BLIZZARD FUN INDOORS
THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF
CADILLAC NEWS -- DECEMBER 24, 2022
With a blizzard raging outdoors, a priority for maintaining your holiday sanity is the have interesting things to do indoors. Boredom does not have to be the rule of the day.
There's nothing like a good argument to keep everyone occupied (young and old). The key is to argue about something of critical importance. Luckily, National Candy Cane Day is December 26. So, there is an obvious topic for contention. What is the best way to eat a candy cane?
Did you know that for two hundred years the candy cane came only in one color(white). “The red stripes we know today did not appear until the turn of the twentieth century. About ninety percent of candy canes are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
So, what's the proper technique for enjoying these treats? According to the National Confectioners Association, fifty-seven percent of people eat the straight end first. Only twenty-seven percent chomp the curved end first. Then there are sixteen percent who break the cane into pieces. (https://alwaysatreat.com/candy-moments/winter-holidays-central/candy-canes/)
Another subject for opinions might be what is the best breakfast cereal? “According to Google searches, Americans are all over the map when it comes to their cereal of choice. The most popular brands by state include some obvious choices: Kix, Count Chocula, and Life. Perhaps the most surprising part of the data, though, are the cereals that aren't listed: Frosted Flakes, Cheerios and Rice Krispies.” Michigan's favorite is Oreo O's. (https://www.foodandwine.com/news/most-popular-cereals-every-state)
Another food question could provide fascinating answers. Would you eat soup that's four decades (or more) old? It turns out, you may have sipped this already. Legend has it: “A woman came to he U.S. from France in 1982, she had a secret stashed in her purse—a large jar, filled with a precious golden liquid.”
Four decades later, the same smuggled broth is still being used as an ingredient. “Pot-au-feu—also known as perpetual stew, forever soup, hunter’s pot, bottomless broth, master stock, or mother broth—is a culinary tradition that is practiced around the world.” (https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/perpetual-broth)
Arguments and questions are fine, but some spirited indoor contests can also be fun. Recently, a seemingly weird record was set, but even more strange is that it's a game you could actually set up in your own living room. “A woman set a Guinness World Record by pulling on nineteen pairs of underpants in thirty seconds.” See the setup at: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/12/12/ireland-Guinness-World-Records-most-underpants-30-seconds/7571670862207/.
It turns out, there are all kinds of Guinness records set in 2022 that you could turn into a game or challenge. Follicly challenged guys could try to top the most drink cans placed on a head using air suction. Kidlings could attempt to set the fastest time to find and alphabetize the letters in a can of alphabet soup. Of course, everyone in the family could see who can be the one to to blow a pea the farthest distance. See videos of all at: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2022/12/13/10-oddest-Guinness-World-Records-of-2022-listicle/9521670799798/.
While this indoor hilarity is going on, there will be those whose main activity this weekend will be sitting in front of a big screen watching the NFL games. Ah, but that brings up another question. What are the various teams worth (in dollars)?
“The world’s most valuable sports teams include internationally beloved soccer clubs, massive NBA franchises, and renowned MLB teams. But, it’s the National Football League (NFL) that has arguably the most valuable teams in the world. To calculate team values, Forbes used enterprise values (total team equity plus net debt) and factored in each team’s stadium-related revenue. NFL teams continue to become more valuable, rising in 2022 to an average of $4.47 billion.”
The top team is the Dallas Cowboys at an estimated valuation of $8 billion, making them the most valuable sports team in the world. The Detroit Lions rank second to last at $3.05 billion, nudging out the least valuable Cincinnati Bengals at $3.0 billion. (https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/ranked-the-most-valuable-nfl-teams-in-2022/)
Finally, don't forget the Neff Zone holidays page with all sorts of activities and games at: https://www.neffzone.com/holidays/. The kidlings will want to focus on NORAD Tracks Santa at: https://www.noradsanta.org/en/. Even a blizzard can't stop Santa.
Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.
