Cake on a stick. Linnaea Mallette / https://www.publicdomainpictures.net / CC0 1.0
The 28th of March is Something on a Stick Day.
Today celebrates eating off what is probably the oldest eating utensil around — a stick!
Eating food on a stick always symbolizes fun and freedom, however short-lived, from the strictures of polite consumption of food. You’re not tied to using a knife and fork, or chop sticks, or even sitting and staying in one place while you are eating. You can walk around and munch! Maybe that’s the reason that some foods just taste better on a stick.
Just about any food can be put on a stick. Heck, you could even make frozen soup popsicles, if you wanted.
The stick can be wood, metal or plastic, depending on what the heat tolerance requirement is. Even cheese cubes on toothpicks count today.
Foods frequently seen on a stick include chicken teriyaki, cotton candy, kebabs, grilled veggies, etc.
Novel foods to try on a stick might include brownie chunks interspersed with strawberries and dusted with icing sugar, cake pops, fresh fruit chunks, pizza, small slider hamburgers, chunks of hot dog… the list is endless!
Try to have every meal on a stick today.
- for breakfast, what about Martha Stewart’s idea of breakfast kebabs with French toast cubes, sausage chunks, and melon slices?
- for lunch, club sandwich on a stick or pasta salad on a stick;
- for dinner, chicken and waffles on a stick or scallops and shrimps on a stick.
If you’re in a rush, there’s always a popsicle, an ice cream bar, lollipop, toffee apple, or a corn dog within easy reach.
One of the global centres of food on a stick is the unassuming state of Minnesota. Folks there seem to spend half their waking lives thinking up new things that they can eat on a stick.
And remember, eating deep-fried foods on a stick is healthier because you can walk around while doing so and burn the calories right straight off (just kidding — we doubt many dietitians would fall for that one. Well, we tried…)
#SomethingOnAStickDay #NationalSomethingOnAStickDay
See also: Skewers, Corndog Day, À la Broche, Alambre, Attelets, Spiedies
Activities for today
- Try eating something on a stick for breakfast, lunch and dinner;
- try thinking of new foods to put on a stick;
- post photos of your stick food on social media;
- have friends around for a meal on which all the food is served on sticks, even dessert!
Recipes
Rosemary & Onion Cocktail Sausages
History
The earliest print reference that CooksInfo is aware of for a “Something on a Stick Day” in March dates from 2001 in Michigan:
“March 28 is Something on a Stick Day”. — Deane, Ed. Any day can be a Red Letter Day or some other wacky holiday. Battle Creek, Michigan: Battle Creek Enquirer. Sunday, 18th February 2001. Page 1D, col. 2.
The source of the information is given as “Chase’s Calendar of Events and www.wellcat.com.”
Sources
Bloem, Adele. National Something On A Stick Day. Roodeport, South Africa: The Roodeport Record. 28 March 2017. Accessed August 2021 at https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2017/03/28/national-something-on-a-stick-day/
Bloudoff-Indelicato, Mollie. Today Is Apparently “Something on a Stick Day.” We’ve Got the Recipes You Need to Celebrate It. Washington, D.C.: The Washingtonian. 28 March 2016. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.washingtonian.com/2016/03/28/something-on-a-stick-day-recipes/
Gribbin, Eddie. Today’s celebration: National Something on a Stick Day. 28 March 2012. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/article/20120328/LIFESTYLE/303289688
National Something on a Stick Day. Cochrane, Alberta, Canada: Cochrane Tourism. 28 March 2021. Accessed August 2021 at https://cochranetourism.ca/event/national-something-on-a-stick-day/
Reiter, Amy. National Something on a Stick Day: It’s Not Too Late to Celebrate. The Food Network. March 2014. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.foodnetwork.com/fn-dish/news/2014/03/national-something-on-a-stick-day-its-not-too-late-to-celebrate
Something On A Stick Day. Toronto, Canada: CBC. 28 March 2011. Accessed August 2021 at https://www.cbc.ca/food/ideas/something-on-a-stick-day
Today Is Something On A Stick Day. Naples, Florida: South Florida Reporter. 28 March 2016. Accessed August 2021 at https://southfloridareporter.com/today-something-stick-day/