The Big Apple

Many cities have their original nicknames or are known for something special. Chicago is called the Windy City, Las Vegas is Sin City, and, of course, New York City 'The City that never sleeps' or most commonly known 'the Big Apple'. The others make sense, but why is NYC nicknamed after a fruit? According to Heather Cross, from the About.com Guide to New York City Travel, 'racing, jazz musicians and a tourism campaign all play a part in NYC's nickname'. 

                                                                                                    photo credit: sdh_zh via photo pin cc

"This commonly asked question got me wondering, why do we call New York City the Big Apple? While I've seen several apple trees in New York City, I don't particularly recall them as being in notable quantity. There are certainly more pigeons than apples in New York City, but we don't call New York City the 'Big Pigeon.' As with anything New York, there are many opinions and contradictions.

In the early 1920s, 'apple' was used in reference to the many racing courses in and around New York City. Apple referred to the prizes being awarded for the races, as these were important races, the rewards were substantial.

Based on the research of Barry Popik, the use of 'Big Apple' to refer to New York City became clearer. Popik found that a writer for the New York Morning Telegraph, John Fitzgerald, referred to New York City's races 'Around the Big Apple.' It is rumored that Fitzgerald got the term from jockeys and trainers in New Orleans who aspired to race on New York City tracks, referring to the 'Big Apple.' In the late 1920s and early 1930s, New York City's jazz musicians began referring to New York City as the 'Big Apple.' An old saying in show business was 'There are many apples on the tree, but only one Big Apple.' New York City being the premier place to perform was referred to as the Big Apple. A 1971 campaign to increase tourism to New York City adopted the Big Apple as an officially recognized reference to New York City. The campaign featured red apples in an effort to lure visitors to New York City. It was hoped that the red apples would serve as a bright and cheery image of New York City, in contrast to the common belief that New York City was dark and dangerous. Since then, New York City has officially been The Big Apple. In recognition of Fitzgerald, the corner of 54th & Broadway, where Fitzgerald lived for 30 years, was renamed 'Big Apple Corner' in 1997."

photo credit: hernan.seoane via photo pin cc

To finish this post, I invite you on a tour around the 'city that never sleeps' on the company of two very well known New Yorkers: Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. 'Empire State of Mind' is a fantastic tribute to this dazzling city! Do enjoy!...

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An Apple a Day...

                                                                 ... does NOT keep the doctor away???

photo credit: Taboada Testa. via photo pin cc

'An Apple a Day Is Not Enough' is a powerful poem written and performed by Taylor Mali (a well-known spoken word artist and teacher) about the importance of health education. It's done in the style of kinetic typography. We must get the word out about the importance of health education and its ability to get USA's health back on track - but teachers can't do it alone. 

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Give your Teacher an Apple

'An apple a day, keeps the doctor away'

English Proverb

One of these days, a 10th form student asked me, out of the blue: 'Teacher, why do students give their teachers apples?'

I must confess I got kind of puzzled because I had never thought of that, whenever I saw a cartoon  showing the gentle action of a student giving his/her teacher an apple... I could have said: 'Because the student is nice and likes the teacher...' But, at the same time, I thought, well someone might say that the student is not being nice at all; he/she is just polishing the teacher... What I finally answered was: 'There's an English proverb that says An apple a day keeps the doctor away; so the student probably wants the teacher to be a healthy person and never miss school'... I don't think my student was satisfied with the answer... and neither w as I. Thus, I did some research and I can happily say that my explanation was not totally far from the truth... According to aboutapple.com, 'the juicy fruity is a traditional present for teachers in the United States, Denmark and Sweden. Some think the practise originated as a simple gift of food for poorly paid teachers. Others believe the good health associated with apples made the present particularly meaningful. (...)' It's rather uncomfortable to perceive that teachers have been poorly paid throughout times... But, at least, back then, they were given apples... 

Have you ever been given an apple?

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