On This Day: February 24th … Strange Holidays
National Tortilla Chip Day
World Bartender Day
Thin day today but both have something in common. Tortilla Chips are a Mexican thing and bartenders sell shots of tequila. I’d say that’s a good enough reason to get drunk on tortilla chips and if you do—call a cab. And no, that doesn’t mean stick your head out of a window and yell, “CAB!”
Here we go.
National Tortilla Chip Day
It’s really no joke that many people take their food obsessions very seriously. One of these passions is the love for tortilla chips. Hence, you have today to partake in. It allows for these fanatics (yourself included if you love Tortilla Chips) to celebrate and indulge in their favorite snack.
These chips are crispy, tasty, and go well with all sorts of dips and sides. Snacks are necessary for satisfying one’s cravings and for having at parties and special gatherings. One may be wondering how this day emerged and ways to celebrate the occasion. Not to worry, I’ll tell you.
Millions love to indulge in eating crispy and delicious tortilla chips, and that’s why this day is dedicated to the food. There are so many ways to eat them and enjoy this snack that the options are endless. They’re known to bring the fiesta to any occasion and remain a well-liked snacking option to have around the house. They have the right amount of crunch and salty flavor to put a smile on anyone’s face.
The most common way to eat them among the public is to dip them in a salsa of choice. Myself, I am the same way or dip them in melted cheese with the salsa.
The chip is made from corn tortillas (which are made from corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water) and is then cut into wedges and fried. A person might be most familiar with the yellow corn tortilla chips that one can find just about anywhere, but know that they can also be made with red, blue, and white corn. One of the primary markets for tortilla chips is in the United States.
The chips were initially produced in masses in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. It may come as a surprise since tortilla chips are commonly thought of to be a Mexican food. Rebecca Webb Carranza was said to have made these chips popular because she decided to use the misshapen tortillas that the automated tortilla manufacturing machine rejected. She was able to turn them into a snack by cutting them into triangles and then frying them.
The first time, according to legend, there was anything remotely like the Tortilla Chip, Mayan peasants used dried ground native corn kernels to feed their hungry kings.
World Bartender Day
Today is a day to celebrate the bartending craft, and to give recognition and appreciation to the men and women behind the counters at bars, pubs, breweries, and wineries that we frequent.
Tending bar is among the world's oldest professions, and a very important one at that.
You trust your local barkeep to fix your drink to your liking, and in a timely manner. In addition to perfectly preparing and serving drinks, a bartender is often a part-time psychologist of sorts. Bartenders are excellent listeners. Many a customer has unloaded their problems or sought advice, while cozied up to the bar with a drink in hand. They have confessed things they wouldn't tell their spouse, closet friend, doctor, and even perhaps their church priest.
There are all types of bartenders. A bartender can be a professional or non-professional. Tending bar is a skill position. The real professionals attend Bartender's school for a formal education. They know by heart, how to mix hundreds of drinks. You yourself may have been a casual type of bartender without even knowing it. If you've ever mixed and served drinks behind a counter at a church or club function, at small parties, or even in your own home, you've been a bartender.
Perhaps the most memorable bartenders were Sam (Ted Danson) and the lovable "Coach" (Nicholas Colasanto) on the television sitcom "Cheers".
The first bartenders can be found in the ancient era, when Greek and Roman revelers relied on expert craftsman to pour their favorite drinks. Throughout the decades and centuries, bartenders continued to master their craft. By the 15th century, bartenders throughout Europe were primarily known as innkeepers, and these professionals typically produced their own spirits and ales.
During the Prohibition Era the profession was also known as “Moonshining.” When an amendment was passed outlawing alcohol, backwoods stills became the new norm for quite some time, but they weren’t bartender’s, but they made sure bartenders had the booze.
"Alcohol may be man's worst enemy,
but the bible says, 'Love thy neighbor."—Frank Sinatra
More strange holidays are coming!