March 5, 2023 - National Absinthe Day | National Cheese Doodle Day

Welcome to March 5th, 2023 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate tipsy medicine and playing with our food. Absinthe is one of the strongest liqueurs you can buy, sometimes going as high as 160 proof. Over the years it has gained a bad reputation because of one of its ingredients: wormwood. This herb with the gross sounding name supposedly causes hallucinations or madness, but wormwood is used for very different reasons in Chinese medicine. In the 1900s, Chinese soldiers discovered that drinks containing an extract from the plant could help fight off malaria. Today we don’t recommend drinking absinthe as medicine, but if being tipsy is your idea of celebrating, then by all means, try a glass on National Absinthe Day. Some folks celebrate with confetti, others with balloons. And if making a mess is your idea of a good time, then dive right in and celebrate the cheese doodle. Morrie Yohai had a knack for snacks and came up with the name for the cornmeal puffs, while he and his coworkers tried various flavorings. Despite leaving telltale orange fingerprints, cheddar cheese hit the spot and the Old London Company made its mark with this snack food. It was later purchased by Borden Foods and Yohai became the new company Vice President. Along with his various executive duties, he also had the privilege of choosing small toy prizes that went inside the boxes of Cracker Jacks. Which just goes to show that being a kid at heart can pay off big. On National Cheese Doodle Day, seize the day with this messy snack. I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices