All good ideas start with satisfying a need. For instance, man was mad, crazy stressed out after a day of blacksmithing and horse shoe-ing. He needed a way to chill out. But, there were no therapists or benzodiazepines back then, so a smart enterprising fellow finally realized, “Hey, we should build a place where people can come drink their sorrows away with whiskey and moonshine!” That’s how the tavern was born! (Yay!) You’re thinking, what does this have to do with National Frozen Food Day? I’m getting to that…
Ice, Ice Baby!
In the 1920s, everyone was broke and food was scarce and there was no way to keep things fresh cuz nobody had refrigerators yet! But people needed a way to preserve food. So, a clever vegetable mogul had an idea to flash freeze produce so it would keep. After years of experimentation, he found success. But that’s not exactly when National Frozen Food Day started…
“We Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Dishes!”
Once refrigerators were commonplace, there were more than just frozen vegetables available for purchase, there were like, full on dinners in funky aluminum trays that looked like a Bento Box! And you could eat them in front of the TV!… without having to really cook or get any dishes dirty! Beleaguered housewives were saved! Swanson launched its line of TV Dinners in 1954 to meet the bourgie palates of the day with meals like ‘Salisbury Steak’ (uhh, that would be meatloaf with some kind of saucy gravy on top) and ‘Fried Chicken’ served with instant mashed potatoes. All I can say is, thank the gods for the advent of California Cuisine!
Who Has Time? Just Nuke It!
In the 1980s, the food revolution happened. Suddenly, food was good. But people were in a big, fat hurry all the time, so they didn’t have the bandwidth for baking and broiling and being all Julia Child like. So, they bought microwave ovens, which could cook food in a fraction of the time. With the invention of the microwave, all sorts of frozen foods that could easily be nuked, became available in grocery stores. Burritos, pot pies, macaroni and cheese! President Ronald Reagan was such a fan that in 1984 he decided to establish National Frozen Food Day!
#NationalFrozenFoodDay
Today, just about any kind of food you can think of comes frozen—Chicken Tikka Masala, Lemongrass Spring Rolls, French Onion Soup, Parmesan Garlic Fries (Mmm!)! There are old standbys like waffles, popsicles, tater tots, and pretzels (highly recommended for consumption after a night at your local tavern). Chain restaurants even have their own line of frozen foods. Like, who in a pinch, hasn’t picked up a California Pizza Kitchen Barbecued Chicken Pizza or a Cheesecake Factory Snickers Bar Cheesecake? Not me! I mean, yes me! To celebrate the revolution known as National Frozen Food Day, open up your freezer and cook up some fun!
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