As the nation's economy stalls and concerns mount, tables set for this year's Thanksgiving celebration may include articles not common in seasons past. With the high price of food and an obese population come many changes, according to health experts, and for the first time feast foods for Americans may include items not normally considered food, or, for that matter, edible.
Pam Grizzard, senior spokesperson for the National Council on Nutrition and Obesity, cited a report released last week by the Surgeon General of the United States that concluded non-traditional "foods" might be a health-conscious and economically viable addition to this Thanksgiving's bill of fare. "Low in fat but containing trace amounts of protein, shoe leather is poised to make a big comeback, well known during its heyday in the Great Depression," Grizzard quipped. "And, as you know, what we eat needs to be appetizing, so we're anticipating a big surge in wax fruit sales this year," she said. Also slated for places of prominence at the annual eat-in are nutrient-rich items like tree bark, topsoil, pencil shavings, and small rocks.
