News of the Week: Thanksgiving Sides, the Gettysburg Address, and the Colorful World of Colonel Bleep

Maryland Is the Only State That Likes Grandma’s Corn Pudding

Allrecipes, which I always spell as either AllRecipes or All Recipes, has a new map that shows the most popular Thanksgiving side dishes on their site, broken down by state.

Green Bean Casserole is really popular in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin; people in Connecticut, Delaware, and Indiana really love Sweet Potato Casserole; if you’re in Alabama or Tennessee you eat a lot of Grandma’s Cornbread Dressing; and people in Alaska, California, and Hawaii are crazy for their Candied Yams recipe.

But wait a second. You mean to tell me there isn’t one state in the union where a mashed potatoes, carrots, or stuffing recipe is the most popular? Ridiculous.

I think Allrecipes’ methodology is off. They look at “total site traffic for a side dish in any given state.” But just because someone searches for a recipe and goes to that page and maybe even makes the recipe doesn’t mean it’s popular or well-liked, and it certainly doesn’t mean it’s the most popular in the entire state.

I’d also like to point out that Allrecipes says that these are “The 6 Most Popular Thanksgiving Side Dish Recipes.” Yet they only list five. So, I’m not sure about their other math either.

This 2023 map of the most popular side dishes from Zippia seems more logical to me, though I’d really like to know what the heck is going on with you people in North Dakota.

The Return of Hollywood Squares

To Tell the Truth was ruined when it came back, and the same will probably happen with Hollywood Squares. CBS Mornings host Nate Burleson is going to host a new version of the classic game show. The center square is going to be Drew Barrymore — a terrible choice, but she’s the executive producer of the show so she gets to say who sits there.

The only way I would watch this is if they had an AI-generated Paul Lynde in the center square.

You Can’t Spell “Holidays” Without an “A” and an “I”

Coca-Cola is not getting raves for their new Christmas commercial, a remake of their popular 1995 “Holidays Are Coming” ad. People say it looks too fake, it’s ugly, it’s sad, and some are even calling it “a creepy dystopian nightmare” because of the (over) use of AI. Judge for yourself:

Uploaded to YouTube by Pereira O’Dell

Yeah, they’re kinda right. It’s a jingle hell, a misery on 34th street, and it’s beginning to look a lot like the unholy combo of The Polar Express and a Thomas Kinkade painting.

Funny that one of Coke’s slogans is “the real thing.” It’s a long way from Coke’s classic Santa ads.

Colonel Bleep

Via Mike Lynch’s site, here’s the history of Colonel Bleep, the first cartoon to be shown in color on television.

Uploaded to YouTube by Ok so…

Headline of the Week

“Insurers Say Bear That Damaged Luxury Cars Was Actually a Person in a Costume”

RIP Arthur Frommer, Bela Karolyi, Thomas Kurtz, Vic Flick, Roy Haynes, Colin Petersen, and Dennis Bryon

Arthur Frommer was known for his travel guides, tours, and hotels. He died Monday at the age of 95.

Bela Karolyi was the successful yet controversial coach of such Olympic champion gymnasts as Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, and Kerri Strug. He died last week at the age of 82.

Thomas Kurtz co-created the computer language BASIC (which I never understood in high school). He died last week at the age of 96.

Vic Flick played the guitar on the James Bond theme (and many other Bond film scores) as well as many other songs. He died last week at the age of 87.

Roy Haynes was a famed, influential jazz drummer who played with people like Sarah Vaughan, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, and Charlie Parker. He died last week at the age of 99.

Colin Petersen and Dennis Bryon were both drummers for the Bee Gees. They died within four days of each other, Petersen at 78 and Bryon at 76.

This Week in History

William Tell Shoots Apple off Son’s Head (November 18, 1307)

I always thought this was just some fun historical trivia but the real story is quite incredible.

Lincoln Delivers Gettysburg Address (November 19, 1863)

Here’s Post archives director Jeff Nilsson on the genius of Lincoln’s 270-word speech.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Thanksgiving Prayer” by R.E. Miller (November 22, 1941)

Is the girl eyeing the turkey or that bowl of cranberry sauce?

Thanksgiving Sides

Let’s start off with the famous Green Bean Casserole mentioned above. This weekend I saw a cooking show where they made a “fancy” version of this dish, with homemade this and real that, but what’s the point of making it if you’re not going to make Campbell’s Green Bean Casserole with the cream of mushroom soup and the French’s French fried onions?

Smitten Kitchen has recipes for Pretzel Parker House Rolls and Martha’s Macaroni and Cheese. That’s Martha Stewart, by the way.

RecipeGirl has the Perfect Mashed Potatoes, Food.com has a recipe for Maple Brown Sugar Carrots, Curtis Stone has Butternut Squash with Sage and Brown Butter, and the Pioneer Woman has recipes for a Basic Thanksgiving Stuffing and a Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallow.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite side dish is and what state you’re in. And have a great Thanksgiving!

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Black Friday (November 29)

I don’t know if this is as popular as it used to be — do people still wait in line in the middle of the night to fight over the last toaster? — but there will be lots and lots of sales.

You’re Welcome Day (November 29)

This day comes after THANKSgiving, of course. It’s also called You’reWelcomeGiving Day but don’t call it that.