Paying Your Taxes in South Carolina

Rice was a widely grown crop in the southern colonies of the U.S., and it was used to make a variety of foods, including rice waffles. But perhaps the oddest use of rice was authorized in 1691 by officials in the colony of South Carolina.

Officials in that colony voted to allow its residents to pay their taxes in rice.

Cleveland Liked Simple Grub

Grover Cleveland was born on this day in 1837 in Caldwell, New Jersey. As his ample frame attested, Cleveland loved to eat. Unfortunately, the kind of comfort food that Cleveland adored was not within the repertoire of the French chef he inherited from outgoing President Chester Arthur.

A frustrated Cleveland wrote a friend: "I must go to dinner, but I wish it was to eat pickled herring, Swiss cheese, and a chop at Louis’ instead of the French stuff I shall find." Awaiting dinner on another night, President Cleveland caught the aromas of corned beef and cabbage coming from the servants’ quarters. Cleveland ordered his valet to take the dinner prepared for him "down to the servants and bring their dinner to me."

Netanyahu's Creamy Craving

The prime minister of Israel is in hot water over a cold treat. As the New York Times explains, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticized for allegedly maintaining an annual ice cream budget of $2,700.

To which flavor is Netanyahu most devoted? Pistachio. Correction: make that "artisanal pistachio."  According to The Times:

In a country facing severe cuts in government spending after an election that focused largely on the struggling middle class, and with the Netanyahus’ supposed taste for the high life already under scrutiny, news of the prime minister’s weakness for artisanal pistachio ice cream raised a national outcry.

Shelly Yacimovich, the leader of the center-left Labor Party, summed it up as a Marie Antoinette moment and noted that Mr. Netanyahu was the one who always spoke of cutting the fat. “If there’s no bread, eat ice cream,” she wrote on her Facebook page, adding, “Shall we laugh or cry?”

Rosa Park's Eating Habits Evolved

Rosa Parks was born on this date in 1913. This courageous woman inspired many civil rights supporters in 1955 by refusing to give up her seat in the section of an Alabama bus designated only for white customers. Her action added momentum to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and civil rights advocates eventually prevailed.

As could be expected, Parks' childhood eating habits reflected Southern culture, including dinners that featured catfish, fried ham and other meats. But in her adult years, she became a vegetarian.

Boston: Redeemed Only by Pie

Edgar Allan Poe was born this date in 1809. During an 1845 visit to Boston, the author and poet took it on the chin from the city's literary critics, and Poe fired right back at them. He drafted a public reply in which he declared that Bostonians had "no soul," the poetry produced by the city was "not so good" and — last but not least — their hotels were "bad."

Yet Poe managed to extend one compliment to the city: its pumpkin pies were "delicious."