Upon glimpsing Chad Ethier’s name under the sender header of my Rockefeller email inbox every morning, I can’t help but wonder what the cafeteria will tempt us with today. November 10 was particularly intriguing. Indeed, I never thought there could be such a day as national vanilla cupcake day. I admit I have been curious about the mysterious source of inspiration for Restaurant Services which could result in culinary adventures like meatless Mondays, taco day, or mushroom festival week. Thus, I decided November 10 would be the day I would stop speculating, and look it up. It turned out to be the day I started appreciating America at a whole new level, as I learned that every single day is a National Food Holiday¹.

Although still skeptical about the concept, I can imagine how getting suggestions from your calendar can be convenient. Don’t know what to cook for dinner in November? Just remember it is fun with fondue month! Granted, I wouldn’t immediately associate November 12 with national pizza with the works except anchovies day, March with celery month, or April with fresh celery month (why wouldn’t such a common and delicate vegetable deserve two months, especially if fresh?). And with all the various flavors of cookie-, pie-, or cake-themed days across the calendar, I was somehow hoping my birthday would be on a slightly tastier day than national clams on the half shell day.

But besides the obvious fun they provide, what purpose can these holidays serve? Not very surprisingly, they are encouraged and sponsored—and were introduced—by industries and health or food organizations. For instance, the national hot dog and sausage council designated July as hot dog month². These holidays are used to promote diverse kinds of food or cooking techniques. Ah, crown roast of pork, you thought you could fly under the radar? Not on March 7. No more excuses to skip it, December 16 is your occasion to celebrate chocolate covered anything day. Even leap years get in on the fun. Don’t forget to have some Surf and Turf on February 29.
With all of the different food organizations producing their own version of the calendar, providing a multitude of possibilities on any given day of the year—I can’t wait till tomorrow to see what Chad will surprise me with.

References:

1. http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/National_Symbols/American_Hollidays.html
2. Yes, it is a real institution: http://www.hot-dog.org/