Day 79 - Happy Thanksgiving to our American Friends

Let's try a change of direction. On a day when not much was done on our part, aside from working, why don't we explore facts about Americans and Thanksgiving in the U.K.  For example, did you know that there are almost 200,000 U.S.-born immigrants who are living here? A large number are here work for multi-national companies in London and a number of Americans came here through their military connections and either continue to work in that capacity or decided to stay (perhaps having met the man or woman of their dreams).

Another interesting fact is that in the late 1700s, any African American who was enslaved was offered their freedom if they fought with the British against the American revolutionaries.  And when the British were defeated, they were given free passage to reside in England. They were referred to as the Black Patriots,and estimates suggest there were anywhere from 70,000 to 100,000 slaves who took their freedom and left for not only England, but also Nova Scotia, Jamaica, the Bahamas and Sierra Leone.


Even though the concept of Thanksgiving may not be thought of as British, we must remember that the first Thanksgiving was said to have taken place in 1621 by the Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts, which at the time was a British Colony. The Pilgrims were predominantly British  and it was their celebration of their first Autumn harvest with the help of local native Americans. So actually, Thanksgiving was started by the British.

In a 2015 article in a national UK paper it was noted that Thanksgiving on the 23rd of November was becoming more of a tradition here along with Halloween, Black Friday and "an upper inflection in the language"... whatever that means.  In that year, turkey sales during Thanksgiving were up 39% over other times of the year, suggesting the British are getting into it. They do not get a holiday like our American friends, but it now has a local moniker "Brits-giving."

So, today Americans and Brits alike are sitting down to turkey dinner and celebrating this day of thanks.  To finish, see if you can answer the following turkey trivia questions courtesy of that same national newspaper (answers at the end of this Saturday's post):

1. Which U.S. President established the holiday on the 3rd Thursday in November? Washington, Lincoln or Teddy Roosevelt.
2. Which Founding Father wanted to make the Turkey the national bird of the U.S. instead of the Bald Eagle? Thomas Jefferson, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin
3. From which English town did the Pilgrims sale? Portsmouth, Plymouth, Falmouth.
4. What do you call a male turkey? A Tom, A Tim, A Todd.
5. What is the longest float in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade? Superman, Spiderman, Ronald McDonald.

Ale of the Day: Samuel Adams Rebel IPA, Samuel Adams Brewery, Boston MA