Like I’ve mentioned before, I’m a former competitive eater. Which is why it should come as no surprise that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s the one day of the year during which everyone can put their diets aside and tap into their inner competitive eater.
Of course, a bountiful feast is only one part of the holiday. The other part is the whole “giving thanks” thing. So, in between bites of turkey and stuffing, try to take some time to reflect on what you’re thankful for this year. I’m thankful for my family, for my health and for the chance to write about something I love (watermelon!) here on this blog.
Leave a comment below with what you’re thankful for this year. While you think about it, here are a few strange Thanksgiving facts for you to chat about around the table this year:
– Did you know that Thanksgiving gets partial credit for the invention of the TV dinner? When the folks at Swanson misjudged the number of turkeys they’d sell in 1953 (they were off by 26 TONS), a member of the company’s team came up with the idea to slice up the extra turkey and repackage it with side dishes in easy-to-prepare frozen meals.
– The day after Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the year for plumbers. We won’t go into details on this one, and it’s probably best NOT to talk about this fact around the dinner table
– Ben Franklin once led an effort to make the turkey our national bird. According to Franklin, the bald eagle had “bad moral character,” while the turkey was a “much more respectable bird.” (More respectable and more delicious!
– Turkey was actually NOT served at the first Thanksgiving feast…at least not that we know of. Pretty much the only things that we do know were on the menu were venison, corn and fish. They did serve various types of fowl, but turkeys were likely not one of them. Oh, and there was no watermelon at the first Thanksgiving, despite what my edits to the photo above might suggest.
UP NEXT: How did people discover that watermelon was good to eat?