A Brief History On September 30, 2024, we celebrated another National Chewing Gum Day, which brings us the question, “Who invented chewing gum?” Who do we have to thank for this tasty treat? Digging Deeper The answer is not so simple. While we generally think of chewing gum as a product of chicle from Latin America, the predecessors of modern chewing gum go back thousands of years in a wide variety of resins, saps, plants and other concoctions people used to satisfy their need to chew. Ancient Finns and Ancient Greeks chewed tree products that they flavored, while the Aztecs…
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A Brief History On September 29, 2024, we celebrate another National Coffee Day, reveling in our appreciation for that “Cup of Joe,” “Shot of Caffeine,” “Java,” “Go Juice,” or whatever you want to call it. Hot or cold, coffee keeps America going to the tune of 400 million cups a day! Digging Deeper Nearly half of all Americans drink coffee, and the US is the largest consumer of coffee among all countries. On the other hand, per capita coffee consumption leaves the US back at #25, while Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden lead the per capita race,…
A Brief History On August 25, 1958, the first ever publicly marketed instant noodle meal called Chikin Ramen was sold by Nissin Foods, a Japanese food company. Still made today, the product was the invention of Momofuku Ando. Digging Deeper Various types of ramen noodles are common today, and although high in sodium, they are easy to prepare and rather tasty. Some other “instant” foods developed during the Baby Boomer generation (1946 to 1964) include: TV Dinners made their debut in 1954 when Swanson started selling frozen dinners in aluminum trays so busy moms did not have to cook and…
A Brief History On August 1, 2004, about 400 people died and another nearly 500 were injured when a supermarket in Asunción, Paraguay, caught fire. Managers had fire exits blocked to prevent theft, which resulted in the mass casualties. Digging Deeper Something as mundane as grocery shopping can be deadly, and here are some ways incidents prove the point: In 1967, an F-4 fighter jet crashed into an Arizona grocery, with 15 feared dead and 12 injured. In 2013, a store in Riga, Latvia, suffered a roof collapse, burying people under tons of debris, leaving 54 dead and 41 injured.…
A Brief History On April 15, 1955, McDonald’s hamburger and fast-food chain claims their founding by Ray Kroc in Illinois when he opened a franchise restaurant of the hamburger stand brand founded by Richard and Maurice McDonald in California. Since Kroc made McDonald’s the fast-food giant that it is, it is not surprising he would use the date of his involvement as the “founding” date. Digging Deeper Some interesting McDonald’s facts include: Mickey D’s has over 40,000 locations in at least 119 countries. The runners up in most fast-food locations is Subway, followed by Starbucks, KFC, and Burger King. McDonald’s…