We hope everyone will join us tomorrow, Thursday, December 3,
from 1 to 5 p.m. for our next delicious Pathfinder Produce market. Our
friendly market staff is ready to help you with your purchases, and as it’s the
official holiday season, there are plenty of items to stock up on. We
hope to see you here!
****
First a few reminders:
- The Pathfinder Village Holiday Show and Tree Lighting is
scheduled for tomorrow evening, Thursday, Dec. 3, starting at
Pathfinder Gym at 7 p.m. Following the residents’ comedic skits, we
will feature a presentation by the Oneonta-based vocal group, “Eight is
Enough.” It promises to be another delightful and heartwarming evening!
- The Sidney Community Band also will be presenting a holiday
concert at Pathfinder Gym, on Sunday, December 6 at 3 p.m. These talented musicians representing many of our local
communities always put on a great show, and I’m sure they will be playing some
of your seasonal favorites.
- Finally, here’s a reminder for Pathfinder Produce hours during the last weeks of the month. In as much as Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve fall on Thursdays, we will be hosting our Pathfinder Produce markets on Tuesdays, December 22 & 29, from 1 to 5 p.m. As always, the “Little Market that Could” is here to make the holidays a little less hectic!
***
The
holidays are upon us, and again we will be tempted by absolutely delicious,
high calorie foods that are really hard to pass by. And it’s always been
that way, for as long as people have gathered during the winter solstice
season. (The Romans had their Saturnalia, the Norse and
Germanic pagans had their Yule
celebrations). On the web, there are plenty of write-ups of cooks
pulling out all the culinary stops, dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe
and on up through 20th century America.
One
of my favorite descriptions of holiday meals in literature comes from Otsego
County’s own novelist, James Fenimore Cooper, in The Pioneers,
which recalls the settlement days of Cooperstown and its environs. This
fictional Christmas feast takes place in Judge Marmaduke Templeton’s home in
the late 1780s; the characters of Elizabeth and Judge Templeton were based on
Cooper’s sister, Hannah, and his father, William Cooper, who founded the
village in 1786:
Before Elizabeth was
placed an enormous roasted turkey, and before Richard (the Sheriff) one boiled,
in the center of the table stood a pair of heavy silver casters, surrounded by
four dishes: one a fricassee that consisted of gray squirrels; another of fish
fried; a third of fish boiled; the last was a venison steak. Between
these dishes and the turkeys stood, on the one side, a prodigious chine of
roasted bear's meat, and on the other a boiled leg of delicious mutton.
Interspersed among this load of meats was every species of vegetables that the
season and country afforded.
The four corners were garnished with plates of
cake. On one was piled certain curiously twisted and complicated figures,
called "nut-cakes," On another were heaps of a black-looking
substance, which, receiving its hue from molasses, was properly termed
"sweet-cake;" a wonderful favorite in the coterie of Remarkable (the
name of the housekeeper). A third was filled, to use the language of the
housekeeper, with "cards of gingerbread;" and the last held a
"plum-cake," so called from the number of large raisins that were
showing their black heads in a substance of suspiciously similar color.
At each corner of the table stood saucers, filled with a thick fluid of
somewhat equivocal color and consistence, variegated with small dark lumps of a
substance that resembled nothing but itself, which Remarkable termed her
"sweetmeats."
At the side of each plate, which was placed
bottom upward, with its knife and fork most accurately crossed above it, stood
another, of smaller size, containing a motley-looking pie, composed of
triangular slices of apple, mince, pump kin, cranberry, and custard so arranged
as to form an entire whole, Decanters of brandy, rum, gin, and wine, with
sundry pitchers of cider, beer, and one hissing vessel of "flip,"
were put wherever an opening would admit of their introduction. Notwithstanding
the size of the tables, there was scarcely a spot where the rich damask could
be seen, so crowded were the dishes, with their associated bottles, plates, and
saucers. The object seemed to be profusion, and it was obtained entirely at the
expense of order and elegance.
So,
even as we will be tempted this holiday season, at least we may breathe a sigh
of relief that we don’t need to contend with Judge Templeton’s heavy
meal! As you forge ahead through your holiday season, try to implement
strategies to prevent yourself from loading up on high fat, high sugar
foods. Here are a few links that may be of use as you maneuver through
the next few weeks.
How
to Avoid Overeating at Parties: These eight tactical tips offered from Canadian
Living are simple ways to prevent overeating at holiday gatherings, and include
focusing on vegetables, standing away from the buffet table, and even eating a
small healthy snack before you leave the house so you aren’t starving when you
arrive.
Webmd.com,
Ten Ways to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain: WebMD.com offers another
series of tips to keep you mindful of how much you are eating, and offers in
its last suggestion the idea of creating new holiday traditions that help burn
off calories. There are plenty of ways to change up your holiday
schedules to add walks, play active Wii Games, or plan a family basketball game
to help counter the calorie overloads.
How
to Avoid Overeating during the Holidays: This Prevention Magazine article
examines some of the more deep-seated concerns and issues that are at the root
of binge eating. While the holidays can be a wonderful time to catch-up
with friends and relatives, it’s also a time of high stress for some, and that
can trigger poor eating habits.
Until
next time, eat smart and enjoy!
Lori
