Cherry Blossom Festival (Brooklyn Botanic Garden)
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival has been a popular event since its beginning in 1982. It's been a New York "rite of spring" for the past quarter-century.…
Time/Weather
Cherry City (Salem nickname)
Salem (Oregon's capital city) has been called the "Cherry City" since at least 1907. Salem held its first cherry fair in 1903, the 1906 fair was held along with the midsummer meeting…
Chess District; Washington Square Park’s “Snake Pit”
Greenwich Village has its own "Chess District." It starts at the southwest corner of Washington Square Park, where you can grab a table if the weather cooperates. Then, walk down Thompson…
Chess Pie
Chess pie has been widely served throughout the South since about the time of the Civil War. The place of origin is a mystery. It is sometimes claimed that this was originally called "cheese…
Chevon (goat meat)
"Chevon" is a modern word meaning "goat meat," taken from the French word for goat (chèvre ). The new term (pronounced like shav'on) won a 1922 contest by the Sheep and…
Chewing Gum
"Chewing gum" is often said to have been invented by Thomas Adams (1818-1905) at Staten Island in the 1860s, but that's part of a larger story. By at least 1828, Americans chewed on…
Chewsday (chew + Tuesday)
Entry in progress -- B.P. OCLC WorldCat recordChewsday; a sex novel.Author: Dan GreenburgPublisher: New York, Stein and Day [1968]Edition/Format: Book : Fiction : English…
Chez Marshalls (Marshalls nickname)
Marshalls is a department store chain specializing in low-priced clothing. Marshalls began in Boston, massachusetts, in 1956. The nickname "Chez Marshalls" has been cited in print since…
Chi-raq (Chicago nickname)
"Chi-raq" or "Chiraq" (Chicago + Iraq) is a Chicago nickname that compares the violence of Chicago in the 2000s to the war-town country of Iraq. It's not known who first…
Chi-Town (Chicago nickname)
Chicago is sometimes called "Chi-town." "Chi" (for Chicago) is pronounced "shy." "The 'Chi' town men who were going down to St. Louis" was printed…
Chiberia (Chicago nickname)
"Chiberia (Chicago + Siberia) is a nickname that has been used during Chicago's winter storms. Siberia is a cold place and is often used as a weather metonym. "Chi-beria. Yeah, you…
Chica Chica Card
"Chica" cards or "Chica Chica" cards ("chica" is Spanish for "girl") are cards -- similar to baseball cards -- with pictures of girls on them. The cards…
Chicharrones (pork cracklings)
Chicharrones are pork cracklings (deep-fried pork skins). They are usually eaten as snacks and are popular in Mexico and other parts of Latin America. Glossary - Mexican food recipes, cooking…
Chicken a la King
"Chicken a la king" was widely served in New York hotels in the early 1900s. Several theories have it that the dish is named after a New York "King." Some say that the dish is…
Chicken and Dumplings (Slickers)
Entry in progress -- B.P. Wikipedia: Chicken and dumplingsChicken and Dumplings is a popular soul food dish commonly found in the United States that is made by combining the two ingredients in its…
Chicken and Waffles
Harlem likes to take credit for the combination of "chicken and waffles." Several recent articles claim that Wells Supper Club started the tradition there in 1938. It isn't so.…
Chicken Bingo (Chicken Poop Bingo; Chicken Shit Bingo)
"Chicken bingo" (also called "chicken poop bingo" or "chicken shit bingo") is a game where a chicken is let loose on a checkerboard and poops in a square. A holder of…
Chicken Chili
In 1977, the Texas legislature made "chili" the official state dish. Chile con carne was intended; one legislator even asked other legislators if they had ever heard of "chicken…
Chicken Cone (ACL Fest food from Hudson’s on the Bend)
The first Austin City Limits Music Festival began in 2002 -- in Austin, Texas, of course. The Austin restaurant Hudson's on the Bend began serving "chicken cones" -- a similar…
Chicken Divan
This "Chicken Divan" dish was the signature of the Divan Parisien Restaurant, 33 East 48th Street. Dining, Wining and Dancing in New YorkBy Scudder MiddletonNew York, NY: Dodge Publishing…