Sometimes we get gifts that are a bit complicated by their size or special requirements. Flowers? Well, you’ll need a vase. Fruits? A bowl is likely entering the scene. President Andrew Jackson faced this sort of challenge when he was gifted something considerably larger than anticipated. In 1837, sharing this gift with visitors to the White House became the reasonable solution. And anyone who has ever sent visitors out the door with leftovers will sympathize, though this wasn’t just a matter of finding a suitable container…
Today’s Trivia Question
What oversized edible gift did Andrew Jackson invite the public to help consume at the White House in 1837?
Bonus if you know the reported weight of the gift (in pounds).
| A Few More for Fun… |
How did anyone produce a wheel of cheese that big? A serving that large raises a lot of questions about cheesemaking in general, and how big a cracker you’d need to enjoy a slice.
| A Few More Trivia Questions Before You Go… |
Sixty years of Star Trek gives us plenty of room to wander and explore other reaches. Our “weekend rabbit hole” is looking more like a wormhole, landing us in the middle of a Venn diagram where the Star Trek universe and our reality overlap. From communications and space flight to a Canadian town, let’s see just how often Star Trek got there first, and how far it wandered as it did.
What other, earlier president was presented with a “mammoth cheese” on New Year’s Day in 1802?
What is a turophile?
Answers
| TODAY’S QUESTIONAnswer: C. A gigantic wheel of cheese. According to the White House Historical Association, the cheese spent two years in the Entrance Hall before its increasingly powerful smell prompted a move to the East Room. There, guests could cut off a slice and eat as much as they pleased. Bonus points if you knew the cheese topped the scales at 1,400 pounds. | |
| 01 | Answer: B. Whey. The solid curds and liquid whey are separated as the cheese develops. Rennet, another word familiar to cheesemakers, is what helps the milk to separate. It is only a part of the process, but not what drains away from the curds. |
| 02 | Answer: C. Annatto. The achiote plant has seeds from which annatto is made. Cheddar doesn’t have to be orange, and color doesn’t indicate its sharpness. In other words, a brighter block doesn’t mean a bolder flavor, but it sure cheers up a plate of mac and cheese! |
| 03 | Answer: C. Carbon dioxide. As the cheese develops, gases collect and leave openings that cheesemakers call “eyes.” These holes are part of the process, not a warning that something got into the fridge for a taste test. |
| 04 | Answer: D. Thomas Jefferson. The cheese came from a Baptist congregation in Cheshire, MA, honoring Jefferson’s support for religious liberty. So, Jackson’s oversized gift was not the first time American political enthusiasm had taken the form of an inconveniently large dairy product. |
| 05 | Answer: C. Someone who loves cheese. The word combines a Greek root for cheese with the familiar ending for an enthusiast. You can now give yourself an official title whenever you spend a bit of time enjoying all of the samples at your local cheese counter. Jackson got a cheese and a crowd of turophiles to enjoy it, and most of us prefer much smaller versions of both, especially if the visitors bring some crackers and not just their appetites. |
How did you do? Score 1 point for each correct answer and 1 point for the bonus if you knew it. Perfect score: 7.
|
