Getting Your Turduckens in a Row
November 17th, 2008Getting Your Turduckens in a Row
by Vera H-C Chan
Heads up: Thanksgiving falls on Nov. 27, which means you have less than two weeks to prepare.
If you accept the premise that the occasion is a time for celebrating family and not dysfunction, then you might be disheartened to know that cumulative searches for the occasion—from turkeys to Thanksgiving prayers—are 44% lower than the same time period last year.
Considering how fired up citizens have been about the election year, that’s not a good sign for America’s holiday. Not that the day isn’t respectably ensconced in the top 750 searches on Yahoo!. Still, the comparatively lackluster interest might show lingering election fatigue. More likely, an unstable economy may force travelers to stay homebound, away from the family hearth, and cut down on the homestead festivities. Whatever the reasons, people are especially lagging in researching “thanksgiving recipes” and “thanksgiving dish” online (though good progress is being made on “thanksgiving side dishes” and “thanksgiving recipes desserts” searches).
My fellow Americans, it’s time to buck up and jump back into the fray. Despite reports that the Thanksgiving menu may cost a wee bit more, there are red-blooded men and women out there right now (well, usually women) who’ve been to get their ducks in a row. Actually, make that turducken (+77%, past 7 days), honey-baked ham (+93%) and Butterball turkeys (+857%). (In case you mistakenly filed it away as a bad horror movie, turducken combines a turkey, duck and chicken in one triple-carnivorous delight, and understandably requires advance orders.)
As for the rest of the menu, lookups for seasonal mainstays like “sweet potato recipes,” “sweet potato pie,” “deviled egg recipe,” and “turkey stuffing” have risen in the past seven days. If that doesn’t give you inspiration, Esquire pulled out 14 recipes from the ’80s, like Jimmy Carter Plains Special Cheese Ring and Nancy Reagan’s Persimmon Pudding. (And, per Fox News, Obama homage can be paid by having a side dish of chili or pumpkin pie.)
Don’t forget the kids. Some young’uns have been working on crafts, learning about the “first thanksgiving” and its first host, Squanto. Even if you’re not hosting, you still may need to put your turkey game-face on: Someone out there is making “thanksgiving invitations” and preparing a night of prayer and songs. (Y’know, like “Over the River and Through the Wood,” and, um, lots more.)
The most compelling reason to prep for Thanksgiving now: The holiday comes late this year, and leaves only a few scant weeks to gird up for a double dose of Hanukkah (Dec. 21) and Christmas. Some holiday overachievers have jumped ahead in search of “santa tracker,” suggestions for a “christmas wish list” and “ugly christmas sweaters“—for the theme party, of course. At least maybe you can bow out of the white elephant fruitcake exchange.
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Source: us.rd.yahoo.com
The Lipstick Economy
by Claudine Zap
In this economy that’s in the red, there may be one bright spot that comes in shades of pink, brown, and taupe: the lipstick index.
It’s a financial indicator that’s as true as that colorfast shade that stays on you, and doesn’t get on your man. In bad times, lipstick sales soar while other sales sour. The term “Leading Lipstick Indicator” was coined by Leonard Lauder, chairman of makeup company Estée Lauder, after he noticed the trend during tough economic times. And what is indicated right now? All lips are pointing upwards.
After all, women don’t need to think twice about plunking down eight bucks for a drugstore lipstick while passing on $800 Jimmy Choos.
History can be our guide here. As a Harvard professor explains: “The decade of the Great Depression, cosmetic sales increased 25 percent.” After the downturn following Sept. 11, lipstick sales doubled.
Looks like we’re on track for a similar lip-color craze with this latest economic funk. The New York Times notes that in the last few months, lipstick sales have shot up 40%, and even put out a list of favorites ranging in price from the budget-conscious $1.99 to the more pricey but still affordable $55. Preferred colors for this new economy? Red is out. Neutrals are in.
Maybe you can’t put lipstick on a pig. But you sure can stock up on the stuff during rough financial times.
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Source: us.rd.yahoo.com
Korean Scoop owl 
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