66. Cranberries

The negative press in the country seems to make us sound divided, and sometimes we are, but as Americans there are lots of things that unite us. That has been my focus in the blog and the entries that are numbered relate to those very American things that I am thankful for. Heres to cranberries:

It’s that time of year when I start thinking of cranberries because they are associated with the winter holiday season and right now the leaves are falling… But I also have heard of associations of cranberry juice with bladder infections, so maybe the berry could also have those illness associations that would make someone despise them. Not me. I love them. I remember as a kid having that gelatinous canned cranberry “sauce” with a turkey dinner and I didn’t like that. But now, as an adult, I have come to appreciate my home made cranberry “sauce” (more of a relish really) that is a mix of sugar, cranberries and whole oranges. And I’ve always loved cranberry juice. When I was in Europe I don’t really remember even hearing about cranberries. They seemed an unknown, even more so than peanut butter or root beer. While I didn’t miss them as much as I missed peanut butter, there was definitely an absence in my American sensibilities. I mean there really aren’t many European things you can’t get here but there seemed to be huge gaps in American things there. So, yes, cranberries are an American thing that I am grateful for.