Mistletoe is a strange plant. Certain varieties are poisonous, with their toxic white berries being able to cause a variety of digestive issues. It’s also a parasitic plant, attaching itself onto other trees to steal their water & nutrients. Mistletoe seeds are then dispersed by birds that eat its berries, allowing the plant to grow…
Most families that celebrate Christmas here in the US leave out cookies & milk for Santa & carrots for his reindeer. But is that a worldwide habit? What do other countries provide as snack food for Santa? Well actually, the big guy doesn’t spend his entire 24-hour present-delivery schedule eating only cookies & milk. Santa…
Ever been tempted to pour some bourbon into your coffee, or a little vodka into your O.J., the morning after an alcohol-fueled night out? Basically, combating your hangover with more alcohol, better known as “hair of the dog”? Why do we call it that? And does it really work? The full phrase, “the hair of…