Hey Britlings!
Belated Happy Thanksgiving to you all. By the time you read this you will probably be slouching on the couch, watching some football (or pigskin), wondering why your pants are so tight.
As yet another classic American holiday goes into the books, it’s only your patriotic duty to eat excessively, drink too much and be around family and loved ones…some of whom perhaps you would rather NOT see.
Now most of you know what Thanksgiving is all about so I won’t patronize you and for those that don’t know much about American history – it’s worth googling.
But rather than depress you about what our ancestors did to the Natives, I thought I’d share some fun facts about thanksgiving that you can share over dinner with your family.
Did you know that the first Thanksgiving/or peace offering was in the 1621? Some 150 years before America claimed its independence from Britain. (Another American holiday).
And did you also know that Abraham Lincoln was the president who declared Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863?
Or that George H.W. Bush was the first president to pardon a turkey (How rude was it really?).
Not a lot of people know this one: an average of 4500 calories are consumed on T-Day per person…which will take on average 10 hours to burn off on the treadmill.
And finally for a sad fact: it has been widely reported that 45 million turkeys are killed around this time for us to feast on. Wow! I don’t know about you but that seems like a massive sacrifice… whether you eat meat or not.
I gave up meat 18 months ago and so Thanksgiving is a tough one, because a lot of places don’t think of a substitute so it’s easy to stuff yourself silly on the carbs.
But thanks to Alicia Silverstone I learned about “Celebration Roast” available on Instacart and Amazon. It’s amazing now how many plant-based alternatives there are now. As I’m getting older I’m feeling more conscientious about our planet and a greater empathy for all God’s creatures.
I tried being full vegan and admit after six months found it quite difficult to keep up with the nutrients my body was missing. So I started to add a little dairy and some seafood back into my diet.
But now restaurants including BiLA’s own Cecconi’s on Robertson and local supermarkets are catching up with more plant protein-based foods it’s getting easier and easier to live a vegan/vegetarian lifestyle. I hear even “Iceland” back home is stocking up.
Now I know a lot of people don’t want to give up meat but perhaps start by going meat free mondays, an initiative started by Paul McCartney to encourage us to be a little more conscious about what we eat.
Speaking of: avoid Romaine Lettuce as another break out of e-coli has been reported. But don’t feel you need to mark yourself ‘safe from Romaine’ as few folks have done on social media. (I’m sure I’ll get some messages about that).
Anyway, I truly wish you a great weekend whatever and wherever you are whether you celebrate the holiday or not.
Hope to see ya soon!
Craig Young
