MDBCs 15 Jan 2024

It is believed that the ice cream flavor, which is now popular around the world, was invented in 1813 in the United States by First Lady Dolley Madison, and it was served during her husband, President James Madison’s second inaugural banquet at the White House.

Used as Medicine

Strawberries, a member of the rose family, were consumed by our ancestors for its medicinal purposes. The ancient Romans thought that the fruit could cure depression, sadness and kidney stones.

Modern day studies have shown that strawberries are a good source of Vitamin C and consumption of the fruit can reduce the levels of bad cholesterol in humans.

The holiday is also known as National Strawberry Ice Cream Day in the United States.

How to Celebrate?

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream! Strawberry ice cream to be more precise. Here are some ways to honor this hugely popular ice cream:

Celebrate the day with strawberry ice cream. Have strawberry ice cream for all your meals during the day.
Make your own strawberry ice cream at home.
What about adding new flavors like balsamic vinegar and mint to your tried and tested strawberry ice cream recipe?

Did You Know…

…that botanically, a strawberry is not a fruit at all? Instead, it is a receptacle - the thick part of a stem from which a flower grows.

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Bagel and Lox Day

Bagel and Lox Day is an unofficial holiday dedicated to the quintessential Jewish American dish made of bagels, cream cheese, and lox or cured salmon.

This holiday of unknown origins is also often known as National Bagel Day or Bagel Day. In 2018, Thomas', a division of Bimbo Bakeries USA, decided to move the date of National Bagel Day from February 9 to January 15 to avoid competing with National Pizza Day.

Despite this, many people still prefer to celebrate this holiday on the original date of February 9.

Ring Shaped Bread

Popularized first by Jewish immigrants in New York City, bagels and lox is a classic combination and is a dish usually eaten during breakfast or for brunch.

Traditionally from Poland, bagels are ring-shaped bread made out of wheat dough that is first boiled and then baked to give it its distinctive chewy texture. The hole in the middle is thought to make it easier for the bagel to cook as well as easier for bakers to transport and store lots of bagels at one time – all they need to do is to string a rope or thread through the bagel holes.

Lox and Schmear

The word lox is derived from the Yiddish word for salmon, laks. In the United States, lox is brined and cured salmon that has been sliced very thinly. On a bagel, it is usually served with cream cheese, popularly called schmear, from the German word for spread.

How to Celebrate

This one’s easy. Just go to your closest deli and get yourself a bagel with cream cheese and lox.
Don’t have a deli close to you? Make the sandwich yourself at home – all you’ll need is some cream cheese, a bagel, and some lox. Add a slice of tomato or onion and you have a delicious meal ready!

Did You Know…

...that the shape of a bagel – a ring with a hole – is technically called a torus? The word torus comes from the Latin word for cushion.

***

A musician friend is always upbeat. But when she developed ringing in one ear, I was concerned it might overwhelm even her. When I asked whether her condition was especially annoying to a musician, she shook her head.

“Not really,” she said cheerfully. “The ringing sound is in the key of B flat, so I use it to tune my cello half a tone lower.”

***

Q: What happens if you play a county song backwards?

A: Your wife returns to you, your dog comes back to life, and you get out of prison.

***

I’m driving with this guy, and  he runs right through a Stop sign. So  I say, “Hey, that was a Stop sign.”

And he says, “I drive like my brother!”

A few blocks later, he plows right through a red light. I say, “You just ran a red light.”

And he says, “I drive like my brother!”

So now we’re coming up on a green light, and he slows down.

I’m confused, so I say, “It’s green; why are you slowing down?”

He says, “My brother might be coming.”

***

As a head cashier in a departmental store, I had to open and close the cash registers of the cashiers. Whenever a cashier started work, I was paged to open the register.

"Open my register,"

"Please let me start," and

"Give me the go-ahead," were some of the terms used by cashiers.

One day, a newly appointed bright-looking girl came to the register and said loudly,