Hello, people of the world! So, we're talking about pizza. Let's face it, we've all eaten it at least once in our lives, and it's delicious! It's so good that on (almost) all Wednesdays, we do pizza night! Ok, so pizza is an oven-baked, flat, round bread typically topped with a tomato sauce, cheese and various toppings. Pizza was originally invented in Naples, Italy and the dish has since become popular in many parts of the world. An establishment that makes and sells pizzas is called a "pizzeria". Many varieties of pizza exist worldwide, along with several dish variants based upon pizza. In 2009, upon Italy's request, Neapolitan pizza was safeguarded in the European Union as a Traditional Specialty Guaranteed dish. Some mass produced pizzas by food chains have been criticized as having an unhealthy balance of ingredients. Some studies have linked consumption of the antioxidant lycopene, which exists in tomato products that are often used on pizza, as having a beneficial health effect. Modern pizza originated in Italy as the Neapolitan pie with tomato. In 1889, cheese was added. In 1889, during a visit to Naples, Queen Margherita of Italy was served a pizza resembling the colors of the Italian flag, red (tomato), white (mozzarella) and green (basil). This kind of pizza has been named after the Queen as Pizza Margherita. During the latter half of the 20th Century, pizza become a globally accessible dish, mainly due to Italian immigrants that had brought their dishes to new people with resounding success, often in racially and culturally resistive environments. So, what do you think? Is pizza delicious?
Happy weekend!
Maria.
Hello, fellow zombies! So, Halloween is near, and EVERYONE is putting up creepy Halloween decorations, Halloween wreaths on their doors and probably buying candy, treat bags, costumes and party planning for Halloween. Well, today I bought my costume, when did you buy your costume? So, want to know how Halloween started? Well, here you got some information! It's origin is from 16th century Scotland. Though the origin of the word Halloween is Christian, the holiday is commonly thought to have pagan roots. Historian Nicholas Rogers, exploring the origins of Halloween, notes that while "some folklorists have detected its origins in the Roman feast of Pomona, the goddess of fruits and seeds, or in the festival of the fruit called Parentalia, it is more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain, which comes from the Old Irish for "summer's end". Samhain (pronounced sah-win or sow-in) was the first and most important of the four quarter days in the medieval Gaelic (Irish, Scottish and Manx) calendar. Samhain is mentioned in some of the earliest Irish literature and many important events in Irish mythology happen or begin on Samhain. Held on or about 31 October–1 November, it marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the 'darker half' of the year. This was a time for stock-taking and preparing for the cold winter ahead; cattle were brought back down from the summer pastures and livestock were slaughtered. In much of the Gaelic world, bonfires were lit and there were rituals involving them. Some of these rituals hint that they may once have involved human sacrifice. Samhain was seen as a time when the 'door' to the Otherworld opened enough for the souls of the dead, and other beings such as fairies, to come into our world. The souls of the dead were said to revisit their homes on Samhain. Feasts were had, at which the souls of dead kin were beckoned to attend and a place set at the table for them. It has thus been likened to a festival of the dead. Lewis Spence described it as a "feast of the dead" and "festival of the fairies". People took steps to protect themselves from harmful spirits, which is thought to have led to the custom of guising. Divination games or rituals were also done at Samhain. Kindred festivals were held at the same time of year in other Celtic lands; for example the Byronthic Calan Gaeaf (in Wales), Kalan Gwav (in Cornwall) and Kalan Goañv (in Brittany).
The origins of Halloween are impressive, eh?
Happy (early) Halloween!
Maria.
So, today we're talking about "The Hunger Games". I'm reading it right now (I got the boxed set with all three books for my birthday) and it's an awesome book! I'm as crazy for it as I would be if I was a "Harry Potter" fan! Too bad I can't see the movie for a good while, I'm just too young to see it.... So I'm on page 115, I just started a couple of days ago (I devour books and am a fast reader)..... So "The Hunger Games " is about a sixteen-year-old girl called Katniss Everdeen, living with her mother and her sister Primrose "Prim" Everdeen (her father died in a mine explosion when she was eleven), in the post-apocalyptic world called Panem, which has risen from the ruins of a destroyed North America. And there was a rebellion against the Capitol, the ruling city of Panem, called the "Dark Days. As a result, the Capitol created the Hunger Games, where each of the twelve districts is forced to pick one girl and one boy between everyone who is from twelve to eighteen in the whole district in a reaping, where they have two glass balls, one for girls and one for boys, and they pick out the names randomly. Everyone in Panem is forced to watch the Games on their TV's. On this reaping day, Prim is called and Katniss volunteers for Prim, and the boy tribute is Peeta Mellark, who saved Katniss from starvation when they were eleven. They go in the Games, only to find out that there can be two victors from the same district if they both survived. Peeta got hurt in the leg, and Katniss helps him and nurses him, to find out that the rule was overturned so they have to kill one of them, but the rule was active again and they both won the Games.
I know it's a loooong story, but it's so good, that if you grab the book, first you will become a Hunger Games maniac, second you will decide if you're Team Peeta or Team Gale (I'm Team Peeta), and third when you grab the book, you will not let it go and when the book grab you, it will not let go! By the way, this photo next to this is an assumed map of Panem.
Have a great weekend!
Maria.
Hello, fellow earthlings, blog followers! So today we are talking about retailing and warehouse chain giant, COSTCO. Here's some info if don't know what it is: COSTCO Wholesale was founded in 1983 by Jim Sinegal and Jeffery H. Brotman in Kirkland, Washington. It sells items in bulk (in large quantities), which makes it cheaper to buy. It stocks food, electronics, books, DVD's, CD's, clothes and even more things. The larger the quantity, the cheaper it is (except for electronics). You have to bring your own packaging or use the shipping boxes from the supplier, because, to reduce costs, they don't have plastic or paper bags, nor reusable, and COSTCO warehouses have skylights and food courts. It also has a wine and liquor section, pastry section, bakery section, deli, and butcher section and a rotisserie.
So, there. Now go! (as Sofia Vergara would say).......
Have a great weekend!
Maria.
