July 3, 2022 - National Fried Clam Day | National Eat Your Beans Day

Welcome to July 3rd, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate having the last laugh and slaying superstition. Sometimes a wisecrack can pay off big. For Chubby and Bessie Woodman it all started on July 3, 1916 in Essex, Massachusetts. The Woodmans sold groceries, fresh clams and potato chips from a small roadside stand. On this particular day, business was slow and a wise cracking fisherman suggested they fry up some clams. What started as a joke got the Woodmans thinking. Their homemade chips were already good, so they shucked a few clams, tried out different batters and the very next day they enjoyed the last laugh. The fried clams were an instant hit. And six generations later you can still visit Woodman's for this New England favorite. On National Fried Clam Day celebrate a bright idea worth more than a few clams. The Greek philosopher Pythagoras, who was also known as the father of geometry, was a strict vegetarian. He refused, however, to eat beans, which is the staple of most vegetable-based diets. The reason was based on superstition. He believed that beans, fava beans in particular, contained the souls of the dead. And he was so freaked out by beans that he wouldn’t touch them or walk through a bean field. And this was ultimately his downfall. Legend has it that Pythagoras was fleeing from soldiers when he came across a field of fava bean plants. Rather than run across to escape, he stopped in his tracks and was killed. On National Eat Your Beans Day, don’t be afraid to consume some legumes! I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson. Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices