Ketchup: An American Invention?

Due to the popularity of the last post and procrastination (I watched all 5 hours of Pride and Prejudice last night), I have decided to make this a series of entries. Due to requests, today we will look into the history of Ketchup.

The origins of this tasty condiment, which graces 97% of households in America, lie in the Near West (as I call it because Portland is actually to the east to what everyone else calls the "Far East"). In the 1600s, sailors and merchants brought back a sauce from China called ke-tsiap. Translated, this tasty treat roughly means brine of the picked fish or shellfish.

This sauce was made with anchovies, walnuts, and oysters. The name was changed to catchup, and in 1711 we have the first signs of "ketchup" being marketed. It wasn't until 1812 that the first recipe for ketchup included tomatoes. This crazy invention was created by an ex-pat American, Canadian.

In the 1830s, it was first sold in bottle. In England it was called "tomato chutney" to distinguish it from the former concoction. At that point it was rather runny and almost transparent. (Mmmm...)

In 1837 it was sold nationwide due to the efforts of Jonas Yerkes. Then in 1872, HJ Heinz added ketchup to its pickled products line and introduced it to the Philadelphia fair. To this day, his formula hasn't changed.

In 1981, the Reagan administration tried to get ketchup declared as a vegetable. Because "ketchup" was the actual name of this potential new veggie, companies, such as Del Monte, changed their variable spelling (e.g. catsup) to the now almost standard ketchup.

While Reagan was unable to get ketchup on the vegetable list, it does have some nutritional value. One tablespoon of it has all the nutriets of a medium ripe tomato, and it is rich in anti-oxidants which may decrease cancer risks.

There have been many variations and selling tactics such as colored ketchup, an alleged ketchup flavored ice cream, and celebrity names gracing the packing. Who could forget Lindsay Lohan's Burger-licious ketchup? Still, the regular red ketchup is what graces the shelves and is now an American staple.

Source: eSSORTMENT, Culinary Sleuth, and Planet Ketchup

Ranch Dressing: Condiment

Where did ranch dressing come from? Hidden Valley claims it is the "original." In case anyone has ever wondered about that claim of Hidden Valley Ranch, I've taken some time to do some research for you.

Ranch dressing is made up of milk, sour cream, mayonnaise, minced green onions and other seasonings. Some people also add cilantro to this mixture. (Mmm, doesn't that sound nice and fatty?)

It was created in California in the 1950s at the Hidden Valley Ranch. Apparently this was a dude ranch near Santa Barbara, California that housed weekend guests. The owner of the ranch, Steve Henson, developed this dressing while in Alaska.

The guests of the ranch loved the dressing so much that soon it was the only dressing served and some people ate it over ice cream. People wanted to take the dressing home, but Henson didn't have enough bottles for everyone. Instead, he put the mixture in an envelope and told the guests how to make it at home with the other ingredients.

Henson eventually started a mail-order business where he sold his packets for the ranch dressing. Eventually, he expanded to the large business that we know today!

Source: Wikipedia and Hidden Valley Ranch

Score for the Hair Dresser

It's time to give props to Isabeau for her magic with the scissors. I've gotten more compliments on my hair today than I had the entire time I had my last hair cut.

If you want her phone number, email me.

What Needs to Happen

Ok, so the Trojans almost lost to Fresno State (because I decided to start watching they failed to do so). Fresno state was 16th in the nation. The Trojans have to play #12 UCLA next week. USC is undefeated.

Texas has to play Texas A&M next week. A&M is 5 and 5. They are 4th in their half of the conference. They've also lost their last three games. One of those was against #16 Texas Tech. Texas is undefeated.

LSU is #3. The BSC rankings have yet to come out, but most likely they will be #4 in the BSC. In order to make it to the national championship, Both USC and Texas must lose next week. While there is a slight chance it could happen with the Trojans, I fear A&M cannot live up to its duty.

Yes, I recognize that if LSU had not lost to Tennessee, we would not need all this to happen. But maybe the stars will align. Maybe the BSC will finally put LSU in the right spot (#3). Maybe only one team needs to lose. If all this happens, then LSU might be going to the Rose Bowl to become national champions.

I believe all this can happen.

OH MY GOD!

In a little over a month, I'm going to be 25. That sounds so old. I can't believe I'm reaching my mid-twenties. When did I get here and how?

On a good note, I got to see a sneak peek of the new Harry Potter movie. I'll save discussion after the real release for fear of those who have not seen it yet getting mad at me.

Back to my freak out. Twenty-five and direction in life. I will have a really good paying job when I graduate. All of my friends will be leaving town. I'll stay here in Portland with my job. When I leave my job and this town I will be at least 28. That's almost 30! I'm getting old.

TWENTY-FIVE. I remember being 16 and singing the song from The Sound of Music. Now my brother is about to be 17 going on 18. "I am 24 going on 25" just doesn't have a musical ring to it.

Plus, at this point in my life my mom was married and had given birth to me. I'm still in school and very far away from being married (or having kids for that matter.)

TWENTY-FIVE.

Panda Porn

Apparently porn can be used for educational purposes:

On the trivial side, pandas in captivity sometimes are not successful at mating. Usually, this is due to lack of experience. In order to tackle this problem, keepers of the bears in China have been known to show "pornographic/educational" videos to the bears, the contents being pandas having sex with each other. Amazingly, the bears get stimulated by the videos. However, it is not likely that they learn from the video itself; rather, scientists believe that the audio content of excited pandas has an impact on the bears exposed to it.

I find this amazingly interesting. I mean, who knew that porn was the universal foreplay? When it comes down to it, though, couldn't they just play a CD of pandas doing it?

No Bull

So, the bull was out of commission. Because we're all old fogies, we left the really loud bar and went to the karaoke bar instead. I sang two songs. It was great.

Then we went to the gay bar to dance. Wow, one of the least threatening environments to dance in. You know none of these guys really wants to go home with you. Instead you can just dance away.

Quite an evening.

The Mechanical Bull

Tonight it's gonna be ridden.

Tomorrow there's gonna be pictures.

Eulogy of a Tank Top

Dear Black Tank Top,

You were the centerpiece of my wardrobe. You layered so nicely and fit so well. You never lost color or shape. You've been all over the world with me. What will I do without you?

You didn't have that useless shelf-bra. Your straps were perfectly skinny. The black was a perfect black.

Now I'm left alone with the other tank tops, but they don't hold a candle to you. You were everything, and now that you're lost, I find myself lost as well.

I'm sorry to not have recognized your importance when you were mine. It's another case of you don't know what you have until you lose it. I was so careless. You're gone, and I have no idea were to find you.

Know that you will always be in my heart. I will think of you every time I look for a black tank top. My thoughts are with you always.

Love,
Your faithful wearer.

Thought of the Day

Do non-human entities (like businesses) celebrate birthdays or anniversaries?

Mmm. Banana

I just had a banana and a quart of milk for breakfast. It was amazingly filling and oh so good.

I think I might have to stop and buy a banana more often.

Portland, Oregon: The Country's Least Date-able City

As my time here reaches two and half years, I will take time to reflect on the pitiful dating pool that is so shallow, it should be called a puddle.

• Single women outnumber single men -> for every 100 women there are 91 men. I know this doesn't seem like a very large difference, but it is very noticeable when you're a woman going out.
• The average male in Portland is short. In fact, I've seen very few men who break the 6-foot barrier here. For a woman who is 5'9" (apparently I'm 4 to 5 inches above the average height for women) this places me in a terrible dilemma.
• Granola. What does this mean? It means that almost every young person here doesn't give a shit about what they look like: the tattered, Goodwill clothes; the stretched out ears; the multiple piercings; the odd haircuts and hair colors; the unkempt appearance; the ready-to-go-backpacking-at any-moment look; the flannel; the shorts+sweater+flip-flops.
• The attitude of most people in Portland is "Let it be." No one seems proactive about relationships - friendship or dating. No one goes out of their way to meet anyone. Everyone seems lazy, unless a tree is dying or an animal is getting run over. No one seems to care about other people.
• You're either a partying undergraduate or a happy homemaker. What happened to the in-between? There is no middle ground of twenty-some things who want to meet, hang-out, and have a good time. Old farts and drunk frat boys here.

All this can be yours for the overpriced cost of living here in Portland, Oregon. I can't figure out why we'd be listed as the number 8 city for singles to relocate to. I don't see the value. Real estate is over-priced and the amenities aren't that great.

For almost the same price, I could live in New York, which is the heart of things to do for a single person. I wouldn't even need a car, so all the money for insurance, gas, and maintenance would go into an apartment and make it the same cost to live there. And you get paid more when you work there.

I'm just saying that if you're going to move somewhere, Portland is not the place I would suggest. There are plenty of other places that cost the same and give you more.

Disturbing on So Many Levels

Check out the hearsay exception movie

The Rain Won't Stop

It's the fourth day of rain. It won't stop.

I'm really ready for the rain to stop. The water just keeps falling from the sky. It's like being in Louisiana again. I thought I moved away from all this. Let it stop. Let it stop. Let it stop.

Also, the torture that is called Business Principles won't end either. I can't wait to get home and just VEG. That's all this weather is good for anyway.

You Know What Annoys Me?

Guys.

Well, in a way. I mean I just hate guy behavior. They claim women are hard to read, but I'd like to say there is no rhyme or reason to guy behavior. Nothing I've been able to figure out in my lifetime.

The most recent incident is random people on friendster. I changed my profile seeking friends, activity partners after a few disastrous incidents with two different guys. This third guy emails me (despite the change in status) and we began exchanges messages. I mean for a bit there were probably 5 messages a day.

Just so you know, I'm not someone who just emails back for fun. There has to be something there that I feel is worth talking about. Well, it was all find and dandy until this weekend. I replied to a message of his, and I received a three line response. Thinking that my curt (but cute) ways didn't go across properly over the internet, I tried to write back a nicer message (that didn't really require a response.) The dialogue opened up again, and it seemed OK.

I didn't hear back for a while. I didn't really stress. Then yesterday I received a "Happy Halloween" email that asked about my weekend. I didn't hold back. Maybe I should have, but really why should I? Maybe I scared him off. Maybe my drinking (which is something I will not give up) seemed excessive. Anyone who knows law students couldn't feel that way, though.

In any event, no response. One word: Lame.

I'm beginning to truly believe that any guy looking to date through friendster isn't worth dating.

And I wasn't even looking to date anyone!

Friends Don't Let Friends Vote Republican

On the origins of the party mascots:

The Democrats think of the elephant as bungling, stupid, pompous and conservative -- but the Republicans think it is dignified, strong and intelligent. On the other hand, the Republicans regard the donkey as stubborn, silly and ridiculous -- but the Democrats claim it is humble, homely, smart, courageous and loveable.

Adlai Stevenson provided one of the most clever descriptions of the Republican's symbol when he said, "The elephant has a thick skin, a head full of ivory, and as everyone who has seen a circus parade knows, proceeds best by grasping the tail of its predecessor."