Saturday Christmas Eve Surprise!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, Holidays, Humour, Saturday Surprise

Somehow it just didn’t seem right to do a post about political turmoil on Christmas Eve, and especially since it’s Saturday and I haven’t done a Saturday Surprise post for several weeks now.  So, let’s combine Christmas Eve and Saturday Surprise into one fun (hopefully) post!

I thought it might be fun to look at some of the Christmas food traditions around the globe. In Portugal, for instance, Christmas means lampreia de ovos, a sugary likeness of a blood-sucking eel-like parasite.  It is a curved, eel-shaped mound of egg yolks, sugar syrup, and almonds that will stare at diners with candied-fruit eyes and a big smile.

Looks pretty friendly and harmless, doesn’t it?  If you’d like to try making one at home, you can find the recipe here. Now, you might be surprised to learn what the Christmas feast in Japan is …

Yep, good ol’ Colonel Sanders Kentucky Fried Chicken, complete with all the trimmings including a side dish of shrimp gratin.  Every year, some 3.6 million Japanese families celebrate Christmas with fried chicken, courtesy of Colonel Sanders. KFC has become such a big deal in Japan that Christmas accounts for roughly a third of the franchise’s annual sales there.

Now in some of the Central European countries, notably the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia, they really like their carp for a Christmas treat.  They like it as a savory aspic, a fish soup, or perhaps breaded and fried.  But they don’t just go to the grocery store and purchase a dead fish … oh no!  They catch the fish a few days ahead of time and then keep it alive in the bathtub until they’re ready to cook it!

They swear that giving these bottom-feeders a chance to clear their digestive tracts results in a cleaner flavor profile.  The only real glitch with this method is that you can’t catch feelings for your temporary housepet. In The Carp in the Bathtub, a 1972 children’s book about a Jewish family in New York, two siblings valiantly attempt to save their catch from becoming gefilte fish.

And on to another Christmas food venture … Gingerbread is a holiday favourite, at least in many places.  This year, The Museum of the City of New York invited top bakeries and amateur bakers from across the city to enter Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off.  Bakers from around the city made gingerbread replicas of famous landmarks in New York City.  I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of them …

Long Island City’s Sans Bakery fashioned the iconic 7 train and Silvercup Studios out of gingerbread

John Kuehn designed a gingerbread version of Manhattan’s Madison Square Park.

Kozlowski used food coloring to paint an edible copy of the classic mural at Madame Sousou’s Cafe in Astoria.

Staten Island’s Bruno’s Bakery reconstructed the borough’s famous ferry as part of its entry.

Bruno’s Bakery, which has been open in Staten Island for 40 years, made the borough’s famous Snug Harbor buildings.

Well, friends, as they say in da history books, “‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house, there was clutter enough to scare off a mouse.” I must go bake a pie, make some cranberry sauce, toss some towels in the wash, and whatever else it is that needs to be done around here.  I hope you all are having a fun time with wrapping, baking, etc., and I hope you are staying warm!  The temperature as I write this is 4 below zero here! And that’s farenheit … in celcius, it’s -20°! Luckily, we still have electricity, for many power lines came down in last night’s winds and heavy snowfall.  Also luckily, I don’t have to leave the house today!

38 thoughts on “Saturday Christmas Eve Surprise!”

  4. Merry Christmas, my friend. We are having a white Christmas for the first time in a long time – it snowed a lot, froze, rained and wreaked havoc on the city, and is not melting away…. so maybe will still be a bit of snow left for tomorrow? We will see. Have a wonderful Christmas!!

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    • Merry Christmas to you, dear friend! Enjoy your white Christmas!!! Here, it’s too cold to get out and have a snowball fight, too cold to even open the blinds, so the white Christmas is rather wasted! And just think … this is only the first week of winter!!! Happy Day to you, Kevin, and the kitties!!! ❤

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    • And to you and yours, as well, dear friend! I’m glad you enjoyed the gingerbread structures … a lot of time and effort goes into those … I couldn’t do it! Merry Christmas!!! 🎅

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  9. Thank you for sharing some holiday cheer and memories!.. hope you and your family gather more memories to add to your book of memories!.. had, and having, weather similar to your weather and I will be home alone this holiday, BUT hey, I woke up on the green side of the grass (or in this case snow), food is prepared , I have a warm home, and heart, filled with memories and my little tree is up with presents so I am good… 🙂

    Hope you and your family have the mostest, wonderfulest, happiest, merriest, fantastical Christmas ever filled with peace, love and goodwill and until we meet again…
    May love and laughter light your days,
    and warm your heart and home.
    May good and faithful friends be yours,
    wherever you may roam.
    May peace and plenty bless your world
    with joy that long endures.
    May all life’s passing seasons
    bring the best to you and yours!
    (Irish Saying)

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    • Thanks, Dutch!!! Yes, for me this holiday is all about friends and family, and I will be enjoying both, as well as a fine dinner that I only have to cook part of! My heart isn’t really into it, but it doesn’t matter … for one day, I will set aside the worries and just enjoy the people I’m with. I’m glad you are at peace and hope you enjoy your holiday as well. Yes, we must be thankful for waking up on the topside of the snow, and for the fact that unlike some we have a warm home and food to eat. Hugs to you, dear friend.

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  11. A mere -20° C, Jill? That’s a heat wave. We have been more than -40 below, either scale! for days, with wind chills in the -50° C range. We can send you some if you like. Should be there for New Year’s Day. Bon voyage!!!

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