By Sylvia Rieman
It seems that there is a Food Day for every day of the year and sometimes there can be more than one Food Day on a given date. In addition to the Food Days there are Food Months and it seems that each month has more than one type of food dedicated to it. Take October, for instance. In October there is a Food Day every day of the month and sometimes a day is given over to two foods. There are 31 days in October, but there are 36 different food days.
Some foods are given homage during more than one month. For instance, one month, it can be a National Food Day and then the next or two it will be 'eat this food day' or 'pick this fruit day'. Whatever, it does make for some interesting topics and if you follow the food days, you don't have to worry about what to make for dinner. Just make something that is connected with that particular food day.
Let's start out with October First which is 'World Vegetarian Day'. There may be some cultures in which Vegetarianism is followed rigidly, but on the other hand, probably not. There are many people the world over who are Vegetarians' and don't believe in eating animal products for a variety of reasons. Of course, if most of us saw what goes on in Slaughter Houses, there would probably be many more Vegetarians, than not. Even if you are an Omnivore or Carnivore, it certainly wouldn't hurt to be a Vegetarian for one day. A Vegetable Diet, if properly balanced can certainly be healthier for most of us than one that contains a lot of meat products and therefore a considerable amount of fat, which known by most can be harmful if eaten in too large quantities.
October First is also 'Homemade Cookie Day', so if you want to skip the Vegetarian part, just go to the cookies, if you are so inclined. What is your favorite homemade cookie? Probably if one was to poll the general public, Chocolate Chip would win. My preference would be Raisin Oatmeal or just plain Sugar Cookies, although I do make Chocolate Chip almost every week just to keep the household happy.
Now, to go through every single 'Food Day' in October would take more words than anyone would probably want to read, so since October is that month in which one of our favorite days occurs, the days that I will make reference to in the remainder of the article will be days that may be connected to Halloween. Now, this will include Apples, Pumpkins and anything that may be scary! What kind of food is scary? Chocolate Covered Crickets, for one or snakes. Well, we will see!
October 3rd is 'National Caramel Custard Day'. Now, we don't normally think of Custard as something that may be made and eaten for Halloween, but Caramel is. Caramel covered Apples are a favorite treat on Halloween and we will get to those later on in this article. Now, how do you make Caramel Custard? Caramel is made simply by melting sugar, but then of course you do have to add eggs and milk to the sugar. Find a basic recipe and carmelize the sugar content in it to make your Caramel Custard.
October 5th is 'National Apple Betty Day'. You may not think of Betty as Halloween related, but Apples sure are. Betty is a dessert that is made in a similar fashion to Apple Pie, but instead of a crust, the sweetened and spiced apples are simply placed in the dish and then covered with a streusel topping. Betty's make good desserts with a scoop of ice cream on top or as a breakfast item with a little milk added.
October 14th: Here comes one of those 'scary food days'. This is 'Chocolate Covered Insects Day'. You may not find Chocolate Covered Insects in the US, but if you go to Asia, you will find many variations of insects including Grasshoppers. However, they may not be 'Chocolate Covered'. They will probably be just fried insects, unless you go to Japan where you might find Chocolate Covered Ants. I ate Chocolate Covered Ants once, but the Ants are so small and the Chocolate Covering is so thick that you cannot find or taste the ant in it.
October 16th is 'World Food Day'. While this day may not be related to Halloween it is a good time to think about people in other countries or even our own, who may not be getting enough food to function on or even stay alive. If you would like to help 'End Hunger', look up 'World Food Day' on the Internet and find out what you can do to help End Hunger, around the world or in your own neighborhood. Even if you can only do one little thing or contribute a very small amount, every little bit helps.
October 18th is 'Chocolate Cupcake Day'. This may not be a Halloween related item, but it is not one I can leave out. I know very few people who are not fans of chocolate and what better way to eat it than in a cupcake. In the last couple of years, cupcakes have become a very popular dessert and snack item and shops selling cupcakes have raised the ante as to the cost. You can pay anywhere from $2 - $5 just for one cupcake. Help! How crazy can we get! Take that $5.00 and make some at home. You will probably get several dozen from that $5.00 ingredient tab!
October 21st is 'National Pumpkin Cheesecake Day'. Now here is something that is related to Halloween and Thanksgiving too! I think that Pumpkin Cheesecake is infinitely better than Pumpkin Pie which I make but don't really like all that well. I am not a great Cheesecake fan either, but would certainly rather eat Pumpkin Cheesecake than Pumpkin Pie.
October 21st is also 'Caramel Apple Day'. Now, this is one of my all-time favorite treats and I usually make them at least once a year and at Halloween. I actually put them on the menu for my Halloween Cooking Classes. Almost everyone loves Caramel Apples!
October 22nd is 'National Nut Day. Chopped Nuts make a wonderful coating for those Caramel Apples, so you can just combine the two days, October 21st and October 22nd and get them both observed in one food item. That is, if you 'like nuts'.
October 24th is 'Good & Plenty Day'. This is an unofficial observance but with good reason. Supposedly Good and Plenty is the oldest brand of candy in the United States. It was first made in Philadelphia in 1893 by the Quaker City Confectionary Company. And we all know that Good & Plenty is connected to Halloween because it is frequently given out to 'Trick & Treaters'. It is also the perfect confection to eat at the movies, if you can eat them slowly. One box should last through at least one movie if they are eaten slowly enough.
October 26th is both 'Pumpkin Day' and 'Pretzel Day'.Pumpkins we all know are used to carve out those Jack O' Lanterns that we all loved as kids and probably still do as adults. Pretzels make a great treat for Trick and Treat. They are tasty and contain very little sugar, if any at all. Pretzels are also good just for snacking when we get a little hunger twinge.
October 30th is 'Buy a Doughnut Day'. Doughnuts are another snack that is often associated with Halloween, especially if you are having a Halloween Party. Did you ever try to catch a Doughnut bobbing on a string with only you mouth and teeth as a tool? Pretty difficult, isn't it? But so much cause for laughter and fun!
October 31st is 'Candy Apple Day' As much as I like Candy Apples, I don't advise making or eating them. That candy can be really hard and dangerous to your teeth.
All the above are just a few of the 'Food Days' observed in October. If you want to know what the rest of the days in October are, just go on-line and look up 'October Food Days'. You will find them quite easily!
I have been a children's cooking teacher and educator for over 35 years. I teach monthly classes in Westlake Village, California for children, teens and their parents. I love to share my ideas to help kids be safe, learn and have fun in the kitchen. I hold a MS in Nutrition Education and Food Sciences from California State University.
Please check out my website at http://www.sylveeeskitchen.com
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