JANUARY 7TH

JANUARY 7TH is...

• TEMPURA DAY
• BOBBLEHEAD DAY
• HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS DAY
• OLD ROCK DAY

When 16th-Century Portuguese came to Japan, they brought a special dish with them. Today, in Japan, it’s called tempura and has been a staple of the country’s cuisine ever since.

In 1543, a Chinese ship with three Portuguese sailors on board was headed to Macau, but was swept off course and ended up on the Japanese island of Tanegashima. Antonio da Mota, Francisco Zeimoto and Antonio Peixoto – the first Europeans to ever step on Japanese soil – were deemed ‘southern barbarians’ by the locals because of the direction from which they came and their ‘unusual’, non-Japanese features. The Japanese were in the middle of a civil war and eventually began trading with the Portuguese, in general, for guns. And thus began a Portuguese trading post in Japan, starting with firearms and then other items such as soap, tobacco, wool and even recipes.

The Portuguese remained in Japan until 1639, when they were banished because the ruling shogun Iemitsu believed Christianity was a threat to Japanese society. As their ships sailed away for the final time, the Portuguese left an indelible mark on the island: a battered and fried green bean recipe called peixinhos da horta. Today, in Japan, it’s called tempura and has been a staple of the country’s cuisine ever since. -BBC TRAVEL.com

HISTORY OF TEMPURA
Is it originally from Europe or Japan?
It is said the word tempura is originally Portuguese or Spanish. The record shows there was a type of battered and deep-fried food similar to tempura eaten during ancient times from the Nara through Heian periods. However, its batter was made with rice flour instead of wheat flour. The common belief about the origin of tempura is a European style fritter, which was introduced to Japan during the 16th to 17th centuries and uniquely developed into today's form of Japanese tempura.

TEMPURA AS A SNACK
During the Edo period, tempura was considered more like a common snack food and was cooked on a skewer at a tempura stand where customers ate it while standing up. Restaurants specialized in tempura were born after the Meiji period. -menu-Tokyo.jp

BOBBLEHEADS

They were originally paper-mâché and ceramic, and modeled after four sports players: Roberto Clemente, Mickey Mantle, Roger Maris, and Willie Mays. Major League Baseball created and sold them to celebrate the 1960 World Series. They all shared the same mold and the same face, but the uniforms and faces were painted to reflect the player and the team. In 1964, a company called Car Mascots produced a bobblehead Beatles set; it’s now one of the rarest collectors’ items (and yes, the museum has a set). In the 1970s, bobbleheads fell to the back of peoples’ minds—they were difficult and expensive to make thanks to the ceramic construction, and demand decreased as more durable action figures were introduced.

In the 90s, everything changed. Bobblehead manufacturers had figured out how to make the figures out of plastic, saving both time and money, and creating a less breakable product. A Willie Mays bobblehead given to 20,000 San Francisco Giants fans on May 9, 1999, re-established bobbleheads in the public eye.

https://www.bobbleheadhall.com/virtualtour/

HARLEM GLOBE TROTTERS

In 1940, the Globetrotters won their first World Basketball Championship, defeating the Chicago Bruins. In 1948 and 1949, the Globetrotters stunned the world by twice defeating the World Champion Minneapolis Lakers of the NBA. The Globetrotters were socially influential and quickly became recognized as the world’s best basketball team, showing that African-Americans could excel on a professional level.

The victories over the Lakers accelerated the integration of the NBA, as Globetrotter Nathaniel “Sweetwater” Clifton became the first African-American player to sign an NBA contract when he joined the famed New York Knicks in 1950. -Harlem Globetrotters.com

THE STRUGGLE WITH PREJUDICE AND BIGOTRY

Definition of prejudice:
1 : injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights
especially : detriment to one's legal rights or claims
2a(1) : preconceived judgment or opinion
(2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge
b : an instance of such judgment or opinion…

Definition of bigotry
1 : obstinate or intolerant devotion to one's own opinions and prejudices : the state of mind of a bigot
overcoming his own bigotry
2 : acts or beliefs characteristic of a bigot



…

The Globetrotters were a welcome introduction to the game of basketball for most, but the team represented an uncomfortable shift in the culture for white conservatives. White audiences heckled and prodded at the all-black team. The Globetrotters responded with style, professionalism, and a comedic ability to razzle-dazzle. Spectators began to look past their color and, instead, would enjoy the game of basketball.

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