It’s a Wonderful Slice 2020!
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(December 20, 2020) For those of you who are saying, “I can’t believe Christmas is here already,” here’s my response. “This was the longest year in recorded history. What are you talking about?” Regardless of how you view things, we’ve lurched into the holiday season. Which, for The Mike Nowak Show with Peggy Malecki, means that it’s time for our annual presentation of “It’s a Wonderful Slice of It’s a Wonderful Life.”
Skip to a specific segment in this podcast
7:38 Joan Murray, the “Plant Boss” from City Grange
34:55 Elysabeth Alfano
1:03:46 It’s a Wonderful Slice 2020!
1:38:10 Meteorologist Rick DiMaio
Here’s what I wrote about it last year.
Yes, yes, I can hear you now. “‘It’s a Wonderful Slice’ isn’t that special. Everybody does truncated versions of classic plays and novels and films!” Ah, but I’ve been dissing It’s a Wonderful Life for 30 years! I don’t think I was the first, but I was certainly one of the first. And I can prove it! Check out this short YouTube clip from a live performance I did in 2008. If that doesn’t convince you, listen to this radio audio from 1999! Heck, I didn’t even know those things were out there until I did a search about ten minutes ago!
The whole point of the venture is to do it as quickly as possible. When I perform all of the roles myself, I can get do this puppy in about eleven or twelve minutes. When I bring in my friends, it’s a little longer, though it’s more fun. And we usually get the thing done in under fifteen minutes. I’m all about quantity, not quality.
This year, I’ve reached out to the horticultural community for star power. And we’ve gotten it in the person of gardening expert Melinda Myers, who is a show regular. Not only that, but she agreed to play the roles of God and Violet, meaning that she’s playing deity and a tart within minutes of each other. That’s talent!
We’ve brought back my buddies Ron and Rich Cowgill (not related…really!) from Mighty House Home Improvement Show, former intern and administrative assistant Ellicia Sanchez, current intern and administrative assistant Keila D’Alia-Reconquista, and, as always, show co-host Peggy Malecki.
But before we get to It’s a Wonderful Slice…
Holiday plant tips from Plant Boss Joan Murray
I don’t know if you’ve picked up a poinsettia (pronounced ponzetter) or a Christmas cactus or even a cyclamen (thanks to Dan Kosta for that suggestion) recently. But you want to keep them alive, right? That’s why we welcome Joan Murray back to the program today. She just happens to be the “plant boss” at City Grange. Not only will we talk about how to take care of what we call “Christmas plants,” we’ll look at the wide range of indoor plants and what you can do to keep them happy through the winter. We might also give you some tips on Christmas Tree care.
BTW, you should know that City Grange has been a huge supporter of the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards. They provided gift certificates for the winners of our 60-Second Garden Video Challenge, just as they helped us out when we were able to visit gardens in person in 2019.
But wait, there’s more before we get to It’s a Wonderful Slice…
Elysabeth Alfano’s plantbased predictions for 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to shift our world in so many ways. It appears our global appetite for meat products may be changing as well.
According to a recent report from the market research firm Packaged Facts, nearly one quarter of Americans are now eating plant-based meats—including products designed to be similar to beef, chicken, pork and seafood. As covered in the November issue of VegNews:
The report, titled “Meat, Poultry & Seafood Alternatives: Outlook for Plant-Based & Cultured Cell-Based Consumer Products,” found that consumers are interested in meat alternatives due to environmental concerns, health issues, and news coverage of animal abuse in the meat industry.
VegNews goes on to say that the new data
…is consistent with other research that suggests a shift in the American diet towards plant-based foods. According to a survey released last month by OnePoll, conducted on behalf of Herbalife Nutrition, nearly half of Americans (47 percent) began eating more plant-based foods during the COVID-19 pandemic with 43 percent eating less meat, 25 percent either reducing or cutting out dairy from their diets, and 23 percent reducing or eliminating eggs.
The results of the OnePoll study can be found in this October report from Plant Based News.
This enhanced interest in plant-based meat alternatives, and the related business boom in development and sale of these products, seems to be gaining the most ground with younger American consumers.
Food and beverage companies nationwide are increasingly investing in plant-based meat alternatives to satiate growing consumer demand for protein not sourced from animals. But who exactly are the primary consumers of such products? Evidently it’s younger American consumers, particularly those who are between the ages of 18 and 44, who are the most likely to eat plant-based meat and who account for the majority of plant-based meat consumers.
T
his morning, we’re pleased to welcome Elysabeth Alfano back to our show. Elysabeth is an award-winning media personality, successful businesswoman, investor and one of the foremost plant-based business experts in North America. She is the founder of media and marketing company Plant Powered Communications. Elysabeth produces and hosts the weekly online series The Plantbased Business Hour (PBH), and also hosts both the Awesome Vegans Influencer Series and her weekly syndicated Smart Talk Radio Network show Plantbased Life & Style, at 3pm CT each Sunday on WCGO radio (which is, in fact, where we first met Elysabeth).
Elysabeth says statistics from the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed plant-based diets into the mainstream this year. This is a topic she’s discussed often with industry experts, entrepreneurs and business investors this year on the Plantbased Business Hour. For example, as reported by the Vegconomist from an August edition of her show, plant-based restaurants have actually been expanding during the pandemic.
What’s next? Elysabeth says quite a few plant-based trends are on the horizon for the new year, and we’ll review some of her predictions. You can find more details on her website as well as in upcoming editions of the PBH. Here’s a start:
- Plant-based Seafood is to 2021 what plant-based burgers were to 2019.
- Plant-based bacon takes center stage.
- Whole-Food Plant-based Diet becomes a ‘thing’ and something people have an understanding of when they choose what they eat.
- Grocery stores revamp their real estate to put plant-based options out in the store where people can find them.
- Prices come down and more plant-based food manufacturing plants (and jobs!) come on-line.
We could list more but we want you to listen to the show. And it’s not all numbers and trends, there’s delicious food to enjoy as well! To help us get ready for the holidays, Elysabeth Alfano (aka the Silver-Chic Chef) will share with us this morning some of her favorite plant-based holiday recipes. Get your appetites ready!