Thursday, October 1, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?”
Pink Floyd, 'Another Brick in the Wall, Part II (1979)
FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• Pudding season begins.
(Pudding Recipes --- Pudding Quotes) • International Coffee Day
(Coffee Trivia & History --- Coffee Quotes) • World Vegetarian Day
[North American Vegetarian Soc] • National Homemade Cookies Day (?)
(Cookie Recipes --- Cookie Quotes) • World Sake Day (Japan Sake Brewers Assoc.)
(The Secrets of Sake) • St. Therese of Lisieux, patron of flower growers. • UK: National Vegetarian Week (Oct 1-7, 2026)
[The Vegetarian Society] (Vegetarian Trivia)
(Vegetarian Quotes --- Vegetarian Recipes) • UK [British Food Fortnight] (Sept 17-Oct 2, 2026) • UK: [Fairtrade Fortnight] (Sept 21-Oct 4, 2026) Celebrate the people who grow our food, people who live in some of the poorest countries in the world and who are often exploited and badly paid. • UK: Seed Gathering Season (Sept 21-Oct 21, 2026)
[The Tree Council] Gather seeds, fruits and nuts which can be nurtured to grow the trees of the future.
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1795 Robert Bakewell died (born, May 23, 1725). Bakewell was an agriculturalist who helped revolutionize cattle and sheep breeding in England. He obtained the best animals he could find and then worked with a closed herd, inbreeding only superior animals. 1882 Eugene and Victor Villaume opened a box-making business in St. Paul, Minnesota. Villaume Brothers received their first order from Hamm's brewery. 1907 The 18 story, 750 room Plaza Hotel opened at the corner of Central Park South and Fifth Avenue in New York City. It set the standard for luxury accommodation and service the moment it opened. Mr. and Mrs. Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt were the first guests to sign the register. 1908 The Model T Ford was introduced at a price of $825. Due to efficient mass production, by 1925 the price of a 2 door Model T was only $260. 1913 A monument to honor sea gulls was erected in Salt Lake City. The gulls had eaten the plague of grasshoppers that threatened the Mormon settlers crops in 1848. (Grasshopper Trivia & Facts) 1924 James Earl (Jimmy) Carter was born. He was a peanut farmer, and 39th president of the U.S. (He also claimed to have been attacked by a rabbit while canoeing. He beat the rabbit off with a paddle). 1931 The new Waldorf-Astoria hotel opened on Park Avenue in New York City. The 47 story, 1500 room hotel was the largest and tallest in the world for many years. (see also March 13, 1893) 1943 Jerry Martini of the music group 'Sly & The Family Stone' was born. 1946 Procter & Gamble registered the 'Tide' trademark for its 'sudsing, non-liquid, soap-like detergent.' 1958 American Express launched the American Express travel & entertainment charge card. The cards were paper until 1959 when plastic cards were issued. 1968 Flesh eating Zombies are on the loose as George Romero's horror film 'Night of the Living Dead' is released. 1971 Disney World opened at Orlando, Florida. 1972 Louis Leakey died. Anthropologist largely responsible for convincing scientists that Africa was the place to search for human origins, not Java or China. Together with his wife Mary, they made many significant fossil discoveries. 1974 The first McDonald's restaurant opened in London. 1980 European Community countries banned the use of hormones in cattle feed. 1996 The U.S. minimum wage was raised to $4.75 per hour. 2006 Sometime during October 2006 the population of the U.S. reached 300 million. 2006 The New Orleans landmark restaurant, Commander's Palace, reopened. It had been closed since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in August, 2005. 2009 McDonald's closed its 3 locations in Iceland this month due to the 'complex operational environment.' 2011 World population was expected to hit 7 billion this month. 2023 World population is estimated at 8.1 billion.
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** September 25-October 3, 2026 Arkansas Oklahoma State Fair - Fort Smith, Arkansas September 25-October 3, 2026 Annual Texas Rice Festival - Winnie, Texas September 25-October 4, 2026 Central Washington State Fair - Yakima, Washington September 30-Oct 3, 2026 New Holland Farmers Fair
New Holland, Pennsylvania October 1-3, 2026 - 50th Annual East Texas Poultry Festival - Center, Texas October 1-4, 2026 - 61st Oktoberfest
Amana Colonies, Iowa October 1-11, 2026 - Tulsa State Fair
Tulsa, Oklahoma (SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ (new DAILY questions)1) All of the following events took place in the same year. What year is it?
· The U.S. Bureau of Agriculture was established. It became the USDA (Department of Agriculture).
· Homestead Act opened millions of acres Western land to settlers.
· First large vineyards are planted in California in the Sonoma Valley.
· The first U.S. paper money (national currency notes) were issued.
· The first processed commercial dog food, 'Spratt's Patent Meat Fibrine Dog Cakes.' 2) What family of plants includes: anise, caraway, chervil, coriander, cumin, dill, fennel, celery, parsnip, and goutweed, as well as the poisonous species poison hemlock, water hemlock and fool's parsley, and ornamentals sea holly, masterwort and blue lace flower. 3) This is an Asian member of the mint family grown for its unusually shaped edible tubers. They were introduced to Europe in the 1880s and enjoyed popularity until the 1920s. The tubers look a string of misshapen mottled pearls (they are also described as 'petrified worms). They can be eaten raw, in salads, or stir fried, boiled, baked or in soups. 4) One of the oldest cultivated vegetables, having been cultivated since about 8,000 B.C. Believed to have originated in India and spread through Greece and Italy, they made their way into North America agriculture by the mid-16 century. Anyone allergic to pollen or aspirin should avoid eating them. They can cause an unpleasant mouth itch. 5) This plant grows to about 1 to 2 feet tall, the 'seeds' are actually the small dried fruits of the plant. It is the second most popular spice in the world (black pepper is number one). A key component in both Chili Powder and Curry Powder. Superstition during the Middle Ages cited that Cumin kept chickens and lovers from wandering. 6) The daisy family, Compositae, is the second largest family of flowering plants, but it contains only a few food plants. Can you name them?
Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
· Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
· Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew. Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq. He was 30 yrs. young. Chef James
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