National Caramel Month on October, 2024: Popcorn Facts?

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Popcorn Facts?

Popcorn Facts-

Indiana produces more popcorn than any other state in the U.S.

Popcorn, threaded onto a string, is used as a wall or Christmas tree decoration in some parts of North America.

At least four localities claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World": Marion, Ohio; Ridgway, Illinois; Schaller, Iowa; and North Loup, Nebraska.

The world's largest popcorn ball was unveiled in October 2006 in Lake Forest, Illinois. It weighed 3,415 pounds and had a circumference of 24.5 feet.

The Boy Scouts of America sell popcorn door-to-door as a primary fund-raiser, similar to Girl Scout cookies

The peak period for popcorn sales for home consumption is in the fall.

Most popcorn comes in two basic shapes when it's popped: snowflake and mushroom. Snowflake is used in movie theaters and ballparks because it looks and pops bigger. Mushroom is used for candy confections because it doesn't crumble.

How high popcorn kernels can pop? Up to 3 feet in the air.

The world's largest popcorn ball, as measured by the Guinness Book of World Records: 12 feet in diameter, containing 2,000 pounds of corn, 40,000 pounds of sugar, 280 gallons of corn syrup and 400 gallons of water.

If you made a trail of popcorn from New York City to Los Angeles, you would need more than 352,028,160 popped kernels!

Popping popcorn is one of the number one uses for microwave ovens. Most microwave ovens have a “popcorn” control button.

“Popability” is popcorn lingo that refers to the percentage of kernels that pop.

January 19th is National Popcorn Day

April 7th is Caramel Popcorn Day

October is National Popcorn Poppin’ Month.

Popcorn is low in calories. Air-popped popcorn has only 31 calories per cup and oil-popped is only 55 per cup.

Is it safe for a 14 yr old girl to visit Cairo? Egypt?

Is it safe for a 14 yr old girl to visit Cairo? Egypt?

I would say that it's very safe. I've been living here for about two months and I have yet to feel like I'm in any sort of danger. I'm guessing that you're going to stick to the touristy areas? You won't have a problem bigger than someone trying to rip you off or making an inappropriate comment.

That said, you should keep your head on straight. Practice common sense. You should all make sure that you're wearing conservative clothing. That means no shorts, no tank tops. You need pants and dresses that go below the knees and shirts that cover your shoulders and chest area. Carrying around a scarf/shawl is always a good idea since you might end up going into a mosque and some of them will require you to veil (if you forget, most tourist mosques have cover ups you can rent for about 5LE).

Going around in groups is best. You'll always get more comments when you're by yourself. It's unfortunate that you don't have a guy with you, because just having one along really cuts down on the comments. However, I can't see a lot of comments coming towards a large group of women, most of whom are either very young or very old. I think you should be fine.

And, just in case, keep an eye on the political situation. I'm not British, but I looked into it and the British government has an e-mail alert system you can sign up for. I'm on the American one and they send me updates regarding protests and areas to avoid. You should go this website which has travel tips for British nationals traveling in Egypt. (If you look on the right side panel and go down a bit, you should see the button to sign up for e-mail alerts).

Other Tips

If you travel by taxi, be sure to take the white ones, rather than the black and white ones. The white ones are newer and have meters, so the driver won't be able to rip you off. When you pay, get out of the car and hand the money through the open window.

Wear closed toed shoes. Cairo streets can be very dirty.

Someone in your group is going to get harassed. That's just the way it is here. However, it shouldn't be too bad. I'm 22 years old and all I've gotten is the odd inappropriate comment. Most likely, you're just going to get a lot of people yelling "hello!" and "welcome to Egypt!" Just smile and keep walking.

So far, my favorite place in Egypt was al-Azhar park at sunset. It's crowded, but it has some of the only green space left in the city. You can see the Citadel and it's beautiful. Be warned that there are going to be a lot of Egyptians who want to take pictures with you. That's what I got when I went, and you're likely to get the same. It's not a bad thing, a lot of people just want to practice their English (and I got to practice my Arabic in return)

Don't listen to the guy who tells you that the museum is closed for group tours for an hour and that you should come and visit a cool local bazaar he knows about. He's just going to lead you to his cousin's shop. (Most people are nice and aren't going to rip you off, but as in any big city, there are a few).

You need to know some Arabic if you're going to go around by yourself (i.e. without a tour group). There aren't a lot of people who speak English. I recommend the Lonely Planet Egypt Arabic Phrasebook. It has served me well.

Crime is going up in Cairo. It was really low before the Revolution, but things have been a little chaotic since then. You should keep an eye on your purse. Don't carry it on the side facing the road if you're walking down the street. I haven't had any problems at all, but it is something to be aware of.

Tipping is an important part of the culture. Things you don’t need to tip for in Britain, you’ll need to tip for in Cairo. This site seems to have a good tipping guide, though I haden’t looked at it before today

If you get lost, go into a pharmacy. Pharmacists do their training in English, so there will be someone who speaks English in the shop. The Arabic word for pharmacy is "siydalleyah" صيدلية. If you want to ask someone where a pharmacy is, say "feen siydalleyah?" (lit: where is a pharmacy?)

... I can't think of anything else right now. Egyptians normally like foreigners, especially if you speak a little Arabic :) You're going to have fun! Egypt is awesome! I've loved, loved, loved my time here! I hope you have a fantastic trip!

what are some cultural very good foods from argentina?

what are some cultural very good foods from argentina?

I come from Australia where the food is amazing and I have travelled all over the world. I have never had better food than I did in Argentina and I know the food there very well!

Argentina is known for its beef. A favorite cut is the "bife de chorizo", served tender and juicy, often accompanied by tasty French fries. Roasted over charcoal or wood, there is also "chorizo" (pork sausage), "molleja" (gizzard), "morcilla" (blood sausage)"chinchulines" (tripe), riñones (kidneys), and "tripa gorda" (large intestine), generally shared by two or more people. In Patagonia they eat more lamb and goat than beef.

A typical sauce added to the barbecue is called "chimichurri", a mixture of garlic and pepper. It is so yummy!

For those who aren't meat lovers, another typical food is the "provoleta", a slice of provolone cheese, which is barbecued and sprinkled with oregano.

Pizzas are really good. Many times pizza is served with "fainá", a mass made out of chickpeas.

Raviolis, spaghetti and other pastas are also a typical food in Argentina. In specialized restaurants, pastas are kneaded and served fresh daily. Pastas can be simple or filled and served with or without sauce. Typical sauces are "filetto" (tomato), "bolognesa" (with meat) and "a los cuatro quesos" (four cheeses), among others.

Among the more regional foods are "empanadas" and "locro criollo". "Empanadas" are pastries filled with minced meat, chicken, corn, or vegetables; different Argentine provinces have their own special recipes for "empanadas". The "locro criollo" is a stew made with cow meat, potatoes and corn.

Milanesas are like schnitzels. They are sold everywhere and are delicious. You can get them with tomato paste and melted cheese too.

Choripanes are basically hotdogs. Also popular are hamburgesas, or hamburgers.

They often eat a toasted ham and cheese sanwich and the crusts are usually removed.

Argentina's ice cream deservers a special mention; it's exquisite!

My favourite is dulce de leche, another national obsession, used to fill cakes and pancakes, spread over toasted bread for breakfast or as an ice cream flavour. It is similar to a milky caramel spread. Dulce de leche is a popular sweetener used in Argentinian cooking, often seen for sale all over the country in large glass jars. Made by boiling equal parts of milk and sugar it has a very sweet, caramel taste and has a consistency between honey and butter. It is loaded with calories and is a popular condiment for spreading on bread and sweetening drinks. Ice cream is of excellent quality in Argentina and Dulce De Leche is one of the most famous flavours. In the hot summer months cafes all over the country and in particular Buenos Aires serve Dulce De Leche ice cream to cool off in the intense heat.

Another of my favourites, alfajores, are shortbread cookies sandwiched together with dulce de leche or a fruit paste. They are often covered in merengue or a chocolate. They are ever so popular. (It's estimated that about 6 million alfajores are eaten per day).

Dulce de batata is made of sweet potato/yam: they often put this on bread in the morning like jam. It is surprisingly nice.

A traditional drink of Argentina is an infusion called mate. The dried leaves and twigs of the yerba mate plant (Ilex paraguariensis) are placed in a small cup, also called mate, usually made from a gourd, but also bone or horn. The drink is sipped through a metal or cane straw called a bombilla. Mate can be sweetened with sugar, or flavoured with aromatic herbs or dried orange peel, to hide its bitter flavour. Hot water is poured into the gourd at near-boiling point so as to not burn the herb and spoil the flavour. At family or small social gatherings, one mate may be shared by the group, with the host preparing the mate to the preference of each guest. When one guest is finished, the mate is returned to the host, who will then prepare a mate for another guest. This is considered an important social ritual. Mate cocido is the same leaf, which rather than brewed, is boiled and served, as coffee or tea, with milk or sugar to taste. I drink mate every day.

They produce excellent wine and they use a grape that I am pretty sure is only grown there - the Marbec grape.

Also on this date Tuesday, October 1, 2024...