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Meat is in too many of our meals

McDonald’s announced yesterday that it will start selling a “McPlant” burger. As odd as it may sound, that is a good thing. After all, eating less meat is critical to saving our planet — and, until now, an order of fries has been the only way to have a hot, non-dessert item at Micky D’s that doesn’t feature meat.

In his documentary, A Life On Our Planet, Sir David Attenborough discusses the five critical steps to heal our planet and to save it — and us — from a very bleak future. One of those steps is moving away from meat, which is not just an inefficient way to turn the sun’s energy into calories but also a damaging one. Humans are destroying pristine forests around the globe to make way for cattle ranching and for the harvesting of grain to feed that cattle. Seventy percent of the planet’s agricultural space goes to meat production.

Relying more on plants to meet our nutritional needs would go a long way to saving the Amazon. It would directly reduce heat-trapping emissions, too, since animal farming produces up to 18 percent of them. The good news is that reducing our meat consumption is the step over which we have the most control. Or do we?

The fact is that most food providers and consumers are not doing enough to normalize eating less meat. Everywhere you look you find gratuitous meat, meat that really doesn’t add all that much to a recipe but that’s tossed in anyway — as when fancy salad menus all feature bacon or smoked trout, or your mile-high apres-ski nachos come sprinkled with ground beef. That’s unnecessary meat that adds little to the flavor but keeps us in a meat-eating mindset.

Take Trader Joe’s, a progressive kind of supermarket that started in Southern California and grew up in liberal-leaning cities, where the percentage of people who opt for vegetarian diets is five times greater than in conservative ones. Even at TJ’s, meat shows up in places it doesn’t need to be. Most of the top-rated salads here come “with chicken” — usually written underneath the name of the salad in a swirly font as if it’s a special, healthy bonus. It is not.

Photo: Siyanight/Shutterstock

A generation ago, when people worried more about fat than sugar, white chicken meat became the lean alternative to beef. By now we should know better. There is in fact nothing particularly healthy nor Earth-friendly about factory-farmed chicken. As Attenborough points out in A Life On Our Planet, 70 percent of the mass of birds on this planet are domesticated birds, mostly chickens, existing simply to feed us.

And the production of chickens continues to accelerate to sustain our insatiable appetite for them. While chickens used to have 15- to 20-year lifespans, so-called broiler chickens, the ones produced for eating, live for six weeks, as Jonathan Safran Foer tells us in Eating Animals. To compensate for being killed at their adolescence, chickens have been engineered to grow 400 percent faster than before and to have weirdly enlarged breasts so we can get all that pale meat. And chickens live in such crowded, unsanitary conditions that nearly half carry E. coli, which has caused urinary tract infections in some of the people who eat those poor birds.

But let’s get off the what’s-wrong-with-meat track and get back to the topic of why we eat it so unnecessarily. One excuse is that it’s what we are used to. Those of us raised with some version of a culinary tradition handed over from Europe might have grown up with the idea that a plate needs a piece of meat, a starch, and a veggie. Considering how readily Americans adopt new foods — making everything from hummus to boba tea to mochi ice cream pretty much ubiquitous within a few years — this is a lazy argument.

“You should be able to go out to eat with friends at a hot new restaurant and not have to scan to the very bottom of the menu for the stuffed squash afterthought.”

Not only that, it’s lazy because it’s not even all that accurate. When the caesar salad was invented nearly a hundred years ago, sure it had some anchovies, but it didn’t have slabs of chicken. The chicken part is new. It’s lazy to think that when you order Pad Thai or green curry from your local Thai place, it has to have cubes of frankly not very flavorful white chicken.

It’s just not very creative to dump chicken cubes into a salad to make it “heartier,” to use chicken stock in soups when vegetable broth will do, or to cook ground beef into our chili. It’s a lack of imagination; the same lack of imagination that has kept Detroit making fossil-fuel burning cars for much longer than necessary. Why does chili even need beef, considering that just one cup of black beans or kidney beans meets 30 percent of your daily protein needs?

I’m not saying everyone should be vegan. Meat can be a wonderful thing, now and then. Anthony Bourdain urged us to travel with an open mind. For him, foods were a way to connect with others, even if it meant savoring “a humble taqueria’s mystery meat.” It’s a joy and a privilege to be able to eat new and different foods.

But that’s just the point. We should be open to new and different foods and be able to identify the appropriate times to eat them. The time has come to move away from the concept that a meal isn’t a meal if it isn’t built around a piece of meat, or at least doesn’t include meat. Mushroom risotto, a falafel wrap, a big bowl of ramen with tofu. Getting hungry yet?

Why is it, then, that so often you need to go to a specifically vegetarian restaurant to find more than one thing on the menu to enjoy? PETA ranked the most vegan-friendly cities in the country, and unsurprisingly, San Francisco nabbed the top spot. And while it was refreshing to see cities like Dallas and Nashville on the list, the ranking emphasized vegan restaurants over vegan offerings at your everyday restaurant.

The reality is that moving away from meat is going to be a personal choice for each of us, and it would be made easier if there were more than one non-meat item on the menu. We should get to the point where you can go into a lunch place near your work and not order the same grilled veggie sandwich yet again because that’s all there is. You should be able to go out to eat with friends at a hot new restaurant and not have to scan to the very bottom of the menu for the stuffed squash afterthought.

Photo: Chris Allan/Shutterstock

It just isn’t that hard to make amazing vegetarian food. We can get inspiration from other culinary traditions that don’t place such an emphasis on flesh. In India, where a quarter of the population is vegetarian, meat-free cuisine abounds. In Lebanon and Syria, you’ll find plenty of meat-heavy foods, but you’ll also savor eggplant dishes so rich and satisfying you’ll forget they don’t include meat.

Sure, there are some places where the traditional cuisine has been so centered around pork or beef that the easiest way not to eat it may just be to have a meat substitute. Many Germans were brought up with bratwurst and other sausages, yet — for environmental, animal welfare, and health reasons — over 40 percent of them now intentionally eat less meat. When the proportion of a population reducing its meat consumption exceeds a certain threshold, markets and restaurants will meet the demand. So while not all Germans are going to start eating grilled tempeh, you’ll hardly find a food court in the country without a veggie burger of some sort.

That said, other countries have a ways to go. Given its young expat community, Barcelona has some great vegan restaurants, but if you want to have more traditional Catalan food, good luck. In fact, all over Spain, where less than two percent of the population is vegetarian, a classic mixed salad comes with tuna on top. Yes, tuna.

Today there is one-tenth of the tuna in the sea than there was 50 years ago, and a lot of marine animals die along with the tuna catch. That’s not just because the decimated tuna population throws marine ecosystems out of whack but also because 145 different species are regularly caught in tuna nets and then left to die. So the tuna spooned onto a Spanish salad represents a table-full of dead sea creatures.

Living in Spain for two years, I started to feel despondent about all the darn tuna being served on salads, about the aisles and aisles of canned anchovies, sardines, oysters, octopus, and mussels at the grocery store. But the point is to start somewhere. I asked for my salads without tuna.

And back in the US, it’s time to start demanding that your food not contain meat you don’t need to be eating. If an item doesn’t sell well at Trader Joe’s, it stops stocking it. It’s that simple, and it’s a secret to the store’s success. So it’s on us. No more buying that PACIFIC SALAD with chicken or the Broccoli Slaw & Kale Salad with White Chicken Meat. It’s not good for you. It’s not good for the planet. It’s not necessary.

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Visiting Aruba during COVID-19

The small southern Caribbean island of Aruba may not have been in your travel plans this year, but perhaps it should be. While Aruba did have an uptick in COVID-19 infections during the fall, it has managed to get a handle on them and has seen a decrease in cases. In order to keep its residents and visitors healthy, Aruba has several safety measures in place. They are straightforward and will help you travel to the island with more confidence. Here is everything you need to know about planning a trip to Aruba right now.

Who can travel to Aruba

As of November 1, Aruba will no longer ask residents of US hotspots to comply with different coronavirus regulations. Residents of all US states will need to adhere to the same rules and guidelines, noted below. Travelers from Central and South America (except Venezuela) will be able to travel to Aruba as of December 1 while residents of Canada and European and Asian countries have been welcome for some time.

Filling out an online ED card

Anyone hoping to travel to Aruba will need to fill out the online ED card, or Embarkation/Disembarkation Card. Similar to travel to Hawaii, this form is a good way for the government to keep track of the health of visitors but also to be able to reach them if necessary — for example, in the event of contact tracing.

This ED card will ask you to fill in your personal information and provide a personal health assessment. To complete the ED form, you must also buy compulsory Aruba Visitors Health Insurance for a flat-fee premium that is quite reasonable. Check the insurance website as the premiums can change, but they’re currently $10 for children up to age 14 and $30 for anyone 15 and over. The fee is charged for every new entry to Aruba, provided the insured is staying fewer than 180 days.

The most important part of the ED card is a negative COVID-19 test, which must be completed within 72 hours of travel to Aruba by all visitors aged 15 and up but at least four hours before departure. The government is quite specific about which tests will be accepted, and rapid tests will not be accepted; please check the COVID-19 testing requirements page. You will also have to consent to follow all the mandates of the government of Aruba with respect to controlling the coronavirus.

While you should begin filling out the ED form right away, completion will require the negative coronavirus test and purchase of the Aruba Visitor Health Insurance, which must occur in that time window of 72 hours prior to travel. Once you have filled out the ED card, you will receive an email with a link to your card/pdf with the designation “Qualified to Board.”

Arrival in Aruba

Travelers who do not have documentation showing a recent negative COVID-19 test will receive a PCR COVID-19 test at the airport and be asked to quarantine at their accommodation until they receive a negative test result.

After my arrival at Oranjestad Airport, and after I was through customs, my temperature was taken, I presented my test results, and I was free to go. The whole process was seamless and a hint of what I could expect during my time on the island.

The government recommends downloading the Aruba Health App, so you can keep up on the latest regulations with respect to fighting the pandemic. Should you require a COVID-19 test while in Aruba, you can also get faster results if you have the app.

What to expect while in Aruba

Photo: Steve Photography/Shutterstock

On the ground in Aruba, you’ll have practical regulations to keep both residents and visitors healthy. Beyond wearing a mask on the plane on the way to Aruba, you’ll be asked to wear one at the airport and en route to your accommodation, until you have arrived in your room. You should also wear a mask at all indoor public spaces, like markets, shops, and museums.

At the Tamarijn Aruba Resort where I stayed, the many procedures in place made me feel like my health was a priority. With such a consistent approach to keeping people safe, I felt more at ease in Aruba than I had in the US in months. Before entering the resort, as well as restaurants I visited outside the resort, there were temperature checks and hand sanitizer stations available at every entryway. All staff members wore masks at all times and, while it was not compulsory during my stay a few weeks ago that guests wear masks, some guests wore masks around the resort as well.

When I was being shown my room, the gentlemen that brought my luggage wiped the handle of my door with an antibacterial wipe before opening it. There was even a seal placed on the door of my room for quality assurance that it had been cleaned and sanitized before my arrival.

I spent a little bit of time outside the resort to visit a couple of small shops and grab a coffee. Masks were required in both the stores and the coffee shops, though only the coffee shop checked my temperature.

Some things to do in Aruba

Photo: Birdiegal/Shutterstock

An activity that I highly recommend is an electric bike and snorkel tour. This was my first time on an electric bike, but it was the highlight of my trip. We rode about 12 miles one-way on our way to the California Lighthouse. About three-quarters of the way there, we stopped for a short swim and snorkel in the ocean. It was a very cool experience, and if you have the time and skillset to ride a bike, it is a must-do.

A mural tour with Tito Bolivar of Aruba Art Fair showed me how talented and special the artists are in San Nicolas, Aruba, an area of the island that was the site of a former oil refinery and is now the art capital of the country. As expected, masks were worn during both activities — except for in the ocean, of course.

Some other things that you could enjoy on your next trip to Aruba include the butterfly farm, windsurfing, any of the hotel’s water amenities such as kayaks, or any of the several playgrounds around the island if you’re traveling with small children. And if all else fails, the beach is always a good idea.

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Florida’s first snow amusement park

You don’t typically think of Florida as a destination for winter fun, but that’s about to change. Snowcat Ridge, located in Dade City on Florida’s Sports Coast, is a snow park that allows guests to experience the joys of winter without the sub-zero temperatures. With over 50 acres of forest and pasture, the park will feature an Arctic Igloo, Alpine Village, and Snowy Slopes.

Photo: Snowcat Ridge/Facebook

Snowy Slopes, the park’s signature attraction, is a 60-foot-tall tubing hill that extends over 400 feet. Visitors will be able to sit in a single, tandem, or six-person tube as they slide down the snowy hill.

Photo: Snowcat Ridge/Facebook

The 10,000 square-foot Arctic Igloo is a snowy play dome with a child-sized snow hill where you can use real snow to build snowmen and snow angels.

The Alpine Village recreates the classic Christmas Market environment. You can shop at the Holiday Market where vendors will be selling craft goods and hot and cold beverages, including wine and beer.

Evenings at Snowcat Ridge will be capped off with nightly music — expect to hear popular holiday songs — and a light show projected onto the Snowy Slopes.

Snowcat Ridge will be open from November 20, 2020, to March 21, 2021. Tickets can be purchased online starting at $24.95 but are also available at the box office for an additional $5. General admission includes a two-hour snow tubing session on Snowy Slopes and all-day access to the Arctic Igloo and Alpine Village.

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Shakespeare and Co may be closing

An iconic Paris bookstore has been hit hard by the pandemic and is now appealing to customers to remain afloat. Shakespeare and Company, which published James Joyce’s Ulysses in 1922, sent an email to customers last week to inform them of their difficult financial situation and encourage them to buy books. Since Paris’s new lockdown took effect on October 30, which shuttered all nonessential businesses, the bookstore has been struggling to make ends meet.

Sylvia Whitman, daughter of the shop’s late proprietor, said to the Associated Press, “We’ve been (down) 80% since the first confinement in March, so at this point we’ve used all our savings.”

Since sending the email, Whitman has received an encouraging response, with 5,000 online orders in just one week (50 times more than usual). Many have also contacted the shop about donating, without even making a purchase.

Shakespeare and Company is often called the world’s most famous independent bookshop. Founded in 1919, it’s been a haunt for writers like F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, and Ernest Hemingway.

To learn more about the bookstore, order a book, or donate, visit the official website.

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Canadian town radar for polar bears

Usually security cameras are designed to spot burglars and other intruders. In the Arctic and remote town of Churchill in Canada, radars are being programmed that would alert people when a polar bear approaches town to limit potentially dangerous encounters between man and beast.

The hundreds of polar bears that live in the Hudson Bay area wait for winter to come so they can venture out onto the ice and hunt for seals. In the meantime, they stay onshore and pose a threat to the 900 residents of Churchill.

According to Geoff York, senior conservation director at Polar Bears International, the radar would be able to see through the snow and darkness and recognize polar bears in the tundra. “It’s one more way to keep communities or camps safe,” he said to Reuters.

Since sea ice has been breaking up earlier and forming later, there have been more bears onshore for longer periods of time. “We’re setting up this perfect scenario for increased human-bear interaction,” said York, “and increased human-bear conflict. We’re trying to get ahead of that.”

The technology will be deployed next year in Longyearbyen in Svalbard. If the radar system proves successful, it could change how humans living in polar bear territory move and limit the number of dangerous encounters.

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What is mirliton casserole?

Casseroles are a staple dish in the Midwest, where they incorporate ingredients like cream soups and green beans. But the Midwest doesn’t have a monopoly on inventive casseroles. In Louisiana, a lime green squash that’s about the size of a pear, called a mirliton, is a local delicacy. It takes centerstage in a much-loved Thanksgiving dish called mirliton casserole.

Native to Central and South America, the squash was introduced to North America by Spanish colonists. Mirlitons likely landed in New Orleans around 1763, when France transferred power over the region to the Spanish. Though it also grows in California and Florida, mirliton, pronounced mel-lee-tawn and mel-uh-tawn, is considered, according to The Kitchn, the “unofficial squash of New Orleans.”

It also goes by many other names, including chayote and, if you’re from Louisiana, alligator pear. No matter what you call it, this mild gourd is beloved because it soaks up other flavors well. Its flavor is sometimes compared to a cucumber, while its texture is akin to a crunchy apple.

The plant is abundant in southern Louisiana, according to Louisiana-based recipe blogger Katherine Roberts Aucoin, who notes mirlitons are a wintertime staple. Mirlitons pop up so much around Thanksgiving because the vines flower from September to October. Thirty days later, the resulting fruits are ready to harvest, a process that continues through mid-December.

That convenient seasonality means that while much of the rest of the country relies on pumpkins and butternut squash, Louisiana has the added variety of serving mirlitons at Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. Mirliton casserole is one popular way that it’s served.

Photo: ETgohome/Shutterstock

The casserole itself it simple: The boiled and diced mirlitons are combined with celery, onions, bell pepper, and bacon or tasso — a variety of smoked and cured ham that’s seasoned with pepper, cayenne, garlic, and thyme, among the other spices and herbs that are a speciality of southern Louisiana’s Cajun cuisine. The key ingredient is really the addition of seafood — because who in Louisiana can resist the call of shellfish? Most recipes for mirliton casserole call for shrimp, but there are many variations. Others incorporate crawfish — a Louisiana favorite — and crab meat into the mix.

How one layers flavors in this casserole really depends on taste. While the casserole is usually topped with some combination of breadcrumbs and crackers, there are some recipes that include cheese. Another version calls for crab, shrimp, and andouille sausage (but no ham). Old Bay, Creole, and Cajun seasoning mixes are all recommended to punch up the smoky, spicy flavors, which is balanced out by the sweetness of the shrimp. No matter what ingredients you use to customize this dish, according to iconic New Orleans restaurant Commander’s Palace, mirliton casserole should ultimately turn into a “custardy” mixture. In the restaurant’s words, it’s a bonafide “Louisiana comfort food.”

Folks from Louisiana have strong feelings — and even stronger memories — of eating mirlitons with family on the holidays. One food blogger who goes by the moniker Herb Saint, writes that mirliton casserole is “quintessentially New Orleanian,” and that the dish “tastes like my grandmother’s kitchen to me.”

The dish seems to hold many reminders and associations with family meals: Dave Howson, who goes by the name Sweet Daddy D on this blog First…you have a beer, writes that “everybody’s Moma has a recipe for mirlitons, from Chalmette to North Baton Rouge.” He prepares a slightly tweaked version of the casserole using a dressing (or stuffing) made with mirlitons and shrimp and that’s seasoned with Creole spices and bacon grease.

“Mirlitons were a staple, just part of the landscape in New Orleans and South Louisiana,” Howson wrote to me in an email. “You couldn’t go to a cover dish at church or have a family gathering that didn’t include a mirliton casserole, sometimes a few of them.”

Howson first became aware of mirlitons after encountering them in his sister’s garden, near Audubon Park. In the tiny flower patch behind her shotgun house, he discovered “a vine that was covered with these odd-looking light green pear-shaped vegetables,” which solidified his “particular affection for mirlitons.” Unfortunately, Katrina has what Howson characterizes as a “devastating impact” on the city’s once flourishing backyard gardens where mirlitons were once abundant, but that “a major grass-roots effort started almost immediately to reestablish the homegrown mirliton.”

The women in Howson’s life are behind his love of dishes that incorporate mirlitons — not just his sister, but also his mother-in-law, whom he calls his culinary mentor.

“The ease in which she combines ingredients and seasonings that translates into awe-inspiring dishes is the stuff of family legend. What she does with a mirliton is inspiring, but like most of her recipes, the rich flavor belies the simplicity of the ingredients and process,” Howson says. “My holiday tradition has been to be the one standing by her side, which I plan to do again this year while I tackle her Mirliton and Shrimp Casserole. Believe me, she’ll let me know if I’m not doing it right.”

Another variation on this dish is almost the opposite of a shrimp and mirliton casserole: mirlitons stuffed with shrimp. Kim, the recipe blogger behind This Ole Mom, recalls traveling to her uncle’s house in New Orleans for Thanksgiving and Christmas, where she and her grandmother picked mirliton straight off the vine. Afterward, her “granny” made mirlitons stuffed with shrimp for dinner.

“Granny’s Mirlitons were the best! Sometimes she would stuff the Mirlitons with crabmeat, crawfish, and shrimp,” she writes. “Of course, the dinner table never looked complete if granny’s famous Mirlitons were missing from the menu.”

If you love shellfish and Cajun or Creole cooking, a mild squash might not be what you’re expecting to find in a Thanksgiving casserole. But mirlitons are the perfect accompaniment to the heat and smoke of Southern Louisiana cuisine. And it has one more special component: It evokes powerful nostalgia in so many people who prepare it around Thanksgiving. This unassuming vegetable might not be bland after all — it tastes like family, the holidays, and home.

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Indigenous TikTok stars

Indigenous culture is alive and constantly evolving, so appreciating Indigenous peoples’ unique heritage goes much farther then museum visits. Native Americans and other Indigenous people are using social media apps to share their culture with new audiences, and TikTok is a great platform to learn about the diversity among North America’s Indigenous peoples. The following TikTok accounts create videos that break stereotypes and address social and political issues that Indigenous people are facing today. Here are eight Indigenous TikTok stars that are using social media to educate followers on Indigenous culture.

1. Patrick Willie, @patrickisanavajo

@patrickisanavajo

Honoring Indigenous People’s Day

Key West bans large cruise ships

On Election Day, Key West passed three ballot initiatives designed to limit the impact of cruise ships on everyday life, with 63 percent of residents voting to ban ships carrying over 1,300 passengers from docking. It was also decided that only 1,500 cruise ship passengers would be allowed to disembark per day, and that priority for disembarkation would be given to ships with the best environmental and health records.

Each cruise line’s environmental record will be assessed by the number of environmental violations, penalties, and fines it has received. Key West will also take into account each cruise line’s inspection scores and violations from the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program.

Key West City Clerk Cheri Smith told USA Today, “The people of Key West are thrilled to finally have some common-sense restrictions in place after 30 years of unregulated cruising that has damaged our environment, hampered economic growth, and threatened public health.”

Regardless of the new measures, Key West won’t be receiving any cruise ship visitors until 2021 due to the industry voluntarily choosing not to sail in US waters through the end of 2020.

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‘Lockdown’ is the word of the year

Today, Collins Dictionary announced that “lockdown” was named its Word of the Year, and it isn’t exactly a surprise. Since 2019, the dictionary recorded a 6,000 percent increase in the word’s usage.

“Lockdown” is defined by Collins as “the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces.” Pretty spot on.

In 2019 there were just 4,000 recorded instances of “lockdown” being used while in 2020 that number has risen to 250,000.

Helen Newstead, Collins’ language content consultant, said, “Language is a reflection of the world around us and 2020 has been dominated by the global pandemic. We have chosen lockdown as our word of the year because it encapsulates the shared experience of billions of people who have had to restrict their daily lives in order to contain the virus. Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialise. With many countries entering a second lockdown, it is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world.”

Unsurprisingly, words like coronavirus, social distancing, self-isolate, and furlough made the dictionary’s list of top 10 words. BLM, the abbreviation for Black Lives Matter, made the shortlist for Word of the Year.

In other 2020 dictionary news, the Oxford University press officially changed its definition of “woman” to describe females more positively and remove sexist associations.

According to a statement from Oxford University Press, “We have expanded the dictionary coverage of ‘woman’ with more examples and idiomatic phrases which depict women in a positive and active manner.” The statement continued, “We have ensured that offensive synonyms or senses are clearly labelled as such and only included where we have evidence of real world usage.”

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Amtrak Acela business class deal

To celebrate 20 years of its Acela service, Amtrak is offering customers one-way business class tickets for just $20. The deal applies to trains running throughout the Northeast Corridor, anywhere between Boston and Washington, DC.

“Celebrating 20 years of Acela service is an incredible milestone that we are proud to celebrate. We would like to thank our customers and give them a chance to see the changes we’ve made to the experience by offering an exceptionally low fare of only $20,” said Amtrak Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer Roger Harris. “For anyone who has been curious about the premium travel experience on our flagship product, this is your chance to ride Acela for a special, low fare that is only available for two days.”

Acela is Amtrak’s premium service, serving 16 stations throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and DC. The newest fleet of Acela trains, scheduled to enter service in 2021, will feature 25 percent more seats, personal outlets, USB ports, Wi-Fi, and reading lights at every seat.

The sale is running from November 10 to 12, and valid for travel dates between November 16 and December 17 with blackout dates during Thanksgiving week (November 24, 25, and 28 through 30) and all Friays and Sundays.

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