Slider Image 1 Content
Study Proves That Drinking Alcohol Is The Best Way To Deal With Your Annoying Family This Christmas
stress. anxiety. Money down the drain… Christmas time is supposed to be fun, but it can actually be quite the headache.
And let’s be honest, family can make it much harder… oh yes, Christmas time, and dealing with families.
A 2017 study pointed out that alcohol was indeed the favorite way to deal with your family (or your in-laws), during the holidays. In a 1,000-person survey consisting of 43% women and 57% men, the study found that a whopping 49% of respondents felt their family was more tolerable after the consumption of alcohol.
So, let’s take it a step further and examine how to actually use booze to offset the stressful “family time.”
After all, most of us aren’t living the classic Hallmark film this time of year.
Here’s your game plan this Christmas:
Prepare your body to drink early.
You want to be in the best shape possible going into Christmas Eve and Christmas. You need to be in optimal form to handle the most amount of alcohol possible, while remaining functional.
Road sodas.
Assuming you’re taking a train, or flight, or in the backseat of a car you’re going to want to have road sodas. Road sodas AKA alcohol on the trip there. Maybe some shitty wine in a carton – love those, or a beer, or a few swigs of the whiskey you planned on bringing as a gift for yourself.
If you’re on a plane, just start ripping through those Wild Turkey 101s like they’re about to stop making whiskey forever.
Take the extra drink.
Let your smarter self take a break this time. You’re feeling a little too buzzed around the kitchen table? Screw it. It’s Christmas, have another drink and try to smile.
Walk out on conversations.
When shit gets awkward, or contentious, just smile or act like you just realized something and leave the room. Find a TV or speakers with music and have a drink alone in the corner.
Suggest opening more wine.
Just keep drinking wine. Everybody gets sleepy eventually and will stop talking.
Suggest trying that new whiskey.
Just go for the “way too drunk around family” drunk at this point.
Suggest a family shot (drink shot, not photo shot).
Get everyone involved and happy.
Play a one-person game with yourself where you take a drink every time someone brings up politics.
This is inevitable. Politics. Try to combat getting annoyed with political bullshit by drinking yourself blind and thoughtless on the subject matter.
Merry Christmas!
Finding fufu: Australia’s growing appetite for West African food | Australian food and drink
In Australian cities, Ethiopian and Sudanese restaurants have introduced diners to injera, that fermented flatbread wonder; while home cooks’ growing familiarity with Moroccan and Egyptian cuisine means ras el hanout has its place in our globalized pantries. These food habits reflect the waves of migration over the decades – historically, Australians with African ancestry are mostly from South Africa, Zimbabwe, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan and South Sudan.
But if new Ghanaian, Nigerian and Cameroonian food businesses are a barometer for demographic change, the West African community and diaspora are growing, and customers are actively seeking out its cuisine and ingredients. This is also supported by the latest census data – in five years, the number of people in Australia who were born in Nigeria increased by about 50%, from 8,493 people in 2016 to 12,883 in 2021.
The main ingredients in West African food are rice, cassava, plantain and cocoyam (taro), the Ghanaian chef-owner of Melbourne’s Akwaaba restaurant, Ahmed Inusah, says. But each country or even household might cook it differently. “I would say West African food is carb- and meat-based and it has earthy flavours. Palm oil is also important. We cook a lot with it,” he says. Unrefined palm oil has a rich, earthy, slightly nutty taste and gives dishes a red-gold tint.
The Cameroonian owner and chef of Vola Foods in Melbourne, Ashley Vola, expands on the hyper-regionalization of West African food, which is influenced by colonisation, trade and terrain. “In Cameroon, there’s the English part and the French part. Each province will also have its signature dish. From my mum’s side, the dish is achu which is made with taro and a bit of mashed banana. From my dad’s side, it’s fufu and njama njama, which is a spinach-like vegetable.”
If fufu – a mashed, dough-like starch dish – sounds familiar, it could be because of its popularity on social media. It is traditionally made with any starch such as yam, plantain, cassava or taro – sometimes a combination of starches. Recipes vary, but the produce might be boiled, pounded in a mortar and pestle until it reaches a fluffy, dough-like consistency, then rolled into a ball and eaten with soups or stews.
Today, there are easy-serve packs of dehydrated fufu for those with limited time, plantains or access to a mortar and pestle. Owner of African Pride Superstore and Restaurant in Adelaide, Aime Ruigira, can vouch for the growing popularity of the staple dish. “I started this business 14 years ago and today my best seller is fufu,” he says. “Customers tell me they saw it on YouTube and want to try it. I think it is quite popular because it is gluten-free and nut-free so it is suitable for people with food allergies.”
Another best dish associated with West Africa is jollof, a one-pot tomato rice dish that is cooked in layers and varies significantly between countries, regions and households. It is also the cause of diplomatic incidents, outrage towards Jamie Oliver’s version and good-natured ribbing among West Africans who all claim their version is the best. Vola describes its version as a tomato stew that is thicker than passata; it could also be described as a vegan paella. In other versions, the rice dish might be cooked in meat-based stock.
The rice dish is the headline act at Naija Jollof, a Nigerian restaurant in Sydney’s inner west by Oluwaloseyi Tajudeen Olateju and Hawanatu Wanda Koroma. “Everyone has their own version of jollof but the main ingredients are tomatoes, onions, capsicum and rice. The seasoning is up to you,” Koroma says. This may include a range of herbs and spices including thyme, rosemary, ginger and chilli powder.
The key to good jollof is its distinctive smoky flavour, which can be achieved by cooking over firewood or dehydrating the tomatoes before making the stew. Koroma has a simpler option for beginners: char the capsicum first. “And always use red capsicum, never green,” she stresses.
Fufu and jollof have crept into our collective culinary lexicon, but Vola has introduced a lesser-known dish from his homeland: born fish. “It is a whole fish, marinated with spices like njansang [a nutty seed from
What Eggnog Is the Best?
Whether you’re for or vehemently against eggnog, a product that easily wins the title of “Most Polarizing Beverage” of the holiday season, there’s no denying that it is — and should be — a personal journey of discovery. To help guide you in that creamy and sweet saga, the Food & Wine team tasted as many different cartons as we could find in New York City grocery stores at the start of the holiday season. While this isn’t an exhaustive survey of every eggnog on the market nationwide, we tasted nearly 15 different options that came from brands with wide (and local) distribution. Some were fairly traditional, others flavored, and several fell into the rapidly expanding dairy-free nog category.
Before we dive into our favorites and what we love about them, let us ask ourselves some fundamental questions: How did eggnog even become a fixture of the holidays? Are there real eggs in it? And, is it even worth drinking it without booze?
What Is Eggnog?
Culinary historians generally agree that eggnog dates back to medieval Britain in the 13th century, when members of the aristocracy often drank hot milk and eggs combined with spices and alcohol known as “possets” (not to be confused with the other, more common kind of posset, which is like a sweet, chilled pudding). The drink’s boozy profile evolved to include sherry, and, later, rum. Meanwhile, as America settled into its status as a fledgling country in the 18th century, President George Washington’s heavily spiked eggnog quickly became a beloved Christmas-time drink, a tradition that has carried into modern day.
Eggnog is classically made using eggs, milk, heavy cream, sugar and vanilla extract. Cinnamon, cloves, star anise or grated nutmeg are typically added for a warming flavor and garnish, and you can experiment with using rum, whiskey, or brandy for a boozy upgrade.
Now that you have a sense of eggnog’s past, here are the four best eggnogs we’ve tasted this year.
Best Dairy-Free Eggnog: Chobani Oat Nog
First came the Millennial-minded rebrand, then came Chobani’s venture into the dairy-free space. The brand has been experimenting with plant-based dairy for some time now with flavored coffee creamers and creamy oat milk, but this seasonal eggnog might be their best release yet. Our editors felt it had just the right amount of coconut on the nose, and a great balance of cinnamon and clove spices. While many of the dairy-free eggnog contenders we tasted were surprisingly runny, Chobani’s offering had a nice, creamy heft to it. Some mentioned that they didn’t taste (and missed) the egg part of the drink, which brings us back to the personal journey aspect of eggnog — if you’re looking for less egg, but more spice, Chobani’s oat nog is likely for you!
Best Eggnog to Spike: Southern Comfort Traditional Eggnog
It’s not all that surprising that the team behind Southern Comfort whiskey knows how to make a booze-friendly eggnog. “This is thick, rich and pleasantly sweet thanks to baking spices,” one editor said. Another liked its deep yellow color because it felt “like real, homemade eggnog”, and most of our testers felt it would play best with whiskey or rum. It’s worth noting that Southern Comfort also makes a vanilla flavored eggnog, but we found that version overpowering in its sweetness. If you’re looking for a SoCo eggnog, go for the original.
For Fans of Really, Truly Creamy Eggnog: Upstate Farms Eggnog
From Buffalo, New York, Upstate Farms’ eggnog won over most of the self-proclaimed nog enthusiasts on our staff. Exceptionally thick, creamy, and heavy on the egg flavor, this is an eggnog for someone who loves a homemade version, but perhaps doesn’t have the time or energy to whip up a fresh batch. While some of our testers remarked that this eggnog is so thick, it would be difficult to down more than a glass in a single sitting, some found it refreshingly balanced in terms of sweetness. All in all, this isn’t an eggnog for the faint of heart, but it’s sure to satisfy traditionalists.
The Best Eggnog for Almost Anyone: Pittsford Farms Eggnog
Also from upstate New York, Pittsford Farms’ eggnog is a perfect grocery store gateway buy for the nog-curious. “This is really high quality dairy, the balance of cream and egginess is spot on, with a nice, subtle hint of vanilla and spice, especially ginger,” one editor shared. “This has the most ‘natural’ milk and egg notes. I appreciate its mild, sweet flavor, but wish it had a bit more spice,” said another. If you enjoy the taste of melted, vanilla ice cream (for the record, we did), this is likely to scratch the same itch.