I offer to you an array of Thanksgiving related factoids to help get you through the moments of awkward silences with people you barely know, or divert conversation away from robust political exchanges at the table:
• According to the National Turkey Federation, the great state of Minnesota raises the most turkeys destined to be consumed for Thanksgiving meal. The United States Department of Agriculture reports that a little more than 46 million turkeys will be devoured on Thanksgiving.
• One of the most popular side dishes for Thanksgiving meal is mashed potatoes. Yukon Gold and Russet potatoes are believed to be the best potatoes for mashing. Idaho is recognized as the top potato producing state in the country, with Russets being near the top of that list. Incidentally Yukon Gold potatoes are a Canadian “invention”, having first been bred up North.
• About 250 million pounds of potatoes will be gobbled up on Thanksgiving across the country.
• The number of American households experiencing food insecurity is about 17 million, according to United States Department of Agriculture 2022 statistics. That’s up from an estimated 13.5 million in 2021. Food insecurity is the lack of consistent access to enough food for each person in a household to live a healthy life.
• According to the San Diego Hunger Coalition, in San Diego County 740, 614 people are food insecure. Of those, 177,065 people living in Chula Vista, National City, Imperial Beach and Bonita, Sunny-side, La Presa, Lincoln Acres, East Otay Mesa, Barrio Logan, Chollas View, East Village, Golden Hill, Grant Hill, Lincoln Park, Logan Heights, Memorial, Mount Hope, Mountain View, Nestor, Otay, Palm City, San Ysidro, Shelltown, Sherman Heights, Southcrest, and Stockton do not have enough food to eat on a regular basis.
• San Diego County District 1, has the highest rate of hungry people in the county.
And finally, the University of Minnesota reports 305 million pounds of food will be wasted on Turkey Day alone, something to reflect on while we’re giving thanks for what we have.
