Today we celebrate a special soup that is loved by everyone especially when the weather is cold. This day is observed annually on November 12th.
As the weather continues to drop and get colder, it is nice to have some hot soup for dinner, like Chicken soup. A heart-warming soup made from chicken simmered in water, together with other ingredients like onions, carrots, noodles, dumplings, or grains like barley or rice. The origin of chicken soup is linked to the history of the domestication of fowl, stretching back 7,000 to 10,000 years ago, which probably took place either in ancient India or Southeast Asia.
In the Philippines, where I am from, Chicken soup is called “Sopas” and has some western influenced. Sopas is almost the same as American’s Chicken Noodle soup except that it includes some slices of hotdog or sausage aside from the vegetables, and milk is added for more flavor and some other spices.
Another type of chicken soup that is popular in the Philippines is called “Mami” which derives from its other Asian neighboring countries in the East Asian part and normally served with sliced chicken, broth, noodles, chopped vegetables, boiled egg, and usually garnished with fried garlic.
According to the book series “Chicken Soup for the Soul”, this day was created to celebrate “who you are, where you’ve been where you’re going, and who you will be thankful to when you get there!” The book has been popular for over 20 years, selling more than 110 million copies in the U.S. and Canada. The inspiration series of the book has allowed ordinary people to share their extraordinary stories with the world.
So, today, celebrate this day by sharing your experiences with others, by reflecting your memorable memories or by grabbing a copy of the book and reading a series to a friend or your family member. Don’t forget to serve a hear-warming Chicken Noodle Soup and share some photos on social media using #ChickenSoupForTheSoulDay.
1979 Jimmy Carter shuts down oil imports from Iran
On November 12, 1979, President Jimmy Carter responds to a potential threat to national security by stopping the importation of petroleum from Iran.
Earlier that month, on November 4, 66 Americans at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran had been taken hostage by a radical Islamic group. The alarming event led Carter and his advisors to wonder if the same or other terrorist groups would try to strike at American oil resources in the region. At the time, the U.S. depended heavily on Iran for crude oil and Carter’s cultivation of a relationship with Iran’s recently deposed shah gave the radicals’ cause, in their view, to take the Americans hostage. Not knowing if future attacks were planned involving American oil tankers or refineries, Carter agreed with the Treasury and Energy Departments that oil imports from Iran should be discontinued immediately. This ended America’s formerly friendly association with the oil-rich nation.
The U.S. and Iran had previously enjoyed a healthy diplomatic relationship; Carter had even enlisted the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s help in reconvening peace talks between Israel and Egypt. Carter also sought Iran’s help in supporting nuclear non-proliferation talks with the Soviet Union. Carter and the shah affirmed their desire to collaborate on alternative energy and oil conservation. He even once toasted Iran under the shah as “an island of stability” in the Middle East.
(excerpted from https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/carter-shuts-down-oil-imports-from-iran)
