March 27, 2021 – National Spanish Paella Day | National Joe Day

Welcome to March 27, 2021 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a sizzling history and a cup of Joe. 

The Spanish rice dish known as Paella, has an interesting linguistic history. Rice was first brought to Spain by the Moors around 1,200 years ago. Because of this, the word for rice (arroz) does not come from Latin, but rather from Arabic. Then there’s the word “paella” itself which refers to the pan in which the meal is cooked.  The word comes from the old French for pan or paelle. Are you following along? Good. Because there’s more. Some people claim that the word paella is a contraction of “para ella,” which means “for her,” because the man who supposedly came up with the recipe did so for his lover. Celebrate National Spanish Paella Day with this uniquely delicious dish and its spicy history.

Ever wonder why we call coffee a cup of Joe?  Back in World War I, Joseph Daniels, the Secretary of the Navy, banned alcohol on naval bases.  Needless to say, this didn’t always sit well with the troops.  Daniels thought he could make up for it by increasing rations for coffee.  But morale went from bad to worse and sailors began referring sarcastically to coffee as a cup of Joseph Daniels or a cup of Joe. Today we also celebrate the people we know and love who have the name Joe.  So on National Joe Day grab your friends Joey, Joanna and Joseph and take them to lunch or maybe grab a cup of, well, Joe.

I’m Anna Devere and I’m Marlo Anderson.  Thanks for joining us as we Celebrate Every Day.


Leave a Reply

LISTEN to the National Day Calendar Radio Short.