The Food We Love to Hate...and Toss

Image courtesy Getty Images.

There is an urban legend that there is only one fruitcake in the world, but it has been passed around (re-gifted) so many times people think there are multiple.  I once sent out holiday cards that had a recipe for fruitcake on the cover, the ingredients of which included a 100-lb bag of cement, rebar, and a keg of nails.  If I remember correctly, there were pieces of broken glass to stand in for the candied fruits.

This image and the image below courtesy of this site.

Fruitcake is the dessert people love to hate.  A tradition for the winter holidays, it can be found in fine gift shops and catalogs or at your local dollar store. Depending on what type you like, and where you buy it (or what recipe you use to make your own), it can be delicious or it can live up to its loathsome reputation.

This fruitcake is 150 lbs. and measure 5x6'.
Proof that Texas likes big fruitcakes.  ;-)

Fruitcakes were placed in tombs in ancient Egypt.  They were also carried by Roman soldiers on the march.  Crusaders packed them to take on their way to find the Holy Grail.  All these facts attest to their durability, and their reputation for longevity, since ancient times.  This durability is what has earned their reputation as doorstops.

Image courtesy of www.yahoocake.com.

There are basically two types of fruitcake.  The "light" fruitcake is made with light-colored ingredients such as granulated sugar, light corn syrup, pineapples, apricots, and golden raisins.  "Dark" fruitcake is made with darker ingredients such as molasses, brown sugar, dates, dark raisins, and prunes.  They can contain candied fruits or dried fruits, nuts, spices, and often some kind of liquor.  There is a high ratio of fruit and nuts to batter, the batter usually being just enough to hold everything together.

The earliest recipe is from ancient Rome, and lists pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, and raisins mixed into a barley mash.  Preserved fruits, honey, and spices were added in the Middle Ages.  When it was discovered that sugar could preserve fruits in high concentrations, candied fruits became popular.  This also made fruitcakes more affordable.  Fruits would be soaked in progressively greater concentrations of sugar.  This made both the flavors and colors intensified.  The inclusion of nuts caught on in areas where they were grown.  In the 18th century fruitcakes, which had by now included some sort of liquor, were outlawed because of it in Europe, but the law was soon repealed because fruitcake had become a standard teatime fare.

Image courtesy www.farmersmarketonline.com.

What turns most people off is the candied fruits.  Candied citron is made from the peel of that fruit.  Pineapple, cherries, and citrus rind is made by dipping or boiling pieces in heavy syrup and then drying them.  Often they are then rolled in granulated sugar.  The bright green cherries are also a turn-off - the color is unnatural and unappealing.  (I personally have never seen fruitcake on a menu, except as one of the multiple offerings at tea.)

Image courtesy of www.mabelbakes.com.  This was made with 23 ingredients.

The average weight of a fruitcakes is two pounds.  Because of the high density of sugar, mold doesn't develop which accounts for much of its longevity.  The alcohol helps.  Aging is an important element, most bakers agreeing that it should be made at least one month before eating.  Kept in an air-tight tin, and moistened with small amounts of alcohol every few months, fruitcakes are said to last three years.  This allows the flavors to meld.  Since fruits contain tannins, the aging process is similar to wine.  When ready to consume, the fruitcake should be heavy but moist.  In 2003, Jay Leno made fruitcake history by agreeing to taste test a 125-year-old fruitcake brought to the show by Morgan Ford.  The fruitcake was his great-grandmother's, and had been handed down through the generations. Apparently it wasn't lethal.

Gethsemani Farms in Kentucky is widely praised for their fruitcakes.

In Manitou Springs, Colorado, there is an annual Great Fruitcake Toss.  It is held the first Saturday in January.  If you don't have a fruitcake, you can "rent" one for a dollar.  Admission is one non-perishable food item.  Fruitcakes can be hurled, tossed, or launched by a non-fuel device.  There are two weight divisions - two pound and four pound.  Fruitcakes must contain glacéed fruits, nuts, flour, and be edible.

This image and the image below courtesy
Andra DuRee Martin/Manitou Springs Chamber of Commerce.

In the past there has been four categories.  Catch the fruitcake is done by teams. Accuracy at hitting targets placed at 75, 125, and 175 feet is another category. The crowd judges the most creative launch, and finally the showmanship/peoples' choice award is judged by costume, slogans, and decorated devices.  The 2012 event will take place on January 14th, from 9:00 A.M. until 2:00 P.M. at the Manitou Springs High School track.

Westerners are not alone in the getting-cakes-we-don't-particularly-want category. Asians have mooncakes - thin and tender crusts with a sweet and dense filling, sometimes with whole salted egg yolks inside to symbolize the full moon.  The fillings range from lotus seed paste to sweet bean paste to five kernel (5 types of nuts and seeds mixed with a syrup), depending on the region.  They are very, very sweet, and traditionally not very healthy.  They began in China, but are now found in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines.  They are traditionally eaten during the Mid-Autumn festival, an important Chinese festival dedicated to lunar worship and moon watching.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.

This year, if and when you receive a fruitcake gift, think of its glorious history.
You can also wonder if the ancients held fruitcake tosses, and if they re-gifted it among themselves as well.  Perhaps the one you receive has an illustrious pedigree.

***************

For more information on The Great Fruitcake Toss, check this site.

Fruitcake lovers may want to check this site.

*******************************

Unsung Heroine of the Polish Ghetto

Let me stress most emphatically that we who were rescuing 

children are not some kind of heroes.  Indeed, that term 

irritates me greatly.  The opposite is true.  I continue to
have pangs of conscience that I did so little.

Irena Sendler in 1942.

Thanks to Steven Spielberg, most people have heard of Oskar Schindler.  Few people have heard of Irene Sendler.  Yet the Polish Catholic social worker helped save some 2,500 Jewish children during WWII.

Image courtesy of this site.

She was born to a physician who died when she was seven from typhus contracted from his patients, many of them Jews that other physicians wouldn't treat.  Jewish community leaders offered to pay for her education; she had close links to the Jewish community and even spoke Yiddish by the age of seven.  In 1935, ghetto benches were introduced in Polish universities - segregated seating in a special section where Jewish students were forced to sit under threat of expulsion.  Sendler was opposed to this and sat with her Jewish friends, and thus was almost expelled. A professor intervened, allowing her to continue with her studies.

Jewish children in the Warsaw Ghetto.

This early testament to her ethical beliefs was a harbinger to her future endeavors. The Zegota, a codename for the Polish Council to Aid Jews, existed for the express purpose of helping Polish Jews get to safety.  Poland was the only country in occupied Europe to have a dedicated secret organization.  Prior to joining the Zegota, Sendler with a group of other like-minded people created over 3,000 false documents to help Jewish families.  This was an extremely risky undertaking, as Poland had the most severe punishment of all occupied European nations for anyone harboring Jews.  She was selected by the Zegota in 1943 to head the children's section.  Since she was employed by the Social Welfare Department she had a special permit to enter the Warsaw Ghetto to check for signs of typhus. Under this pretext, she and others smuggled babies and small children in ambulances, packages, and even a toolbox.  She also used an old courthouse and sewer pipes as routes to smuggle children out.

1942 poster warning of death for any Pole who aided Jews.

Sendler assured the children that they would be reunited with their relatives when the war was over.  The group hid lists keeping track of everyone they rescued in jars buried in the ground.  She worked with a Catholic orphanage in Warsaw, convents, and parishes to place the children.  She was arrested in 1943 by the Gestapo, who tortured her and sentenced her to death.  She bribed her guards who released her on her way to her execution, but was listed on a public bulletin as one of the executed.  She lived in hiding until the end of the war, but continued aiding Jewish children.  After the war she turned over her lists, but most of the families of the children had been exterminated or were missing.

Image courtesy of this site.

During the Soviet takeover of Poland she was persecuted for being in contact with the Polish government in exile.  She was not allowed to travel abroad by the Polish communist government to Israel to receive the Commander's Cross she was awarded by the Israeli Institute in 1964.  She finally received it in 1984.  She was also honored with the Righteous Among the Nations, a medal awarded by the State of Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust.  In 2003, fellow Pole and rescuer Pope John Paul II send her a personal letter of praise.  That same year she was given the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest civilian honor.  She received many other awards.  She was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but lost to Al Gore for his work on global warming.

Sendler in 2005.

She died in 2008, known and honored by those who were aware of the efforts to save those threatened by the Holocaust, but little known to the world in general. She first came to public awareness in the year 2000, when a group of Kansas schoolgirls wrote a play about her called Life in a Jar.  A documentary was made featuring her last interviews.  It premiered earlier this year on PBs in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day - Irena Sendler, In the Name of Their Mothers.  But to those she saved, and their progeny, she will be loved and remembered always.

***************

Images, unless otherwise noted, courtesy of Wikipedia.

*******************************

Twiggy Branches Out

"I always hated what I looked like.  I thought I looked skinny and funny 

and too shy and too small.  I thought everyone had gone stark raving mad."

Twiggy aka Leslie Hornby

"She'll last a couple of weeks," a bystander in 1967.

I was in junior high when Twiggy burst onto the scene.  With her stick figure, her boyish hairstyle, and those heavily made-up eyes, she was called the "anti-woman" by Susan Cheever.  She had no breasts, she wore white lipstick, she bit her nails, and she was knock-kneed and "coltishly awkward".

Much has been written about female body types and the effect fashion has on teens.  I won't go into that, but I'll admit to trying white lipstick (it doesn't look good on anybody!), and trying to draw under eye lashes.  I looked more like Raggedy Ann than a supermodel, but I tried.  No way was I going to cut my long hair, but as it was curly I slept on orange juice cans (empty, with both ends removed) as they didn't have huge rollers on the market yet.  My dad used to tease me about wearing sewer pipes to bed, but he was more disappointed that I gave up swimming because it interfered with my attempts at a straight coiffure.

It all started for Leslie Hornby when a celebrity hairstylist was looking for women to sport his new androgynous hairstyle.  He wanted to take pictures and hang them in his salon.  Leslie reportedly spent seven hours in his salon getting her hair dyed the right color then cut.  Off she was whisked to a photographer, and the resulting pictures shot her into stardom.  The photos were seen by Deirdre McSharry of the Daily Express and she did an article on the young 16-year-old girl calling her "The Face of  '66".  

By the time she was 17, a year later, she was one of the most photographed faces in the world.  Her picture was put in a time capsule and sent into space.  That same year she released a single, "Beautiful Dreams", and marketed a line of clothing called "Twiggy Dresses" aimed at the teenage market.  She came in on the wave that brought unisex clothing and a reversal from previous fashions.  Often called the first supermodel, she, herself, considers that to be Jean Shrimpton, her predecessor and then-idol.

"The Shrimp" was the number one cover girl in 1965.

Her name came from her childhood nickname, "Twigs", but also aptly described her figure.  She was 5'6", rather short for a model, and anywhere from 90 to 110 pounds, depending who you read, at age 16.  It took her two hours to do her trademark eyes, and about five minutes to make up the rest of her face.  Her hair, obviously, required no great effort.  She soon became a household name.

Image courtesy of tumblr.

In 1967, her second year as a celebrity, she went to NY where she starred in three documentaries for the ABC network.  She was on the covers of all the American fashion magazines, then published her own magazine in the U.S. - Twiggy:  Her Mod Mod Teen World.  Mattel released a doll, similar to Barbie, based on her.  The U.K. also released a documentary on her life.

Image courtesy of tumblr.

The following year she traveled to Japan where her single was a No. 1 hit.  She filmed several commercials there.  When her dresses were released in later Germany that year, she traveled there to promote them.

In 1969, she filmed a commercial for Diet Rite Cola where she sang and danced. She officially retired from modeling in 1970, although she has ever since done the occasional shoot.  That year she was cast in the movie "The Boy Friend", and went on to have a successful career as a stage, screen, and television actress.

A guest on The Muppet Show.  Image courtesy of www.muppet.wikia.com.

At the height of her modeling success, she was the subject of much merchandising. In the U.K. there were her dresses complete with special hangers, tights, and badges stating "Forget Oxfam, Feed Twiggy".  In the U.S., Milton Bradley introduced the Twiggy Board Game in 1967.  Aladdin that same year offered a Twiggy lunchbox and thermos.  Yardley sold Twiggy false eyelashes, and there was many other paraphernalia offered by various manufacturers.

Eventually she grew up, gained weight, and is today 62 and slender with long hair. She is a supporter of animal welfare, is anti-fur, and promotes breast cancer research.  She still does some promotional shots, and has written a couple of books, done more songs, and has other merchandise lines.  She generally goes by her trademark and married names - Twiggy Lawson.

Not bad for a skinny little Cockney girl!

***************

Images, unless otherwise stated, from her website.

**************************

Quirky and Idiosyncratic Oregon's Search for Symbolism

The state of Oregon has had much confusion of the origin of its name.  It's not the only confusing name in the state.  There is even a book - Oregon Geographic Names - now in its 7th edition and published by the Oregon Historical Society Press, that delves into it.  The University of Oregon bookstore sells stickers reading "ORYGUN" to teach people how to pronounce it, first distributed by Oregon Ducks quarterback Joey Harrington when he was drafted by the Detroit Lions in 2002.

What may be even more confusing is Oregon's search for the right symbol - or symbols.  There are 26 official emblems designated by the Oregon State Legislature, most listed in Title 19, chapter 186 of the Oregon Revised Statutes (2007 edition).  The first symbol was the motto - "Alis Volat Propriis" written in 1854 in Latin, meaning "She Flies With Her Own Wings".  It has been the motto except for a 30-year period from 1957-1987 when "The Union" was used.  The motto and the seal, designed two years before Oregon became a state in 1859, were the only two symbols for over fifty years.

By 1950, Oregon had six official symbols, and by 2000 it had 22.  The most recent symbol is Jory soil, declared the state soil in 2011, after failed attempts to make it the official state symbol.  Jory soil is deep, well-drained soils in the foothills surrounding the Willamette Valley.  It is formed from the loose material accumulated at the base of hills from gravity, known as colluvium.  Found on more than 300,000 acres in western Oregon, it supports forests, mostly Douglas fir and Oregon white oak, and is very productive. Many things are grown on it, from berries and filberts to wheat, and of course grapes for the burgeoning wine industry.

Jory soil.

The American beaver (Castor Canadensis), the largest of North American rodents, is the state animal.  Beavers can be found in most of the larger streams and rivers, of which there is an abundance.  They were once over-hunted since they were prized for fur, but there has been a recovery in the beaver population through hunting management and partial protection.  Oregon State University teams are called The Beavers.

Oregon has been called "The Beaver State", but that is unofficial.  Oregon does not have an official nickname.  A suggested one is "Things look different here", alluding to the idealistic culture.  The cities are not so indecisive.  Portland has a motto - "Keep Portland Weird" - which is well-known in "Portlandia".  Even the coastal town of Yachats has a motto in keeping with their attitude - "La de da".  In 2003, it was suggested that the state have an official tartan, but the bill never passed out of committee.

Image courtesy of flickr.

Image courtesy www.yachats.info.

There is an official fish - the Chinook Salmon - which was an integral part of Native American diet.  The Chinook is the largest of the Pacific salmon, and is endangered from overfishing and damming.  Three years ago the Dungeness crab (Cancer magister) was selected as the state crustacean.  The Western meadowlark has been the state bird since 1927, chosen by school kids in a poll sponsored by the Oregon Audubon Society.  (It is a very popular bird as it is also the state bird of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, and Wyoming.)

The Oregon Swallowtail (Papilio Oregonius) is the state insect, and has its Latin and common names suggest, it is native to the region.  The Oregon hairy triton (Fusitriton oregonensis) is the state seashell and was named by conchologist John Howard Redfield in 1846.  It is covered with bristles and it can be found ashore at high tides.  There is even a state rock - the thunderegg - which are rough spheres similar to geodes.  The largest one found, weighing 1.75 tons, is at the Rice Northwest Museum of Rocks and Minerals in Hillsboro, Oregon.  This differs from the state gemstone, the Oregon sunstone.  These attract collectors and miners with its spangled appearance when turned certain ways.  It is a type of plagioclase feldspar, an important constituent of the earth's crust and even of the earth's moon.

Since Oregon is the home of foodies who are locavores and love fresh, organic, and healthy foods, there are state symbols in the food department as well.  The state beverage is milk, a nod to the dairy industry, especially Tillamook County. The state fruit is the pear (Pyrus), which is Oregon's number one tree fruit crop producing about 800 million pears each year.  The state nut (okay, there may be a multitude of them) is the hazelnut, aka filbert.  Oregon is said to produce 99% of the hazelnuts consumed in the U.S.  Mushrooms love Oregon so much, that the state choose one as the official state mushroom - the Pacific Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus), found throughout the state's conifer forests.  The largest chanterelle harvest in the world comes from Tillamook State Forest.

The state flower is the Oregon-grape (Mahonia aquifolium) which is native to the west coast.  It is an evergreen shrub, the berries of which are used to make jellies, and provided food for the Native American diet.  Metasequoia, the dawn redwood, flourished in the state in the Miocene age and now provides an abundance of fossils.  Although they were long extinct, live 100-foot trees were found in China and brought to Oregon fifty years ago to ensure their survival.  The Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is the state tree, and a timber product.  It was named for a Scottish botanist, David Douglas, who was in Oregon in the 1820s.

There are many more symbols, but the final one here is the state dance.  The square dance was chosen to exemplify the lively spirit of the Oregon character. Why Oregon for this post?  Well, it's where I want to live...and eat...and drink wine...and dance.  Hopefully, soon.

***************

Unless otherwise noted, images courtesy of Wikipedia.

*******************************