JUL 12, 24 .. FRENCH FRIES.. KEEP IT SIMPLE.. MOTORCYCLES..

NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR.. Is the source of all of the information on my “Days”.

Have a small serving! Many of us sure love them!

National French Fry Day on July 12 is a great opportunity to take the time to sample some golden-brown potato slices. But did you know that the origin of French fries is more than likely not French at all? Potatoes were being fried in Belgium way before the French, but more on that later. When it comes to the tastiest French fries on the planet, everyone seems to have an opinion. It’s a time-consuming decision to find your favorite because no two restaurants seem to have the same recipe. French fries do have a nutritional stigma attached to them, however, due to high-caloric and fat content. But it’s tough to say no to a hot batch — even the ones at the bottom of the bag.

Estimates say Americans eat around 30 pounds of French Fries per person each year.

Patti and I can say! “No Way!” Do either of us even come close to 1 pound of French Fries per year. But yes we do like them.

That seems like a lot, but when you think about all the ways you can eat fries, it adds up quickly. They’re easy to gobble down, whether they’re straight out of a fast-food French-fry container or whether you’re an expert at making fries at home. Add in all of the different condiments, and these simple potatoes become even more popular.

The term ‘French fries’ refers to deep-fried slices or strips of potatoes. While the precise origins are unknown, the item hit the culinary scene sometime in the 1700s. It had taken an entire century for potatoes to become widely accepted as food, arriving in Europe in the 1600s.

Like most iconic foods, the French fry has an interesting folk story about how it was created. Belgians call dibs on the origins of French fries, claiming it to be an invention of their people. According to a manuscript by Joseph Gerard, the residents of the Meuse Valley, located near Dinant in Belgium, consumed a lot of fish, since they lived near the river. During winters, when the rivers would freeze and fishing would become difficult, the idea to slice potatoes like fish fillets and fry them in hot fat was born.

But all credit does go to the French for popularizing frying foods and selling them in public on street carts called ‘frites,’ in the mid-1700s. Eventually, potatoes were cut in all sorts of shapes and fried. As to how French fries arrived in America, there are two versions of that story, too. The more popular and accepted fact is that Thomas Jefferson brought the dish to the U.S.A. While serving time as an ambassador, Jefferson spent a lot of time in France and went on to serve “potatoes served in the French manner” at a White House dinner in 1802.

The other theory is that World War I soldiers who were stationed around Dinant in Belgium took a liking to the local finger food known as ‘pommes frites’ and took the idea back with them. This is when French fries really took off and became mainstream in the U.S.

A Trivia Tid Bit.. Below is the on-line ranking of  most popular French Fries.

1: McDonalds (35%) 2: Chick-fil-A (13%) 3: Five Guys (12%) 4: Wendys (11%) 5: Arbys (11%) 6: Burger King (7%) 7: In n Out (4%) 8: Sonic (3%) 9: Shake Shack (3%) 10: Carls Jr. (2%)

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Hummm. Interesting. Let’s see!

It’s time to get back to basics and celebrate National Simplicity Day on July 12! The holiday falls on this date every year to honor the birthday of Henry David Thoreau, who was born on this day in 1817. So read on for some modern-day tips on how to celebrate National Simplicity Day. As Thoreau himself said: “As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler.”

Henry David Thoreau was a jack-of-all-trades — an author, an environmentalist, an abolitionist, a poet — but you probably mainly remember him from your high school English class as a transcendentalist. He and his contemporary transcendentalists believed, in simple terms (see what we did there?), that people have knowledge about themselves that ‘transcends’ all the external forces in their lives. They advocated for living a simpler life to better get in touch with those feelings. Now, we’re not telling you to abandon your life and go live in the woods for a few years, but we love the idea of taking a day to evaluate your life and find out what elements of it are simply the most important to you.

In recent years, the concept of minimalism has become widely popular. In some countries like Japan, people have started to understand that their lives can be much happier and less stressful if they get rid of items that don’t serve them any fulfilling purpose. Minimalism has spread to domains like fashion as well, where people are opting for timeless articles to create ‘capsule’ wardrobes, rather than hoarding fast fashion.

Some More Trivia Tid-Bits..

300,000 – the number of items in the average American home.
1 in 10 – the number of Americans who rent offsite storage.
25% – the percentage of people with two-car garages who don’t have room to park cars inside them.
32% – the percentage of people with two-car garages who only have room for one vehicle.
7.3 square feet – the self-storage space available for every man, woman, and child in America.
238 – the number of toys an average 10-year-old owns.
12 – the number of toys an average 10-year-old plays with.
30 – the number of outfits the average American woman owns.
$1,700 – the amount of money an average American family spends on clothes annually.
65 pounds – the weight of the clothing that the average American throws away in a year.
$1.2 trillion – the money spent by Americans annually on nonessential goods.

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I included the below National Motorcycle Day because of all the joy that I had riding motorcycles, especially when my family and I lived in Europe from 1974 to 1978. I have owned five motorcycles. My very first motorcycle was a  250 cc BMW with a Steib Sidecar. My wife would ride in the sidecar with our youngest son age 12 years. My oldest son age 15 years rode behind me holding onto my waist. My fifth and last motorcycle was a BMW R100RS solo machine. I could write a few chapters about my motorcycling. 

With God and the Good Lord riding beside you, it will take you to your desired destination. Written smiling to myself!

National Motorcycle Day is celebrated on the second Friday of July every year. This year, it falls on July 12. We are getting ready to hit the road to experience the ultimate pleasure of a long ride. Motorcycles are what make the ride an experience. The wind on your face as you hit the high speeds cannot be experienced inside the comfort of a car. Motorcycles are made for those who need more from a ride. It is also much more affordable and low-maintenance. So let’s ride and enjoy this day dedicated to motorcycles. And remember, ride responsibly!

The wind lashing your face, the view on both sides of the road, the roar of the engine as we hit the throttle; a motorcycle ride is not for everyone. A ride is an ethereal feeling, a lifestyle, and an adventure. Every ride is a new experience that can teach us something new. But the ride can also be dangerous if done irresponsibly. It can cause accidents and sometimes even the loss of life. National Motorcycle Day promotes healthier and more responsible riding even as we appreciate the simplicity and fun of riding a motorcycle.

Gottlieb Daimler is credited with the creation of the first motorcycle. He named his creation ‘The Daimler Reitwagen.’ It was his son, Paul, who rode it first. For his invention, Gottlieb was given the moniker “the father of the motorcycle.” The first motorcycle ran on a single-cylinder Otto-cycle four-stroke engine. The engine was mounted on rubber blocks on a wooden bicycle frame without any pedals.

Edward Butler created the first commercial motorcycle with a three-wheel design with a horizontal single-cylinder gasoline engine. Its engine was mounted between two steerable front wheels. Power transmission was achieved by a drive chain to the rear wheel. Today, the shape, size, and other features of motorcycles are unrecognizable from those of their ancestors. Today’s motorcycles can make road trips fun, adventurous, and memorable.

That’s all for today folks.

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Cap and Patti

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