National Artichoke Hearts Day

Dear Chicken Nugget,

Today, March 16th, is National Artichoke Hearts Day.  I usually wouldn't mention something like this except that your mom and I happen to be huge fans of the artichoke.  It's a fun food and I think you'll enjoy it.

The artichoke itself looks menacing.  A tough skin and pointy needles make it a wonder how anyone even decided to eat the thing in the first place.  But, someone did, and for that we are forever grateful.

There are a lot of foods out there that you're going to try that look weird but turn out to be great.  I want you to be adventurous with your food; it's a great thing to be able to discover new flavors from strange looking foods.  And, you're really lucky, nugget.  By the time you start eating solid foods, most of the foods of the known world will have been discovered.  You can confidently eat things that are deemed safe and learn to enjoy new flavors.

I often wonder how many people got sick, sometimes fatally, in trying to determine what was good to eat and what wasn't.  You should thank those anonymous people;  I do.

Also, if you don't like a certain food somewhere along the way, it's ok.  Your mom and I are not big fans of the olive.  We've tried eating them but we're just not into them.  If you don't like something, you'll know it pretty quickly.  Just give it a chance and try to eat it every now and then, you never know when your palate will change. 

And trust me, try the artichoke.  It's really fun to try whole and it's really easy to just eat the artichoke hearts.  I'm pretty sure you'll like it.   

And always give thanks to those who came before you; the adventurous who decided to open the vegetable with the tough skin and pointy leaves as well as the brave who didn't make it after eating a food we now know is poisonous.  It is because of them that we can eat pretty safely.

Happy Artichoke Hearts Day!

Eternally yours,

Your papa