Dr. Tony Vercillo

To honor this day of thanks, I thought I might post what I'm thankful for and also some fun facts about the biggest food holiday of the year.

...

• The first Thanksgiving Day was in the fall of 1621, and it actually lasted 3 days.
  
  
• Thomas Jefferson thought the concept of Thanksgiving was "the most ridiculous idea I’ve ever heard."
  
  
• Every president after Lincoln again proclaimed Thanksgiving Day. In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt restored the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving. He did so to make the Christmas shopping season longer and thus stimulate the economy of the state.
  
  
• Californians are the largest consumers of turkey in the United States. (Yeah we are)
  
  
• The largest recorded Turkey weighed in at 86 lbs. Yeah, that would just barely feed my family.
  
  
• Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.
  
  
• From my assistant, who swears by this: Turducken, a turkey stuffed with a duck stuffed with a chicken, is becoming more popular in Thanksgiving (originated in Louisiana). A turducken is a de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are filled with, at the very least, a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture (although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird). yum. No seriously.
  
  
• The average person consumes 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving Day. This is why my assistant said she'll be running in a 5-mile race that morning. Preperation.

I would like to give Thanks today for the following:

1. My kids. They bring joy into my life and never stop amazing me.
2. My family's love.
3. My close friends who would take a bullet for me and vice versa.

My Assistant, Stephanie:

Today, I'd like to give Thanks for the following,

1. My mom. She's the first and last phone call I always make.
2. My entire family, immediate, as well as extended, especially on my mother's side. They are the craziest, most fun individuals I have EVER had the pleasure of knowing.
   
3. My boyfriend. It's because of him that I found my center in life.
4. Jack, my dog. He has been through so much this year and I am so thankful he's still here. Everyday he's still with me is precious.
5. My grades. I worked really hard this semester for them and it shows.

From all of us at IFMC, we wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Eat, Drink, and be Merry. And tomorrow go shopping.