If you know anything about me, you know I like to eat. You also know that I like to drink. Whether I am hitting up a new Chinese buffet, sipping on an ice-cold beer, or chugging back cans of Mountain Dew, I am always surrounding myself with good food and beverages. I would venture to say that I go through five or six cans of diet soda a day, eat at least two or three buffets a week, and have been a member of the clean plate club since I was a little kid. Don’t get me wrong; I try to stay relatively healthy. All the pop I drink is diet, all of the buffets I do to I live by the four-plate limit, and I try to get as much exercise in as I can.
Food and drinks, especially in a retail setting, struggle with so much competition. For instance, lets look at a bag of potato chips. When you walk down the potato chip aisle at the store, where do you go first? Do you head to the store brands because they are usually the cheapest? Or do you grab a bag of Doritos because you saw a commercial during last night’s baseball game? Perhaps you snag a can of Pringles because they are convenient and relatively cheap. That is just a sampling of what you can find in the chip aisle. You also have to contend with pretzels and a variety of other baked goods. My point is there are tons of options when it comes to purchasing your groceries.
But a way around that, at least for a handful of products, is to slap someone’s name or photo on the side. I recently came across an article discussing products that were named after someone or that had a resemblance to an individual on the side. The list contained twenty some products, but I just wanted to touch on a few of those here. Enjoy!
Arnold Palmer
I love to play golf. Most of the time when I play, it is during the middle of the summer when it is hot, humid, and I sweat as much as humanly possible. To stay hydrated, a lot of people will chug back cans or bottle s of beer, in theory making themselves even more dehydrated. But one of the greatest golfers of all time time, while sitting in at the 19th hole (that is what golfers call a bar), decided that he would mix two of his favorite after-round drinks. He ordered a drink that contained half lemonade and half iced tea. The rest is history.
This drink, known as the Arnold Palmer, is readily available in pretty much any gas station or grocery store. You can purchase it by the can, by the bottle, or even by the gallon. They have even, in recent years, release a diet version for those healthy types. Regardless, this drink is great. It is even a good mixer if you are having a party or a social gathering. Nothing beats a nice tall vodka and Arnold Palmer. I wonder if there is a name for that?
Baby Ruth Candy Bars
We’ve already gone over chip options. You are faced with a similar dilemma when choosing your favorite candy bar in the candy aisle or checkout counter. You have Reese’s, Snickers, Mars Bars, and a slew of other options to choose from. But one of those in particular has a story as to where it got its name. The Baby Ruth candy bar, most famous for its appearance in the pool in the hit movie Caddyshack, has quite the history behind it.
The name of this candy bar came way back in the 1920s when the delicious treat first hit the market. When trying to come up with a name for this thing, Curtis Candy Company decided that the bar deserved to hold the name of the current president’s daughter. The president, Grover Cleveland, had a daughter named Ruth. But because her family, the president included, called her baby rather than by her real name, they decided why not just call the candy bar Baby Ruth? And now you have one of the best tasting and most popular candy bars on the market.
Caesar Salad
Nearly every restaurant you walk into somewhere on the menu you can choose between two side salads. You can pick the regular and most often times boring house salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese, and your choice of dressing. Or you can select a Caesar salad that is packed with sweet and sour dressing, crunchy croutons, and shredded cheeses. If you are lucky, you will find a place that serves anchovies with their salads.
Hearing the name Caesar you probably think about the great Roman ruler. He has been featured in a handful of movies including 300 and is known as the man with the throne leaf crown atop his head. But he is not the reason why this salad is called such. Chef Caesar Cardini created this salad back in 1924 down in Tijuana, Mexico. When this salad was first created, the chef only had a few ingredients in his kitchen. Lucky for us salad eaters today, they included lettuce, garlic-flavored olive oil, lemons, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce and eggs. He threw these all in a bowl, shook it up, and there you have the famous and often enjoyed Caesar salad.
Margarita
If you are over the age of twenty-one, chances are you have at least sipped on one of these authentic Mexican drinks. But the funny thing is, margaritas were not even invited by Mexican people. It was invited in Mexico, however. The history of this drinks started when a lady named Margaret Sames ordered a drink while on vacation. She just happened to be on vacation down in Mexico. When the bartender asked her what she wanted she didn’t know so she decided to mix her two favorite liquors together. She said she wanted to mix tequila and Cointreau and, to mix things up, a little squeeze of lime on top. Throw it on ice, and you have what is still one of the most popular adult beverages around.
It is unknown where the salted rim came from. Some think it is due to an abundance of lime juice. Also, the frozen margarita, which is probably more popular than ordering one on the rocks, is unknown in origin. It’s not like you order a frozen Jack and Coke. But never the less, one of the most popular drinks on the planet that is said to be from Mexico was actually started by a thirsty tourist.
Shirley Temple
The name might throw you off, making you think of some fancy alcoholic drink that will cost you seven bucks at any given bar. But the drink is truly nothing more than Sprite (or 7Up) and grenadine. This bubbly red beverage was actually created for a famous actor by the same name. The real Shirley Temple was filming on the islands of Hawaii, and while staying at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel in Honolulu, she found herself wanting something to drink. She said to the bartender, make me something with Sprite and cherries. And there you have it.
The Shirley Temple drink is actually served with a light helping of grenadine and topped with a handful of cherries. When the real Shirley ordered the drink that would eventually be named after her, she asked for more cherries, and rather than just handing them to her on a side plate, the bartender just tossed them on top of her drink. Order one of these the next time you head out for dinner. It is a refreshing treat that you wont soon forget, and I bet you’ll order it again.
The next time you are walking through the grocery store, pay attention to the names of the products you are placing in your cart. Chances are good that these items were named after someone or something. Even everyday items like nachos and Tootsie Rolls are named after certain individuals. It makes you think where things like Limburger cheese and Iams pet food got their name. Happy shopping everyone, and remember, your name might inspire the next everyday household item.
Not sure where you got your info on Shirley Temple, but none of it is true. Shirley has gone on record saying that she never liked the drink named for her, she thinks they are too sweet! She prefered Coca Cola. Her mother didn’t care for the idea of heving a drink named afer her young daughter. Both the Royal Hawaiian Hotel & Chasen’s claim to be the inventor’s of the drink, but the stories behind the naming of the drink are all just urban legend. While any lemon lime soda will do when making one, ginger ale was the original soft drink in the recipe…. I’m not sure if Sprite was even around in the 1930’s. FYI – If you substitute the ginger ale with cola, you have a Roy Rogers!
Regardless of if the info is right or not, Shirley Temple’s are my favorite drink. Whenever Mom and I would go out to eat as a child I’d always order a Shirley Temple with extra cherries!