"There are three species of creatures who when they seem coming are going, when they seem going they come: diplomats, women, and crabs."
John Hay, 19th century American diplomat
TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY
~ National Crabmeat Day
1822 Charles Graham of New York received a patent for artificial teeth.
1839 Famous Food Fights:
The Great Pastry War ended this day. A brief conflict began on November 30, 1838, between Mexico and France caused by a French pastry cook who claimed that some Mexican Army soldiers had damaged his restaurant. The Mexican government refused to pay for damages. Several other countries had asked the Mexican government for similar claims in the past due to civil unrest in Mexico, without any resolution. France decided to do something about it, and sent a fleet to Veracruz and fired on the fortress outside the harbor. They occupied the city on April 16, 1838, and through the mediation of Great Britain were promised payment of 600,000 pesos for the damages. They withdrew on March 9, 1839.
DID YOU KNOW?
CRABS
America has more varieties of crabs than anywhere else in the world.
The smallest crabs are the pea crab, which live inside oyster shells, and can be less than 1.5 mm. The largest crab is the Japanese spider crab, which reach 12 feet from leg tip to leg tip, and a body 18 inches by 12 inches.
The oldest crab industry in the United States is the blue crab industry of the Chesapeake Bay area, dating back almost to the early 1600s.
A single Alaskan King Crab can yield over 6 pounds of meat. They can measure up to a 6 foot leg span.
