A Benefactor of Mankind
11/28/2013
Marcus L. Urann, the inventor of canned jellied cranberry sauce.
I love this stuff. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
The story is actually pretty interesting from the socio-economic as well as the gustatory perspective. I didn't know that Ocean Spray is and has been from the start a growers' cooperative.
So, did I ever tell you the story about the time we were eating at the Shoney's salad bar and Rachel took a great big bite of what she thought was cranberry sauce and turned out to be beets?
Happy Thanksgiving.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/28/2013 at 07:47 PM
As my mother would say, "Horrors!!" (Pronounced "Horruhs!!")
Posted by: Mac | 11/28/2013 at 10:20 PM
I wish you could have seen her face--well, her whole body really.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 07:06 AM
I hate beets, so this really speaks tome. Did you have to take her to the emergency room?
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 07:41 AM
Interestingly, I couldn't stand beets as a kid, but have grown to love them. All my kids (at least the 3 that are at home right now) love beets. I often hear, "Ooh! We're having beets! Yum!" And Brussel Sprouts. And other such things that lots of kids can't stand.
Posted by: Robert Gotcher | 11/29/2013 at 09:24 AM
I went on a retreat, and since I didn't know anyone else there, I decided that I would eat each meal with a different group of people. There were 4 people at each table. So, one night we had little round pickled beets. I hate beets, but the other three women at the table were raving about how wonderful they were. Then when the waitress came around with a push cart to collect our dirty dishes, the cart was piled high with little bowls full of beets. I had apparently been sitting with the only 3 people in the room who had eaten their beets.
Rachel did managed to survive without medical care. She came closet to needing an ambulance about 3 years ago when she saw a cicada shell that my granddaughter had left sitting on my bookshelf. That was a great show, but she did survive.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 10:08 AM
heh. Sounds like the time Ellen put a fake cockroach under my napkin at the dinner table.
I dislike brussels sprouts and beets about equally. I've grown more tolerant of them over the years, but it's very unlikely at this point that I'll ever actually like them.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 10:25 AM
Ever try them with Marmite?
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 10:37 AM
I love miniature things, so brussel sprouts have in their favor that they look like little miniature cabbages. They aren't my favorite, but I'll eat them. Won't eat beets, though.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 10:38 AM
"with Marmite." Sounds about as good as maple syrup on liver.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 11:40 AM
Beets are a big thing here in New Zealand. They're everywhere, even in hamburgers. Yes, instead of tomato and lettuce, it's beets and lettuce.
Posted by: Marianne | 11/29/2013 at 01:06 PM
That actually makes me feel slightly sick.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 01:55 PM
So, are you saying you like maple syrup on liver? :-D
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 03:03 PM
I thought it went without saying that liver is disgusting. Putting maple syrup on it would only ruin the syrup.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 04:56 PM
Well, I certainly agree with you. I just wanted to make sure.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 06:16 PM
But liver is great......
Posted by: Robert Gotcher | 11/29/2013 at 07:10 PM
Well, I'm fond of my own liver, but not inclined to eat anyone else's.
AMDG
Posted by: janet | 11/29/2013 at 07:25 PM
Same here. Liver is *useful*, I would say. Liver is great as an organ of the body. As food...well, there are tastes for which one does not care, but which one can comprehend that others may like. But there are one or two which I cannot comprehend anyone liking, and liver is one of them.
Or so I thought when I was a child. Since I became a free agent as far as food is concerned, I haven't put that opinion to the test.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 07:44 PM
Leave it to Martha Stewart to come through on this: Chicken-Liver Pate with Sauteed Maple Syrup Apples
And, in other strangely related news, it seems maple syrup may keep your liver healthy. That was the finding of a study at the University of Tokyo, so perhaps we can rule out Canadian funding for the research. ;-)
Posted by: Marianne | 11/29/2013 at 08:37 PM
Now I'm going to have nightmares.
Posted by: Mac | 11/29/2013 at 10:26 PM
I love the cranberry sauce, but for the past few years I've been buying lingonberry preserves from IKEA for Thanksgiving as well. Don't know much about them, but they're smaller than cranberries and not as tart. The Swedes apparently eat them with Swedish meatballs and such, but they go great with turkey too.
Posted by: Rob G | 11/30/2013 at 10:27 AM
I had some idea that they were similar to blueberries. But I see they are red.
Posted by: Mac | 11/30/2013 at 10:59 AM
By beets do you mean beetroot? Who could not like beetroot?
Posted by: Paul | 12/01/2013 at 10:32 AM
I regret to say that the words do seem to refer to the same thing. My sympathy.
Posted by: Mac | 12/01/2013 at 02:19 PM
Janet wrote:
"Ever try them [beets or brussels sprouts] with Marmite?"
To my mind, Marmite is in a league of its own when it comes to awful foods. You know your Marmite is fresh if it smells rancid.
Posted by: Gary | 12/01/2013 at 03:43 PM
I'm not sure the question of freshness is altogether relevant to Marmite.
Posted by: Mac | 12/01/2013 at 04:18 PM
"I'm not sure the question of freshness is altogether relevant to Marmite."
Good point. My guess is the expiration date on the jar refers to the time when the lubrication properties have degraded to a point where it should no longer be used as axle grease.
Posted by: Gary | 12/01/2013 at 05:51 PM
That would make sense. I've always thought it looked exactly like axle grease.
Posted by: Mac | 12/01/2013 at 10:14 PM
One weird thing about Marmite is how sticky it is. Usually you associate stickiness with sweet stuff like molasses or maple syrup. Marmite is as sticky as either of those but of course is not remotely sweet. Very odd.
Posted by: Rob G | 12/02/2013 at 11:35 AM
True, and not just sticky but very sticky. It's hard to get it all off the knife, or the outside of the jar.
Posted by: Mac | 12/02/2013 at 11:57 AM