Thanksgiving, Christmas and Peanut Butter Lovers Day

AVIVA GOELMAN

With fall’s arrival, the brilliant colors of changing leaves and the

cooler air are welcome. The rain is a blessing, as we desperately

need it. In all, the season stirs thoughts of Thanksgiving

preparations and the holidays soon following.

We are certainly familiar with the well-known holiday celebrations

of our culture. But it is also interesting to note several

lesser-known holidays. November, for instance, represents a feast of

holidays. In fact, each day in November commemorates one thing or

another.

One worth noting is a day set aside for Peanut Butter Lovers.

Since peanut butter is a staple many of us love, it’s interesting to

review the history of Peanut Butter Lovers Day.

There are many stories about the origin of peanut butter. One

tells how Africans ground peanuts into stew as early as the 15th

century. The Chinese have crushed peanuts into creamy sauces for

centuries. Civil War soldiers dined on “peanut porridge.” These early

ancestors, however, bore little resemblance to peanut butter as

families know it today.

In 1922, Joseph L Rosefield began selling a number of brands of

peanut butter in California. Rosefield’s peanut butter varieties were

churned like butter, so they were smoother than earlier, gritty

peanut butters that were sometimes substituted by physicians as

protein for people who couldn’t chew meat.

Not long after his invention of peanut butter, Mr. Rosefield

received the first patent for a shelf-stable peanut butter that could

remain fresh for up to a year. Rosefield achieved peanut butter

longevity by creating a formula that prevented the oil in peanut

butter from separating from the peanut butter itself.

One of the first companies to adopt this new process was Swift and

Company for its E.K. Pond peanut butter. In 1928, the brand was

renamed Peter Pan. In 1932, Rosefield had a dispute with Peter Pan,

and began producing peanut butter under the Skippy label.

In 1955, Procter & Gamble entered the peanut butter business and,

in 1958, introduced the JIF brand. Today, JIF has the world’s largest

peanut butter plant, churning out 250,000 jars every day! So, on

Peanut Butter Lovers Day, enjoy an old fashioned PBJ.

Back to regular holidays. At the Costa Mesa Senior Center, we will

celebrate Thanksgiving with our traditional thanksgiving lunch. More

than 200 seniors who do not have family members close by will

celebrate Thanksgiving with friends during the luncheon.

Mr. Surat Singh, owner of Angel’s Auto Spa in Costa Mesa, will be

sponsoring our Thanksgiving lunch on Nov. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

We’ll be serving traditional Thanksgiving fixings and succulent

turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

Mr. Singh said he feels it is important to remember our seniors

and be thankful for all they’ve given to our community. The

Thanksgiving lunch is his way of giving back to them. Reservations

are a must! For further information, please contact the center at

(949) 645-2356.

All of us at the Costa Mesa Senior Center love reaching out to the

community. This year, our senior volunteers are giving back to our

armed forces. They collected toiletries, games and other “care

package” items, packaged them up and sent them off to soldiers

serving in Iraq. They did a great job! Thank you, volunteers.

During November, we look ahead to the rest of the winter season.

Not only do we remove sweaters and coats from mothballs, but also

begin thinking of protecting our health. The Costa Mesa Senior Center

will be having a health fair on Nov. 16. There will be hearing tests,

blood pressure checks, as well as vendors providing product samples

and advice on how to stay healthy.

I want to leave you with some words I found about our Thanksgiving

holiday: I like the taste of turkey anytime throughout the year, but

it never seems to taste as good as when Thanksgiving’s here. Could be

it’s all the trimmings that are cooked with it to eat, but I think

it’s eating at Grandma’s house that makes it such a treat.

* AVIVA GOELMAN is the executive director of the Costa Mesa Senior

Center and will write occasional columns about the center, its

members and senior issues.