Hi, welcome back to my series of global Christmases around the world. This is episode two. And of course, you know me, I'm Z Michelson, your host, and today's episode is going to be delicious. I hope my mouth doesn't water too much because then you won't understand what I have to say if I'm drooling. We're gonna look at holiday foods from fried chicken to towering cakes and the stories that made them a tradition. Yep, I did say fried chicken. I'm not kidding you. Fried chicken. Okay, well, let's go to the first thing when I'm talking about fried chicken. I'm going to Japan. That's right, Japan. In Japan, the most popular Christmas dinner is get this Kentucky fried chicken. Kentucky fried chicken, yeah, it's very yummy. And I I love it. Delicious. And thanks widely to the successful 1970s marketing campaign, the families can now pre-order buckets weeks in advance. Colonel Sanders even gets dressed as Santa for the occasion. Yeah. In Japan. You believe me? I can't believe it myself. So if you go to Japan this holiday season, remember you gotta have a bucket of the Colonel. Kentucky fried chicken for Christmas in Japan. Well, I'm gonna go from Japan and I'm gonna head over to Norway, and I do apologize in advance because it's gonna be very hard for me to say this name. Krensakaki, and I'm going to spell it for you. K-R-A-N-S-E-K-A-K-E. Norway. Now Norway brings us a tower of joy called the Krensaki, a tall cone-shaped cake. Ooh, that sounds yummy. Made of almond rings stacked on top of each other. It's crunchy, chewy, sweet, and it's also served at weddings and birthdays. And of course, it's a big holiday favorite for Christmas. Just think about that. It's a whole cone-shaped cake made of almond rings. Ooh, yummy. But it's also saying it's crunchy, chewy, and sweet, so I wonder what else goes on this cake. I wonder if they put honey on it or molasses. I'm gonna have to look for that recipe and maybe get it back to you. But speaking of getting back to you, I want to make sure that you folks are listening. Thank you for listening today. I also want to say, share your holiday traditions with me, and maybe they'll be on my next year's holiday tradition podcast. And again, you can send it to my email. That's zmichelson at gmail.com. And Z is spelt Z-E-E. All right, I'm going from Norway. I'm gonna be crossing back over the pond, and I'm going south. I'm going to Mexico. Now, when you think Mexico, of course you think of food. And this episode is all about food and deliciousness. So in Mexico, tamales. That's right, tamales. You think Mexico, you think tamales. So in Mexico, Christmas dinner means tamales. Soft masa dough filled with meats, cheese, peppers, or even sweet fillings. And it's steamed in corn husks. Has anybody ever had a tamale? They are pretty tasty. Families gather together for the tamalada, a big cooking session that turns into a holiday celebration all its own. You know what that sounds like to me? When everybody gets together and does the cookie baking. Everybody's baking all different cookies and then they trade the cookies. You know, I'll make chocolate chips, somebody else is making oatmeal, somebody else is making butter cookies. So they do this with the tamales. Isn't that cool? Well, it's very tasty. I know that for sure. Now I'm gonna go from ancient Egypt to today. So ancient Egypt all the way to today. And this is something that we love to hate. Fruitcake. Love it or hate it. Fruitcake has been around for thousands of years, and some fruitcakes tasted like they've been baked thousands of years ago. It actually began in ancient Egypt, where the sweet preserved fruit was considered a food worthy of the afterlife. Eventually, Europeans turned it into a dense fruit-filled cake that we know today. And a lot of people give the gift of fruitcake every year. Do you have a favorite fruitcake recipe? I'd like to hear about it. Because I know everybody makes different types of fruitcakes. Well, some even put a little bit booze in their fruitcake. So again, fruitcake from ancient Egypt to today's celebrations. Has anybody been to Finland? I haven't been to Finland yet, but I think I'd like to go. It's a little nippy in the winter time. But in Finland they do a breakfast porridge. What's porridge? Well, kind of like our oatmeal, but it's a little bit different. So Christmas morning in Finland, it starts with a warm rice porridge topped with butter, cinnamon, or milk. I'd probably put all three on there. But here's a twist. Somewhere inside is a single almond. That's right, I said an almond. And it's hidden inside the porridge. Now whoever finds it wins a small prize, or at least bragging rights. So you might want to start your own tradition. It's a good morning starter because it's going to be warm rice porridge topped with butter, cinnamon, and milk. And if you put the little almond inside, whoever gets the almond wins a little prize. So if you're doing it with kids, what a great way to have them eat their porridge. I can't believe that this has come full circle today. Yeah, I'm only doing about five to six holiday traditions per episode. But from fast food to ancient desserts, the world's Christmas tables are full of stories. So please join me next time for more traditions that make this season magical. And again, if you know a tradition that I need to hear about, feel free to email me, zmichelson at gmail.com. And Z is spelt Z-E-E. Thanks for listening today. Please tune in next week for our next batch of Christmas traditions around the globe. And remember what I always say travel the world, reach for the stars, and if you only get to the moon, at least you made the trip. Thanks for listening. This is Zee Michelson. Have a great holiday season.