BROADCASTS.com

Why Do Americans Only Drink Eggnog during the Winter Holidays?

Intro:

Welcome to daily fun facts where we discuss fun facts about this crazy world. Use these newfound facts to break the ice and start an interesting conversation.  Happy learning everyone!

Dialogue:

Andrea: I’m so excited, Brie!  It’s eggnog season again.  National Eggnog Day is December 24, so the time is soon approaching!

Brie: December 24th?  That’s more well-known as Christmas Eve.  Only you would think of Eggnog over the night before Christmas. 

Andrea: Well, eggnog makes me think of Christmas. Sipping on a rich and creamy eggnog is such a nice holiday treat! Since it’s only sold in the US from November to January, I find myself longing for it every year.  It’s sweet and smooth like ice cream and spiced with the flavors of the season:  nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove!  

Brie:  在美国，蛋奶酒仅于每年的11月到1月的时间段出售。 它吃起来像冰淇淋一样香甜润口，并且添加了当季的香料，比如：肉豆蔻，肉桂和丁香！I heard Eggnog is typically made out of eggs beaten with milk or cream and sugar. Is that right? 

Andrea: That’s right, and you can spice it up with a hint of cinnamon, or, if you drink alcohol, you can spike it with rum, brandy or whisky to give it a buzz.  Eggnog is so popular, it is said that Americans drink 135 million pounds a year!  Even if you’re not into the drink, you can still enjoy the flavor. This time of year you can find eggnog flavored everything, from lip balms to soaps, and even shampoos.  

Brie: 蛋奶酒通常是用牛奶，奶油，鸡蛋，再加入糖和其它香料混合而成的。蛋奶酒本身不含酒精，喜欢喝酒的人会在其中加入兰姆酒，白兰地或者威士忌，作成鸡尾酒，以提升其香味。每到圣诞节与新年期间，商店会出售带蛋奶酒味的小商品，从润唇膏到肥皂，再到洗发精.  Andrea, I don’t understand!  If eggnog is as popular as you say, how come in the US it is only available during the holiday season?  Most other drinks are sold year round.  What is so special about eggnog that makes it a popular Christmas drink in the US?

Andrea: That’s a good question, Brie.  I think it’s a mix of tradition and history.  Before I can give you a good answer, let me go back for a moment in history.  Eggnog became popular in the Americas after it was brought over from England in the early 1700s.  However, the drink dates back to at least the medieval ages as an offshoot of a British drink made from hot milk and alcohol called posset. In general, however, only the wealthiest in England could afford to make eggnog, since it was difficult at that time to obtain fresh milk. It is thought that due to the expense of the drink, the English drank it only on special occasions, of which Christmas was the most popular.  

Brie: 蛋奶酒在美洲流行开来是传统与历史结合的产物。人们认为蛋奶酒是在1700年代初,从英国引入美洲的。这种饮料的历史最早可以追溯到欧洲中世纪，是英国人用热牛奶和酒精制成的饮料的一个分支。 由于鲜牛奶的稀缺，英国富人也只能在特殊场合才喝蛋奶酒。I see, so it was due to the expense of making eggnog that made it a winter holiday drink.

Andrea:  That and the drink was served hot!  So, it was the perfect remedy for a cold winter’s day.  

Brie: But if it was only available to the wealthy, that doesn’t explain how it became so popular among the American colonists?

Andrea: While the drink was expensive in Europe, the situation was different for the  American colonists in the 1700s.  Milk was widely available due to an abundance of dairy farms in the colonies. Rum became the alcohol of choice for adding to eggnog in the American colonies, since it was readily available from the Caribbean and a lot less expensive than importing British ale.  With the accessibility of alcohol and milk, it was therefore easy to afford the delicious holiday treat. Even the first president of the United States, George Washington, was a diehard fan! He created his own recipe for eggnog which included rum, sherry, brandy, and whiskey that is still in existence today!  

Brie:  在当时，虽然这种饮料在欧洲很昂贵，但由于美国殖民地得天独厚的自然条件，制作蛋奶酒的成本在美洲被大大降低了。殖民地中有大片的奶牛场，这使得牛奶的产出尤为充裕。当时加勒比海地区又盛产兰姆酒，于是整个美洲都能买得起价格低廉的酒精作为蛋奶酒的首选成分。 美国第一任总统乔治·华盛顿也是蛋奶酒的忠实粉丝！ 他甚至创造出了至今仍然留存着的蛋奶酒独特调配方法，其中包括兰姆酒，雪利酒，白兰地酒和威士忌！Hmm, it sounds to me as though drinking eggnog was just an excuse to get drunk over the holidays.

Andrea:  Well, it kind of was!  Eggnog is famously known as the cause of an out of control riot that broke out on Christmas Day and Christmas Eve of 1826 at the now famous West Point Military Academy.  In fact, Jefferson Davis, who later became the President of the US Confederacy, was one of the rioters who got drunk on eggnog spiked with alcohol.

Brie:  Oh, you’re talking about the Eggnog Riot!  Look, I know you don’t drink alcohol Andrea, but it seems that based on what you have told me about the history of your favorite holiday drink, that the real fun fact here, is how much alcohol has influenced the history of the Christmas holiday tradition.  I think you should spike your drink! Come on! Come on!

Andrea:  Aw, no need to egg me on like that, Brie!

Brie:  Egg you on?

Andrea:  I mean, there’s no need to encourage me to do something that’s not good for me. I like my eggnog cold and alcohol free.  And that’s how I’ll continue to enjoy it for all future winter holidays to come!

Close:

So, everyone, there’s your fun fact of the day!  Let’s go over some of the vocabulary and phrases from this dialogue.

Vocabulary:

Eggnog  / ˈɛgˌnɒg /  蛋奶酒

Spice  / spaɪs /  加入香料

Nutmeg  / ˈnʌt mɛg /  肉豆蔻

Cinnamon  / ˈsɪn ə mən /  肉桂

Clove  / kloʊv /  丁香

Spike  / spaɪk /  在饮料中加入酒精

Rum  / rʌm /  兰姆酒

Brandy  / ˈbræn di /  白兰地

Whisky  / ˈʰwɪs ki /  威士忌

Buzz  / bʌz /  由于酒精导致的头晕

Medieval  / ˌmi diˈi vəl /  中世纪

Offshoot  / ˈɔfˌʃut /  分支

Posset  / ˈpɒs ɪt /  牛乳酒

Colonist  / ˈkɒl ə nɪst /  殖民者

Abundance  / əˈbʌn dəns /  丰裕，丰足

Caribbean  / ˌkær əˈbi ən /  加勒比海

Ale  / eɪl /  爱尔啤酒

Diehard  / ˈdaɪˌhɑrd /  极度忠诚的

Sherry  / ˈʃɛr i /  雪莉酒

Phrases:

Sipping on (something) 小酌

Egg (someone) on  怂恿，蛊惑某人做坏事

Alright, join us next time for another fun fact to help break the ice! 好了，这就是我们今天的有趣常识分享，如果喜欢我们，请别忘了点击订阅！拜拜，咱们下期再见！

Background Music Credit: 

Lights by Sappheiros https://soundcloud.com/sappheirosmusic

Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0

Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/LightsSappheiros

Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/-lbbHQbZNKg