Heber Valley Life

Tag: traditions

  • Biathlon

    Biathlon

    The biathlon is a winter sport that combines cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The sport is rooted in the skiing traditions of Scandinavia, where early inhabitants revered the Norse God, Ull, as both their ski and hunting God.

    Initially, the combined skills of skiing and rifle marksmanship were developed for the region’s militaries during the 1700s. In 1776 the first recorded biathlon competition took place along the border dividing Norway and Sweden; it was between patrol companies. The first biathlon club, the Trysil Rifle and Ski Club, was established in Norway in 1861. The biathlon was included as a demonstration event at the first Winter Olympics in Chamoinix, France, in 1924 and in 1960 the biathlon was added to the Winter Olympics as an official men’s event. International biathlon competitions for women began in 1981. Today, the biathlon has become a popular sport for men, women, and children with programs and clubs all over the world — including our own Team Soldier Hollow in Midway.

    If you were competing in the 1960 Olympic biathlon, you likely carried a rifle loaded with either .30-06 or 7.62x51mm NATO rounds1. (Which interestingly enough, or not, considering the biathlon origins, is the choice round for many hunters.) For those who have never fired such a rifle, to do so accurately requires skill, finesse, and calm. When every muscle of the core, back, arms, and legs is converting oxygen and glycogen to raw power in order to move your skis across snow, the idea of lying on the ground to calmly shoot a target with a rifle conjures a certain echelon of human.

    Historically, skiing can only be traced so far before the trail evaporates into time ethereal. Etched by someone 5,000 years ago on the wall of a famous cave in Norway, the image of a person on skis is testament to the mysterious, prehistoric nature of skiing. In Norway, skis were part of the hunting implements.

    In today’s competitions, biathletes use .22 caliber rimfire cartridges. The rifle is sighted using “peep sights,” a pairing of an aperture in the rear and a pin at the muzzle. Finally, a skier’s rifle must weigh a minimum of 3.5 Kilograms. Rifles are carried using a split sling, allowing it to go over both shoulders; centering the rifle over the back with minimal sway while the skier races up and down the track; keeping the hand and arms free to use their ski poles.
    At intervals the biathlete stops at firing ranges to shoot five targets located 50 meters (164 feet) away. Most races require the competitors to shoot from both standing and prone (lying on the stomach) positions. Target size varies depending on the skier’s position; when standing, shooters aim at an 11.5-cm (4.5-inch) target and while prone contestants shoot at a 4.5-cm (1.8-inch) target. Biathlon’s have been governed by the International Biathlon Union (IBU) since 1993. The IBU authorizes six types of biathlon events—individual, sprint, relay, pursuit, mass start, and team.

    Racing traditionally takes place on groomed, snowy tracks. However, as devoted skiers learned to train in summer months using “roller skis” on dry pavement rather than skis over snow, someone figured that biathlon was no longer a winter only event. During the warmer months of the year spectators can watch biathletes compete from the comfort of a warm bleacher with a cold beverage rather than in a parka with a hot cocoa.

    It has become increasingly more common, during spring and summer, to see Nordic ski athletes training around the valley, especially near Soldier Hollow and the road around Midway. Soldier Hollow Nordic Center located at Wasatch Mountain State Park is known locally, and internationally, as the site for many of the Nordic ski events of the 2002 winter Olympics. Even their phone number ends in “2002.” Did you know that World Cup and Olympic level athletes train there? As far as biathlon goes, it boasts a very specific shooting range that matches a Nordic facility standard around the world. Heber Valley is often host to some of the world’s top athletes because of this world class Nordic facility; earning the title ‘world class’ is no easy feat. In 2017 Soldier Hollow was awarded the bid for a World Cup Cross Country Ski event. This helped lay the foundation for reaching the top.

    Soldier Hollow boasts several coaches with international training. As of this writing, one of those coaches was currently in Sweden at an IBU conference. Zach Hall, the Head Biathlon Coach, shared that, while Soldier Hollow coaches and trains the most elite athletes and maintains the highest coaching standards, it really is about community. Soldier Hollow offers three biathlon programs; the Devo/Devo plus Flex Biathlon, Comp Flex Biathlon, and Masters Biathlon Team. It’s pretty amazing to think that our local kids have the opportunity to not only learn to ski and shoot on the same field as many international elite athletes, but also carry on a tradition that started 300 (or more) years ago — right here in our very own back yard!

  • Heber City Tabernacle

    Heber City Tabernacle

    When Heber City Main Street’s Tabernacle Was Facing Demolition, a Community Banded Together to Protect Their Heritage.

    As a resident of this beautiful valley, and an admirer of anything local, I have a deep appreciation for all the history we share and all the beautiful, historical buildings and homes that are still standing. One of my favorite buildings is the Heber City Hall, or as it was originally known, The Wasatch Stake Tabernacle. As I gaze at or walk its corridors, I find it easy to wonder about the past. If only those red sandstone walls could talk — what stories would they tell? As most of the history in our valley, I’ve always known it comes from the endurance of the first pioneer families. However, once I started finding out more about the Tabernacle’s history, I was amazed by everything this strong, simplistic landmark building has endured. Yet, it still manages to inspire, one way or another, anyone that comes across it.

    “The crowning jewel” of the Heber Valley was directed to be built for the Wasatch Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Abram Hatch, and construction began in 1887. After two years of hard work, sacrifice, and commitment, the new building was dedicated on May 5, 1889. The architect and designer, Alexander Forte, worked alongside Elisha Averett, a master mason, and Hatch, who served as project superintendent.  Materials cost $30,000, and the building was constructed – stone by stone – entirely through donated labor! Families, including the little children, contributed by saving their pennies and nickels and donating them to the project. From the red sandstone walls quarried from the Lake Creek area east of Heber to the large bell tower that rang announcements for church time and other gatherings, it was the heart and pride of the community and could seat 1,500 in its pews. Over the many years, it was the center for community events that included concerts, theatrical productions, graduations, and even the high school until the first high school was built a few blocks south. On summer nights in the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, crowds gathered to the Tabernacle to hear the high school band play. The property even held the county fair for a few years. The community loved their accommodating building and put it to great use!

    By the 1960s, the 75-year-old building was in sad condition. Because of the cost of renovations and the building itself being impractical to continue to use for the local leadership of the LDS church (due to a lack of meeting rooms), the future of the treasured landmark became uncertain. At this point, a young and newly appointed J. Harold Call served as the stake president. While he was initially interested in renovating the building after the bid came in at $70,000, he decided not to move forward with renovation plans. In 1961 when the news came out about stake leaders considering demolishing the building and replacing it with a new stake center, a local dairy farmer and former clerk to president Call, named Mark Crooke, gathered a petition of 250 signatures and was successful in delaying the decision for three years. However, in 1964 Call shared that after careful study and consultations with church leaders, he decided it was best to demolish and replace the Tabernacle. After the surprising announcement, as you can imagine, local church leaders were bombarded with letters pleading them to reconsider “the destruction of one of Heber City’s proudest structures.”

    In a time of questioning the roles of gender, a group of remarkable and determined women stepped up with great energy to help save the landmark building. Ruth Witt, a widow and natural leader from one of the oldest families in the valley, was fiercely passionate about saving the building that she felt symbolized her family’s Pioneer Heritage. Barbara McDonald, a mother of six small children, when considering whether or not to get involved, asked for advice from her mother and when her mother unwaveringly replied, “if not you, then who?” Barbara knew she had to get involved and later described the experience as a “defining moment” in her life. Sisters Hope Mohr and Beth Ritchie, who had family ties linking to the Murdoch family, one of Heber’s founding families, made up the unrelenting group fighting to save the Tabernacle. This group of women proved to be tenacious by challenging and questioning church leaders even without their husbands present, something that was unheard of in those times.

    To make a very long story — filled with heated debate and interesting viewpoints, shorter — this group of women were vital in the effort to save the Tabernacle which involved Mormon church leaders and townsfolk alike. Blood ties ran deep on both sides of the movement and created a stir locally and elsewhere in the state. The fight to save the Tabernacle confronted roles of gender and faithfulness, causing a strong division between keeping or tearing down the building. The story is fascinating, and I can all too easily imagine the familiarity of the divide that the conflict caused in this day and age.

    The saving of the Tabernacle depended on hundreds of people coming forward in many different ways, including time, money, willingness, and sacrificing to ensure the Tabernacle would be a part of the community once more. It brought an awareness of the value of architectural heritage and was a turning point in the story of historic preservation in all of Utah. The city of Heber bought the building from the LDS church, and the Tabernacle was remodeled to serve as the City Hall.

    In these fast-paced times and with the exploding growth here in Heber, I am grateful for all the glimpses of what life used to be like in the valley. They remind us of our ties, ties that grow more and more fragile with every passing year. Those that came before us have shown that we can revere the buildings of old by weaving them into our present and repurposing them with future value in mind. Today, our valley has an iconic, tangible reminder of the dream a small group of pioneers envisioned and achieved because of a community coming together, dedicated to preserving that legacy for the future for us. We, too, can be a strong, united community inspired by lessons and people of the past. I look at The Wasatch Stake Tabernacle and am hopeful the future of our town continues to preserve accomplishments from our incredible history.

    My favorite quote by James Jenkins Jr. shares my sentiments: “I have always attached a certain sacredness to things that are irreplaceable. I can’t help believe that heritage is one of the last remaining gifts we can give.” 

    The tabernacle originally seated 1500!

  • Heber Valley Meats: A Cut Above

    Heber Valley Meats: A Cut Above

    An Unknown Rancher Once Said, “In Winter’s Chill or Summer’s Heat . . . Farmers and Ranchers Work so the World Can Eat.”

    Farms and ranches are more than wide swaths of land used to raise crops and livestock. They are a family’s heritage and future. Jessie Morris and Chad Murdock understand the importance of both heritage and looking towards the future; it’s one of the main reasons they opened a butcher shop right here in their beloved Heber Valley.

    Jessie and Chad have been best friends since middle school. The Morris family moved to Utah in the 1980s to raise their family, while the Murdock family was one of the first families to help settle the Heber valley. Jessie grew up helping out in his family’s antique store and shared, “I’ve always had kind of an entrepreneurial spirit to me. I always knew that I wanted to start my own business and . . . things happened in life, and the situation came about where everything sort of aligned right, and I figured it was time to make dreams become a reality. Chad spent his childhood years working on his family’s ranch, “I’ve always been around cows and livestock, and I’ve always been fascinated with meat cutting and processing.” Chad also has a love of history and attended university to become a history professor but after two years decided to take another path. He applied for and received an apprenticeship with Springville Meat Company — and fell in love with the craft. You can hear the joy in his voice as he expresses, “I worked my way up from the bottom and became one of their head butchers. I developed a really really strong passion for meat cutting and butchering and the whole trade in general.”

    After five years of discussing plans to open a butcher business together, COVID-19 gave them the push they needed to launch Heber Valley Meats. Chad explained, “. . .
    with the pandemic it became pretty apparent that the system that we have in the US is a little bit broken — it’s just a few big companies that control the entire market, and it’s coming down hard on the consumers and the producers. I feel like they’re both not getting treated fairly by these big corporations, and so I figured, well, I’m going to try and do my part and help. Help the producers and the consumers as much as I can and try and bring it back down to the local level. That’s been my dream all along. And so now it’s finally coming to fruition.”

    Jessie explained further, “Initially, we are going to have mobile slaughter and custom processing. We’ll go to the ranchers and farmers, slaughter the animal, clean it, gut it, skin it, and then bring it back to our shop to do the processing and break down further. We also offer this same service to those with family farms that have personal animals that they want to eat over the year or sell half a beef to community members and things like that. Having somebody local makes it a lot more convenient instead of driving down to Utah or Salt Lake counties. It’ll be here in town, in Heber, and compared to retail pricing and grocery stores, buying half a carcass or a whole carcass saves you quite a bit on meat prices.”

    Both Chad and Jessie say that farmers and consumers enjoy this process. “It’s a better system for the small farmers. We can show up right to their farm and butcher the animal right there. They don’t have to stress if they don’t have a trailer to lease or rent a trailer. It alleviates the stress of loading the animals up and then hauling them for several hours. Then they have to sit in the facility; it’s a lot, it’s a lot of stress on the animals, whereas we can show up to the farm and the pig’s still eating his breakfast, and you know he doesn’t know any the wiser. I think it’s a much better system, so we’re very excited to start offering that to the community.”

    Although livestock is at the core of their business Heber Valley Meats also offers wild game processing, a storefront to purchase cut meats, opportunities for local ranchers, and eventually, they will provide local restaurants with home-grown meat.

    “There is a lot of hunting and fishing in our valley and outdoorsmen that come to Heber . . . so we’ll be able to process wild game as well. We will also be offering retail sales so people can come in and buy a couple of steaks or hamburgers or small cuts of meat. As part of that, we’re going to be focusing on sourcing local meat from animals raised here in Heber Valley — ideally. And making sure that we have high-quality meat, and that helps the environment. We’re not shipping around meat; we’re not shipping around animals, so there are a lot fewer transportation costs, a lot less fuel, and other things used. It helps the economy. We’re keeping things local. We’re keeping money locally, we’re keeping jobs here locally, and so it helps quite a few different things in having local meat processing available instead of large scale meat processing.”

    Chad shared that, “I’m in the process of working with a couple of local ranchers here in the Heber Valley and down in Utah County. I also raise some too, so we are going to try and be able to supply local beef to the community — which I think is awesome, which is kind of a dream come true for me. I think people are excited to be able to know that they’re eating something that was raised just right here, or at least in this very state versus being shipped in from across the country — we’re excited about that.” Chad is also excited about the opportunity to work with local restaurant owners. “We’ve had a few restaurants reach out to us, and for us to sell to the restaurants, we have to do a little bit more paperwork and inspections through the Utah State department of agriculture, so we’re working with the state right now. Our goal is to be able to start supplying restaurants by the end of this year — and that would be really awesome.”

    Heber Valley Meats celebrated a successful Grand Opening on May 1st. Both Chad and Jessie shared their gratitude for the overwhelming community support they have received. Customers have been excited to purchase cuts of local beef, pork, and lamb and are raving about the domestic elk jerky! Of course, you can also purchase beef and buffalo jerky. Ranchers and farmers have expressed their delight at having everything from slaughter to cut and wrap available right in their back yard — literally.

    For Chad and Jessie, their journey has been about more than just the culmination of hard work and perseverance to achieve their childhood dreams. It has been and always will be all about family, heritage, and the future. Chad expressed it best, “I’ve always had a very special connection with Heber and Strawberry Valley. My ancestors were such good community builders; not only were they building the community with the Mormon settlers, but they were also really great friends with the Indians. In the middle of the Black Hawk war, Joseph Stacey Murdock, my fourth or fifth great-grandpa, made a treaty with Chief Tabby-To-Kwanah. Afterward, they smoked a peace pipe, killed, I think, two or three cows, and had a barbecue right here on Main Street in Heber with the Mormons and the Indians. It’s an incredible story, and I’m super proud to come from that lineage. I have a really special place in my heart for Heber and the area, and of course ranching and beef, and just sharing, sharing the lifestyle with people.”

    Chad Murdock and Jessie Morris are proud to honor their family’s heritage and follow in their ancestor’s footsteps. They both agree, “There was never a question, that if given the opportunity to open a butcher shop, that it would be anywhere else but here in the Heber Valley!”

  • Taste The World At Global Grill

    Taste The World At Global Grill

    In a time when people are traveling less, the Heber Valley has a new little gem providing a huge variety of worldwide flavors. Global Grill is just that — a global food experience unmatched in the area. Their slogan “Come Taste the World” says it all.

    The unique menu is listed by the type of food, but also by origin. Patrons can order a bowl from Japan, India, Indonesia, or Cuba. Pasta dishes are available from Italy, Argentina, Thailand, and Mexico. Burritos are listed from four different areas of Mexico: Cancun, Zacatecas, Michoacán, and Sonora. Burgers celebrate ingredients from Korea, America, Mexico, and Persia. And there is a variety of multicultural kids’ meals and desserts too. There are even daily specials to add a little more flavor, from Polynesia, Greece, and the Gulf Coast!

    Owners, Rick and Elizabeth Moreno created the concept, and the menu, specifically for the Heber Valley. They looked at what was already available in the area, and they decided to create something entirely different. “I created the menu this way because I can see people two to three times a week,” explained Rick Moreno. “Today, you may want an authentic Mexican burrito, but tomorrow you may want Indian food.” The same idea applies to an office lunch setting. “They come in, and they can get a burger, and they can get pasta, and everyone’s happy,” said Moreno.

    The Moreno’s are well-versed in the restaurant business. “I’m a chef,” said Rick. “My background is in restaurant executive management. My family has had restaurants since 1951 back in California.” Moreno also worked for large companies, such as Hilton Corporation, to gain even more experience. He also created restaurants, menus, and bars for casinos in Montana before moving here.

    Elizabeth has been working in restaurants since 1999. She was a sous-chef at the former Mayan restaurant in Sandy. In fact, that’s where they met. Rick was creating recipes and consulting for the massive, cliff-diver restaurant.

    “[The Mayan] could seat a thousand people, and had three levels of kitchens,” Rick recalled.

    One night, Elizabeth was the kitchen supervisor over multiple cook lines. The restaurant was so big that they had eight cooks for each line, so 24 cooks total. The servers were complaining that the food service was getting slow. Finally, Elizabeth went to the cook line, moved all the cooks out, and started preparing the food by herself. Rick shared, “The servers were saying, ‘tell her to slow down. We can’t keep up with her!’”

    “They needed their food right away, so that was my mission,” laughed Elizabeth. Originally from Sonora, Mexico, Elizabeth learned from Rick’s mother, who ran a restaurant in California, and shared her recipes with Elizabeth. She has also worked for Chevy’s and Café Rio.

    The couple lived in Utah during the 2002 Olympics, and during that time, Rick created the restaurant Guru’s Cafe with two partners in Salt Lake. They eventually had four locations. His original recipes were used at the restaurants. The Food Network even did a show on Guru’s, where they showcased one of Rick’s recipes.

    Recently, the Moreno Family was living in Montana until they unexpectedly relocated to the Heber Valley last year. They had planned to move to Texas, moved their RV there, and then went back to Montana to pack. The couple’s older daughter was already living in the Heber Valley, and they decided to stop for a visit on the drive back to Texas. While visiting here, the Moreno’s found their current restaurant location and decided to stay. They created the Global Grill, opened in December 2019, and then the COVID pandemic hit. While it has slowed down the business, Global Grill is going strong. The food is full of variety and flavor, and the portion sizes are huge. Rick explained, “I did [large portion sizes] purposely because I wanted to make sure that,  everyone’s getting the value for their money. And most people take part of it home.”

    He continued, “We also have family meals. People can call us every day and ask for an Indian family meal, burrito, or whatever. We have two sizes; small is for four to six people, and large will feed ten to twelve.”

    “Just like our portions for our bowls,” Rick said, “We made sure that our family meals are huge.” Value for the money is a priority for the Morenos. “I hate to go somewhere and get a little disappointed with the food portions.”

    It’s not only the portion sizes that keep bringing people back. The food is all made fresh, in-house. And many of the recipes can be modified for those with dietary concerns. 90% of the menu can be served gluten-free, and 50% can be made vegan. They will also have alcohol available soon.

    The food variety found at the Global Grill is unmatched. “Besides our core menu, we feature other countries as specials,” Rick explained. “We do Russia one day, and we do stroganoff, and then we do Swedish meatballs. On Saturdays, we do Polynesian. Every Tuesday is Taco Salad, and Thursdays is the Greek Gyro Platter…Fridays is the Captain’s Platter.” said Rick.

    In addition to the meals, the Global Grill has two core desserts; tiramisu and tres leches cake. However, they also have other desserts available, such as chocolate tres leches, cheesecake, carrot cake, and tropical bread pudding. “The main ones are always tres leches and tiramisu, but I change sometimes,” explains Elizabeth. One day, Rick suggested that Elizabeth offer to make whole cakes, and “now she makes so many of those cakes!” said Rick. “It’s like a bakery too!”

    The Global Grill also does catering, but not just this menu. “Because of my background in large casinos, I can do anything. Literally, we can do carving stations or whatever. We can do any country and anything that they want,” Rick explained. “I’ve catered from 15 people to 1000 people.”

    The Global Grill fills a niche that the Heber Valley has been missing. And the Morenos are confident that the concept would be a success in other places too. They are preparing to create additional locations for the unique restaurant. Rick shared, “Right now, we’re ready to license them. If someone wanted to do one in Park City, or somewhere else, they could.”

    “We’re still trying to do that uphill climb because of COVID, but we see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said Rick. “We are very thankful for the support they’ve given us here in Heber. Everyone’s responded really well to the food, and the locals here have been good to us. They keep coming in and supporting us, and we want to say thank you. We appreciate that. Especially being the new guys.”

  • Holiday Traditions

    Holiday Traditions

    The crisp fall air brushes against our mountains, painting them with vivid oranges, yellows, and reds. Cornstalks rustle, and the nutty smell of squash, burning ditches, and cinnamon awaken our senses. Autumn arrives, ushering in anticipation for the Holidays — and the foods that come with them.

    Food sustains life and nourishes our bodies, but food also sustains cultures and nourishes our identities. Food is generally at the center of all we do. Foods are symbolic in our religious rituals and associated with specific celebrations. Our food preparation can be sacred, an exact science, a lesson in chemistry, or just some good ole’ fashioned fun — with a pinch here and a dash there! Creating delicious dishes binds friends and families together — or, if you’re on a cooking show, it can turn into a hellish-battle!

    Conversations, stories, history, and heritage are shared — traditions are passed down, and new ones are created — all while we gather around food.

    As we prepare to enter the Holiday chaos, it might be fun to learn a bit about the foods used in celebrations around the world. We invite you to sit back, relax, read for a moment — or two — then take a deep breath, exhale, and prepare to dive into whatever your Winter season looks like (don’t forget to pack a snack).

    While some people carve pumpkins for their October 31 celebrations, residents of Oaxaca, Mexico, are preparing to celebrate Noche de Rabanos (Night of the Radishes). This tradition takes place on December 23 and has been practiced for over a century. Large radishes (upwards of six pounds) are grown and harvested specifically for the event. The radish artists can spend days creating and carving their masterpieces, many of which display nativity scenes, animals, or Mayan imagery. The best radish carver can receive a cash prize worth thousands of pesos (hundreds of USD).(https://www.wvpublic.org/news/2018-12-20/holiday-food-traditions-are-as-much-about-connection-as-eatin)

    The week-long celebration of Kwanzaa (December 26-January 1) is full of dancing, singing, gift exchanging, and culminates in a large feast. Catfish, collards, macaroni and cheese, jerk chicken, gumbo, and accras (Caribbean fritters), have become traditional foods used during the festivities. (https://www.africa.upenn.edu/K-12/Kwanzaa_What_16661.html)

    The Feast of the Seven Fishes is a Southern Italian tradition celebrated on December 24. Whether you’re celebrating in North America or Italy, you won’t find seven specific types of fish being served. Think of it more as a seafood celebration. Typical fish used include: baccala (salt cod), frutti di mare (shellfish), capitone (eel), calamari (squid), scungilli (conch meat) and vongole (clams). Fried vegetables are also a popular accompaniment to the fish. Traditionally, the feast takes place in the morning’s early hours, after midnight mass. “Then it’s time for dessert, which may include biscotti, panforte, pandoro, and panettone.” (https://www.italiarail.com/food/feast-of-the-seven-fishes)

    Worldwide, it is Jewish tradition to eat matzah on Passover, and apples dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah. During Chanukah (Hanukkah), eating traditional oily foods such as latkes (fried potato pancakes) topped with applesauce or sour cream, and sufganiyot (deep-fried doughnuts) or other kinds of fritters, is in homage to the miracle of the oil that burned for eight nights instead of one. (https://www.chabad.org/holidays)

    Midnight snacking takes on a whole new meaning if you are celebrating New Year’s Eve in Spain. Apparently, eating one dozen grapes at midnight isn’t just a tradition — it’s a serious superstition. On Noche Vieja (Old Night), it is customary to stay at home until the clock strikes twelve. Families and friends gather around their bowl of lucky grapes (uvas de suerte) and wait to hear the chimes ringing from the Real Casa de Correos in Madrid (broadcasted via television across the country). The bells toll twelve times — one for each month. With each chime, you ‘pop’ a grape into your mouth — and probably try not to choke — or laugh. If you eat them all, you will have good luck in the new year. (https://www.donquijote.org/spanish-culture/holidays/nochevieja/)

    This next dish sounds delish! Lechón (Spanish for roasted suckling pig) is one of the most popular dishes in the Philippines and many Latin American countries. The pig is usually stuffed with lemongrass, tamarind, garlic, onions, and chives; it is roasted on a large bamboo spit over an open fire. Lechón is traditionally served whole on a platter at celebrations like weddings and Christmas. It is often served with a thick, rich liver sauce cooked with sugar, fresh herbs, and vinegar. (https://www.tasteatlas.com/lechon) I don’t know about you, but all this talk of food is making me hungry!

    If you need to stop reading and make a food run — go for it — I get it! There are a few more unique victuals to share, but then I think we should go to work on creating our own traditional cuisine and get some food in our bellies!

    Onward — we go!

    In many European countries, you will see processions of girls dressed in a white dress with a red sash, wearing a wreath with candles upon their heads, singing, and carrying Saffron Buns in celebration of St. Lucia on December 13. In Greece, many fast before the holidays, and when Christmas arrives — they go all out — after they break their fast. One of the more popular traditional foods served is Melomakarona, a sweet, honey-soaked cookie topped with ground walnuts. Of course, there’s always the traditional Plum or Figgy Pudding from the UK, Danish Kransekake or Almond Wreath Cake, and all the marzipan, chocolate, red cabbage, and roasted goose from Germany. In Australia, Christmas and New Years are smack dab in the middle of Summer! They celebrate by throwing whatever they feel like on the barbie (grill for the rest of us mates) and enjoying seafood, cold cuts, alcohol, pavlova, and trifle, just to name a few, along with a challenging game of cricket. Here’s an interesting tidbit. According to BBC, for 40 plus years, many Japanese families have gathered around a KFC ‘Party Barell’ for some finger-licking-good chicken as part of their Christmas celebrations — bet you didn’t see that one coming.

    Food is an extension of who we are. Regardless of culture or religion, food is an integral part of life celebrations across this beautiful globe we call home. Food unites. Where ever you are in the world, and whatever you celebrate or don’t celebrate, whether you’re honoring a generations-old tradition or creating new ones; this winter season, we invite you to come, gather — eat and enjoy!

    Gather your kids, friends, and family to discover different cultures and the food they eat. Try out a few new recipes, and prepare them together. Participate in a festivity you’ve never celebrated before. Eat new foods. Share and create a new tradition!

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