Saturday, November 14, 2026Daily Trivia Questions are below TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE“Hunger is the best pickle.” Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:• World Diabetes Day (Nov 14 each year) [International Diabetes Federation] • National Spicy Guacamole Day (Avocado Trivia & Facts -- Guacamole Recipes) • National Pickle Day (Pickle Trivia -- Pickle Recipes) (Pickle Quotes) • National Split Pea Soup Week: Celebrated in the U.S. since 1969 (Nov 8-14, 2026 - 2nd week in Nov) (Pea Soup Recipes --- Pea Quotes) • UK: National Baking Week (always Oct 14-20) • Australia: [Recycling Week] (Nov 9-15, 2026) TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY1832 The 'John Mason', the first horse-drawn streetcar, was demonstrated to officials in New York City. (see also Nov 26, 1832 for details) 1851 Herman Melville's novel 'Moby Dick' was published. Captain Ahab's search for the white whale. 1863 Leo Hendrik Baekeland was born. He was a chemist who invented Bakelite, the first plastic that did not soften when heated. Those black plastic knobs on stoves were made of bakelite. 1865 Prosper Montagne was born. Montagne was one of the great French chefs of all time. He is mainly remembered as the creator of ‘Larousse Gastronomique’ (1938), a comprehensive encyclopedia of French gastronomy. 1889 George S. Kaufman was born. A playwright, he wrote 'The Man Who Came to Dinner,' and the script for 'Cocoanuts' for the Marx Brothers. 1889 Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Jane Cochran), began her successful attempt to beat the record of Jules Verne's fictional Phileas Fogg to go 'Around the World in Eighty Days'. Bly was a U.S. newspaper reporter and completed the journey in 72 days, 6 hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds. 1922 The BBC officially began daily radio broadcasting with the 6 p.m. news. 1950 Ricky Sharpe, a 13 year-old Junior Farmer from Alberta, wins the World Wheat Championship at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto, Canada. His 18 lb sample of Marquis wheat was judged the finest. (Wheat Trivia and facts --- Wheat Quotes) 1960 OPEC, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, was formed. 1964 Nic Dalton of the music group 'Lemonheads' was born. 1972 The Dow Jones industrial average closed above 1,000 for the first time, closing at 1,003.16. 2011 Canada released the first of the country's newest banknotes - $100 bills made from a plastic polymer. (Money Quotes) ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** ** November 17-January 3, 2027 Annual National Gingerbread House Competition & Display Asheville, North Carolina November 19, 2026 - January 3, 2027 Christmas on the River - Savannah, Georgia November 20-21, 2026 Annual Plant City Pig Jam Plant City, Florida November 20-22, 2026 33rd Annual Mountain Mandarin Festival - Roseville, California November 20-22, 2026 America's Hometown Thanksgiving - Plymouth, Massachusetts November 21, 2026 Ozark Collard Green Festival Ozark, Alabama (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 first issue of Gourmet magazine was published. · Maytag Dairy Farms began producing its world famous Maytag Blue Cheese. · Garbage disposals were introduced. · General Mills introduced 'Cheerioats' breakfast cereal, later renamed to 'Cherrios'. · M&M's Plain Chocolate Candies are introduced. 2) Charles Goodnight devised this contraption from an Army wagon sometime in the mid 1800s. It was fitted with various shelves and compartments, had room for medical supplies (although very limited), scissors and a shovel. His duties as a 'coosie' included acting as doctor, barber and burying the dead. He was paid twice as much as most of his fellow workers. What was this contraption that Mr. Goodnight invented and what was his job? 3) Native Americans flavored these with maple syrup and bear fat, and baked them in earthenware pots placed in a pit and covered with hot rocks. The Pilgrims most likely learned how to make them from the Native Americans, substituting molasses and pork fat for the maple syrup and bear fat. What Are They? 4) Do Oranges and Lemons ripen after they are picked? 5) What country is the largest apple producer in the world? 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 TOP |