Your Morning Vice

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: February 1, 2012

Your Morning Vice – A Colada if You’re in Ecuador
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
It is the thick of winter now, warm days are distant memory, and one of the most comforting things is a hot beverage cradled in your hands. Here in Jersey, coffee is pretty much a morning religion. You can make it [...]

Is Smaller Better?

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: January 2, 2012

Is Smaller Better?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
The last miniature quiche was passed under our noses at a wedding and everyone lunged at the tempting hors d’oeuvre. Then came the tiny kebobs with a Thai peanut sauce. Each tray brought smaller more scrumptious bites of food that normally come in larger sizes.
Which made me think, [...]

Christmas Food for Thought and Song

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: December 1, 2011

Christmas Food for Thought and Song
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
No one can deny the holidays are steeped in age-old traditions (well, unless you are an ardent follower of Festivus!). What’s interesting is that many foods mentioned in Christmas songs are foreign to most Americans. But they sure do sound good.
The Nutcracker, written by Pyotr [...]

Catching Up with Ketchup

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: November 1, 2011

Catching Up with Ketchup
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
I pour a little red goop on the plate, and my youngest son inevitably says, “More!” My husband and I watch in disbelief as he readily dips anything in ketchup. Neither of us likes it very much. It was actually a bonding thing when we first met.
“Want [...]

Symbol of Harvest is Greek to Me

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: October 2, 2011

Symbol of Harvest is Greek to Me
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
When you think fall, what do you think of – school, football, foliage, pumpkins and apples? There are many things that symbolize fall in New Jersey but one found prominently on logos would be the cornucopia.
I’ve had a long history with the idea of [...]

School Lunches: A Mother’s Conundrum

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: September 3, 2011

By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Meal preparation often falls to mothers, and has been so since the dawn of hunters and gatherers. Call her Mom, Maid, Nanny, Grandma, Oma, or Tita, as my friend called her Filipino aunt– I’m sure these women have had to get a little creative with picky eaters.
School lunches in our [...]

Harnessing the Power of the DNA Code

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: August 2, 2011

Harnessing the Power of the DNA Code
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
DNA research has revealed a lot of things, from where certain diseases originate, to what eye color you have. I am still holding out for another kind of discovery, something a little more intangible. I truly believe that experiences or intuition are passed down [...]

WTC Steel to Arrive in Franklin Lakes

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: July 18, 2011

An artifact from the World Trade Center will be arriving in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, on Tuesday, July 19th.

The Franklin Lakes Memorial Pond Committee was recently notified that they are able to secure a piece of the World Trade Center to become part of the Franklin Lakes Memorial Pond.
The Department of Public Works along with [...]

A Frame of Reference

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: July 2, 2011

A Frame of Reference
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
I have a great four-section frame sitting on my shelf and I contemplate putting new photos in it. It currently has photos of my family while I was in college, and got stored away until I bought a house many years later. All that time I wondered [...]

Bananas for Bubbles

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: May 31, 2011

By Veronica MacDonald Ditko

An Accidental Anthropologist
There is something mesmerizing about bubbles. And if they are within reach, the urge to pop them is almost unstoppable (or maybe that’s just me!). But where does this fascination come from?
If you think about our forefathers, when would they have seen bubbles before liquid soaps were invented? Perhaps [...]

Galoshes Galore

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: May 2, 2011

Galoshes Galore
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Rainy days aren’t so bad in my house. My eldest loves to go outside in his rubber boots and use my ladybug umbrella (yes, I still retain ownership of my childish umbrella!) and splash vigorously in puddles. It is one of childhood’s simplest joys.
Lately I’ve noticed a lot of [...]

Water for Fire - Hydrants are Nothing New

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: April 1, 2011

Water for Fire - Hydrants are Nothing New
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
All the flooding lately has got me thinking about water. Water seems plentiful in our area, but since the beginning of time, humans have worked hard to harness the water and guide it. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Great things have come [...]

Are You Mad for March Madness?

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: March 1, 2011

Are You Mad for March Madness?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
For many sports fans, March is synonymous with only one thing: college basketball. The March Madness tournament may be what gets them through winter, cheering their team on. Or the team they are desperately hoping will win the office pool.
I have some skeletons in the [...]

How Many Names Do You Know for Groundhogs?

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: February 1, 2011

How Many Names Do You Know for Groundhogs?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Groundhogs have been in the spotlight lately, thanks to Punxsutawney Phil and Staten Island Chuck. What these furry creatures are called actually depends on what part of the country you are from. I have informally analyzed them below (please note that I not [...]

Martin Luther King, Jr’s Message Was a Global One

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: January 1, 2011

By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
On January 17 we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., which was really on January 15, 1929. We’ve all heard a lot about King over the years, his “I have a dream” speech, and the details of his death. He was a non-violent voice for human equality [...]

Wrapping My Head Around Christmas Bows

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: December 1, 2010

Wrapping My Head Around Christmas Bows
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
I’ll never forget how quickly it happened. I was staring at the machine at Hallmark’s Visitors Center in Kansas City and before I knew it, in a few swift movements, the machine had created a perfect no-knot bow. I was 11 then and I am [...]

Carving Out the Truth: Are Turkey Hats for Real?

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: November 1, 2010

Carving Out the Truth: Are Turkey Hats for Real?
By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
You see them in store windows and on classroom walls. You’ve probably seen them for so long, you don’t notice them. Turkeys are everywhere for Thanksgiving. But did you ever notice the curious Pilgrim hats with buckles on top of their heads?
Pilgrims [...]

Cabbage Night to You, Mischief Night to Me

By The Franklin Lakes Journal

Published: October 1, 2010

By Veronica MacDonald Ditko
An Accidental Anthropologist
Does it happen to you? Does your hair stand straight up on your neck on the night of October 30? Call it what you want: Cabbage Night, Mischief Night, Goosey Night, it’s all the same. Expect to see some toilet-papered trees and egged windows.
My first experience with Mischief Night, as [...]

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