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Welcome to Wiser Now’s weekly email blast which reflects my eclectic interests and, I hope, yours. It should come as no surprise to anyone that November is Turkey Month, but it is also heavily weighted toward bread. In fact, today is Sandwich Day. November is also Peanut Butter Lovers’ Month, and when we celebrate Nuts about Peanut Butter Day (9), French Dip Day (12), and the birthday of John Montagu, Earl of Sandwich (13). Lots to chomp on.

I hope you find these offerings fun, and perhaps even useful, and welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com) And if you haven’t yet pressed the subscribe button so this newsletter doesn’t go to spam, please do so now.

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The Quirky Quote
If you don't mind smelling like peanut butter for two or three days, peanut butter is darn good shaving cream. ~ Barry Goldwater

The Quirky Facts 
Sandwich Day is celebrated in honor of the 1718 birthday of John Montagu, the 4th Earl of Sandwich, after whom sandwiches are named, although he certainly wasn’t the inventor of the idea. People have been putting stuff on bread for thousands of years as briefly documented in this history that also includes links to the history of two dozen specific sandwiches. The Earl of Sandwich was a prominent figure in 18th century Britain. He was well-known for long hours spent at both his desk and some of London’s finest gaming (gambling) tables, and for his love of easy-to-eat-at-them salted beef between two slices of bread. The word “sandwich” first appeared in print in 1762 and perhaps began to come into common usage when his gaming compatriots said, “I’ll have the same as Sandwich.” The Earl was also a patron of Captain Cook, who rewarded him in 1778 by naming the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) after him.

As for peanut butter, it was not, as commonly believed, invented by George Washington Carver, who did invent hundreds of other uses for peanuts. The Incas have been credited with making a peanut butter “paste” hundreds of years before our modern version, but little is known or written about it. Modern peanut butter is less than 100 years old. In early versions, first meant to provide protein to the toothless in the late 1800s, the oil quickly separated from the peanuts and soon spoiled. In the 1920s, a process called hydrogenation prevented that separation and within another decade or so gave us brands like Skippy, Peter Pan, and Jif.

The Quirky Observations

I am not a numbers person who likes to know things like how many peanuts are in a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter (540) or what percentage of people prefer strawberry jelly (36%) over grape jelly (31%) on their sandwiches, but I do like odd facts like:

  • Harry Burnett Reese invented the delicious Hershey’s (now Reese’s) peanut butter cup in 1928, just shortly after the hydrogenation problem was solved.
  • Or that peanuts are actually a legume – an edible seed inside a pod.
  • Or the fact that the fear of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth is called arachibutyrophobia. Phobia is, of course, “fear of.” The rest of the Greek word is “arachi” for “ground nut” and “butyr” for butter.
  • Or that there are six cities in the U.S. named Peanut: Peanut, California; Peanut, Tennessee; and Peanut, West Virginia, plus three in Pennsylvania: Peanut, Upper Peanut, and Lower Peanut. For Goodness’ sake, why?

The Shameless Request
Now that WNW is an award-winning publication, we think even more people will be interested in it. Please share it, and if you represent an organization that would like a customized version, send me a note at Kathy@WiserNow.com.

The Questions

  • Do you have a favorite sandwich? Describe it. Do you prefer it with any specific condiments or side dishes?
  • Would you rather have a food or an island named after you? Do you have any preferences regarding which food or island?
And just for fun: Take this survey to learn what your Subway sandwich order says about you.

The Featured Product
This week’s quiz and some of the content is a new version of a multi-part activity, mostly on peanut butter which is free for a limited time and accessible here
 
The Quiz
Some famous delis are known for their celebrity sandwiches, but as far as I can tell, they are the owners’ invention and usually have no real connection to those celebrities’ preferred concoctions. Apparently, ”What’s your favorite sandwich?” is not a question famous people are often asked. However, Elvis Presley loved the Southern favorite of peanut butter and banana, which he grilled in butter after adding honey and crisp bacon. So I did some digging to unearth other celebrities’ connection to peanut butter. Can you match them up?
My multiple goals are to amuse and inspire you, to share what I and people whom I admire are doing, to stimulate your curiosity and spur you to action. I hope you enjoyed this offering. You can access previous issues here. We welcome your feedback. (Kathy@WiserNow.com)
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