Thanksgiving Wine

What wine should you serve to best compliment your Thanksgiving meal?

This has been a Thanksgiving meal-planning dilema in many homes for years. There are so many different flavors you may think it's a good idea to have a sampling of all types of wines available. But, of course this isn't practical.

If you're like most people you will know that white goes best with light flavors (your turkey, for example) and red with robust falvors (like your potatoes and gravy). So, you just compromise with a Zinfandel?

This, however, is a flavor disaster and an insult to your palate. Not to mention you can't in all honesty praise the cook for the wonderful meal while your face is contorting after every swallow.

Red wine picks up the thicker, richer of the menu items but will provide a shock to the tast buds with the more lighter-toned items. Or, it could even drown out some of the flavors of the meal altogether.

White wine will compliment the most of the meal and, if it doesn't, at least won't be terrible with the rest of the meal. Now let's be clear here. Not all white wines are created equal.

If you want the most complimentary wine for your Thanksgiving meal buy an Alsatian Pinot Gris. If you can't find one, buy an Italian Pinot Grigio.

And of course, for the kids, an apple juice or cranberry juice is customary.

Hope this helps eliminate at least one stress of the day.

Nick Jonas - A Little Bit Longer

For those with Diabetes, and especially for today’s youth with Diabetes, there are plenty of role models out there to give us strength and encouragement. For example:

Gary Hall, Jr. – A ten-time medal winning Olympic swimmer who was diagnosed with type 1 in 1999. He’s the ambassador of the Inspired by Diabetes program.

Jay Cutler – Denver Broncos Quarterback diagnosed with type 1 in 2008. He says that 6-weeks after his diagnosis, and with proper insulin management, he feels ten-times better than he did just before his diagnosis.

Scott Dunton – A nationally recognized surfing sensation, now 21, who was diagnosed at the age of 16.

Halle Berry – Movie star diagnosed with type 1 in 1989.

Elliott Yamin – Final-three contestant of the fifth-season of American Idol. He uses the spotlight to encourage young people with diabetes to reach for their dreams.

But the most popular and effective voice yet has been that of pop sensation Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers. In their new CD “A Little Bit Longer” the title song is about Nick’s struggle with his Diabetes. During their World Tour Nick also talks about it before they play their song. According to several tweens that attended the concerts, he was known to become “teary-eyed” during the performance. Of course this caused more tween girls to love him even more.

Nick has signed up with a three-year partnership with Bayer HealthCare. You can find him in ads selling blood-sugar meters. The Jonas Brothers have also created a foundation to help support awareness: www.changeforthechildren.org where you can learn about helping the cause and purchase their Limited Edition Diabetes Dog-Tags and T-shirts.

Kids and teens everywhere know more about Diabetes than ever. Two years ago, mention the word “Diabetes” to a youth without the disease in their family and they say, “What’s that?” Now everyone knows. Those with it say they have, “Diabetes, just like Nick Jonas.” Kids are trading their medic-alert bracelets for a medic-alert dog-tag “just like Nick Jonas.”

Parents everywhere are becoming more aware of the symptoms in their children and, therefore, catching the disease before major complications arise. They are also finding it easier to encourage their children by citing stars like the Jonas Brothers.

Whether type 1 or type 2, one in three kids face a future with Diabetes. The American Diabetes Association is trying to raise money to find a cure. Visit www.diabetes.org to help them “Kiss Diabetes Goodbye.”

Japan's Labor Thanksgiving Day

Labor Thanksgiving Day (Kinro kansha no hi) is a national holiday in Japan. It takes place annually on November 23. It originated in 1948 as a celebration “for the people to honor labor, celebrate manufacturing and give thanks to one another” for all their hard work and for the fruits of their labors.

This festival is actually a modern name for an ancient Shinto ritual called “Niiname-sai” (Harvest Festival) and was held at the imperial court. During the festival the Emperor would dedicate the years harvest to the gods and taste the rice for the first time. This festival is still observed in the imperial court behind closed doors.

The history of Niiname-sai goes back hundreds of years; the first written account is found in the “Nihon Shoki” (The Chronicle of Japan) – on of the oldest histories of Japan, dating from 720 – which says that a Niiname-sai took place in November 678. Niiame-sai came to be held on November 23 during the Meiji era (1868-1912) and was a nationally celebrated event.

After the World War II, Labor Thanksgiving Day was established to mark the fact that fundamental human rights were guaranteed and rights of workers were greatly expanded in the postwar Constitution. Today, Labor Thanksgiving Day has become a national holiday.

Events are held throughout Japan, one such being the Nagano Labor Festival. The events encourage thinking about the environment, peace, and human rights.

It is not unusual for early grade elementary students to create drawings for the holiday and give them as gifts to local “kobans” (police officers).