Here at Walkabout, I’m always happy to use my enormous reader base to help spread awareness, and I suspect there are a few people out there that don’t know that today is also a holiday – they usually don’t line up this close together, but the proximity might still have had a lot to do with how little it’s observed. So let’s join together to celebrate National “What The Fuck Did I Just Eat?” Day.
It’s always been intended to help spread diversity and cultural awareness, since cultures are so often defined by (and occasionally denigrated for) the foods considered common within. While it had been proposed back in 1946, as a method of becoming more open and accepting following World War II, it didn’t actually get adopted as an official national holiday until 1972 under Richard Nixon, since he was the only president who would approve its language. Yet its first official observance the following year was overshadowed by both Watergate and excitement over the new version of Match Game, and it largely dropped into obscurity, with occasional attempted resurrections by Allen Funt and the debut of Outback Steakhouse. It’s a shame, because everyone should try something new once in a while, if only to confirm their suspicions.
So, as you read this over your morning coffee, stir a spoonful of Vegemite into it. Make plans to eat lunch at Chick-Fil-A. Or stop by your supermarket on the way home and ask, “What have you got that nobody buys?” It’s just one way to broaden your horizons and enrich your life. And maybe even cleanse your colon.