Is Smaller Better?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
The last miniature quiche was passed under our noses at a wedding and everyone lunged at the tempting hors d’oeuvre. Then came the tiny kebobs with a Thai peanut sauce. Each tray brought smaller more scrumptious bites of food that normally come in larger sizes.
Which made me think, [...]
Christmas Food for Thought and Song
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
No one can deny the holidays are steeped in age-old traditions (well, unless you are an ardent follower of Festivus!). What’s interesting is that many foods mentioned in Christmas songs are foreign to most Americans. But they sure do sound good.
The Nutcracker, written by Pyotr [...]
Catching Up with Ketchup
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
I pour a little red goop on the plate, and my youngest son inevitably says, “More!” My husband and I watch in disbelief as he readily dips anything in ketchup. Neither of us likes it very much. It was actually a bonding thing when we first met.
“Want [...]
Symbol of Harvest is Greek to Me
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
When you think fall, what do you think of – school, football, foliage, pumpkins and apples? There are many things that symbolize fall in New Jersey but one found prominently on logos would be the cornucopia.
I’ve had a long history with the idea of [...]
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Meal preparation often falls to mothers, and has been so since the dawn of hunters and gatherers. Call her Mom, Maid, Nanny, Grandma, Oma, or Tita, as my friend called her Filipino aunt– I’m sure these women have had to get a little creative with picky eaters.
School lunches in our [...]
Harnessing the Power of the DNA Code
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
DNA research has revealed a lot of things, from where certain diseases originate, to what eye color you have. I am still holding out for another kind of discovery, something a little more intangible. I truly believe that experiences or intuition are passed down [...]
A Frame of Reference
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
I have a great four-section frame sitting on my shelf and I contemplate putting new photos in it. It currently has photos of my family while I was in college, and got stored away until I bought a house many years later. All that time I wondered [...]
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
There is something mesmerizing about bubbles. And if they are within reach, the urge to pop them is almost unstoppable (or maybe that’s just me!). But where does this fascination come from?
If you think about our forefathers, when would they have seen bubbles before liquid soaps were invented? Perhaps [...]
Galoshes Galore
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Rainy days aren’t so bad in my house. My eldest loves to go outside in his rubber boots and use my ladybug umbrella (yes, I still retain ownership of my childish umbrella!) and splash vigorously in puddles. It is one of childhood’s simplest joys.
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of [...]
Water for Fire - Hydrants are Nothing New
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
All the flooding lately has got me thinking about water. Water seems plentiful in our area, but since the beginning of time, humans have worked hard to harness the water and guide it. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Great things have come [...]
