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NOVEMBER 2020
Legally Brief With Kevin Patrick Automobile accidents | Daycare injuries | wrongful death
Thank You for Your Service, Ahmad! A VETERANS DAY SHOUTOUT TO A SPECIAL CLIENT
This time of year, it seems like the only two things people want to talk about are politics and Thanksgiving. While that makes sense, I’ve had something else on my mind beyond the turkey, dressing, and pumpkin pie on the Thanksgiving table: our country’s veterans. Veterans Day is coming up on Nov. 11, and honestly, I think it’s an under- celebrated holiday. Perhaps I feel that way because I grew up with the stories of the heroic veterans in my family. Both my grandfather and great-grandfather were in the military — one in the Army and the other in the Air Force. Even though they passed away when I was young, their bravery has lived on in my family through the tales of their service.
Officer in the Marines and a combat veteran, as well as an all-around great person. Ahmad and I also bonded over our mutual love of cowboy boots, and I really enjoyed meeting his son when he came by the office. Ahmad clearly sets a great example for his family, and I really admire that. Ahmad lives nearby in Columbus, and we’ve already made plans to meet there soon. As a history buff, I’ve always enjoyed going down to visit the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center near Fort Benning. It’s a fantastic spot with more than 100,000 artifacts in its archives, a theater, combat simulators, and even a restaurant. Walking through the museum always reminds me to be mindful of the sacrifices our veterans have made and the wisdom they’ve shared about the importance of patriotism and civic duty. It also reminds me what a privilege it is to vote. As cliche as it sounds, we won that right through the blood, sweat, and tears of our soldiers, and it’s important that we use it — especially in a presidential election year like this one.
Though the National Infantry Museum & Soldier Center is temporarily closed right now, Ahmad and I are planning to visit it together when things return to normal, which I hope will be sooner rather than later! I think the two of us have a lot to teach each other. Ahmad recently told me that he was accepted to Purdue law school, which I think is fantastic. As a lawyer descended from veterans, watching a veteran set his sights on law school makes me feel as if things have come full circle. If I can help Ahmad achieve this dream, that will be just a fraction of the thanks he deserves! This Veterans Day, I hope you’ll join me in thanking and honoring our troops. And if you’re a veteran reading this, thank you for your service! Because of people like you, I’m able to celebrate Thanksgiving safely with my family. Respectfully Yours,
“AHMAD AND I ALSO BONDED OVER OUR MUTUAL LOVE OF COWBOY BOOTS, AND I REALLY ENJOYED MEETING HIS SON WHEN HE CAME BY THE OFFICE.”
This Veterans Day I’ll be thinking of my grandfather and great-grandfather, of course, but I’ll also have Ahmad Key in mind. Ahmad is one of my clients, and over the last few months, we’ve also become friends. He was involved in an accident and it was my pleasure to help with his case. During that time, we got to know each other, and I found out that he was a Chief Operations
This publication is for informational purposes only, and no legal advice is intended.
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Which One Is Your Thanksgiving Staple? Sweet Potato Casserole vs. Sweet Potato Pie
A MEAL FOR THE CHANGING AMERICAN HOME
Would you believe that Thanksgiving dinner — a meal dedicated to home cooking, family time, and, well, being thankful — was directly responsible for the invention of the TV dinner, the ultimate
It seems like every year, polls declare something different as each state’s favorite Thanksgiving staple. This is all in good fun, but we’ve noticed that while other states swoon over roasted turkey and green bean casserole, for years now, a battle of the sweet potatoes has been raging in Georgia. In 2017, General Mills declared that Georgia's most-searched Thanksgiving recipe on its websites was sweet potato casserole. Odds are you’ve dug into this rich, marshmallow-topped dish before. The way the marshmallows melt into the sweet potatoes is a sugar lover's dream, and there’s just something charming about throwing junk food on top of vegetables. Here’s a fun fact for you: Sweet potato casserole has been in vogue since the early 1900s, but it might be the result of clever marketing and not an innovation in Grandma’s kitchen. According to Saveur, the first recipe for the dish appeared in a booklet that was produced by — wait for it — Angelus Marshmallows, with the goal of boosting sales. Whether the original recipe was spontaneous or strategic, there’s no doubt Georgians love their sweet potato casserole … or is it sweet potato pie? Enter the competition. Two years after sweet potato casserole was declared the Peach State’s favorite Turkey Day side dish, an analysis of Google Trends search terms found that sweet potato pie was our most-Googled Thanksgiving dessert . What intrigue! Of course, as any Georgian knows, sweet potato pie is an entirely different dish, not too far off from the pumpkin pie that makes appearances on TV. It’s baked in a crust and topped with whipped cream, generally without a marshmallow in sight, and has its own unique pedigree. Digging into this history made us curious: Which of these dishes is YOUR Thanksgiving staple? Are you a die-hard fan of sweet potatoes in casserole or pie form? Or does your family double up every Thanksgiving? Let us know by emailing Kevin at Kevin@ PatrickTrialLaw.com or posting a picture of your dish on our Facebook page, Facebook.com/PatrickTrialLaw . We can’t wait to hear what you think!
manifestation of the solitary, processed meal? If you are a little suspicious of that fact, you’re not alone. But, the connection is real. Those little frozen meals on trays were the result of a Turkey Day mix-up of epic proportions. The year was 1953. That fall, the frozen food company C.A. Swanson & Sons drastically overestimated how many Americans would want a turkey as the centerpiece of their Thanksgiving spread, leaving them with about 260 tons of extra turkey packed into 10 refrigerated railroad cars. They needed a way to sell this surplus quickly because they had to keep running the train cars back and forth between the East Coast and the Midwest to generate the electricity needed to keep the turkey from spoiling. The company sent out a bulletin asking if any of their employees had a solution to the problem. Swanson salesman Gerry Thomas had a winning idea. He suggested they package up the remaining turkey with a few sides as frozen dinners that would be ready to eat after being thawed. The twist? They would be served in compartmentalized aluminum trays, much like airplane meals, which were the inspiration for Thomas’ idea. Additionally, they would be marketed as “TV dinners,” with their packaging designed to look like a television set. By 1954, roughly half of American households had TVs. Over the next 10 years, that figure jumped to 92%. As the TV rose in prominence in American living rooms, the TV dinner’s popularity increased exponentially. Swanson sold nearly 10 million of them during the first year of production. By 1959, Americans spent half a billion dollars gobbling up TV dinners. Several other phenomena have been linked to the advent of the TV dinner, such as the erosion of the traditional family dinner and a preference for TV entertainment over family conversation during mealtime. It’s hard to believe it all happened because of one Thanksgiving Day with too much turkey!
You can always reach Kevin directly at 404.566.8964 or Kevin@PatrickTrialLaw.com. (If you ever need it, his cell phone is 404.409.3160.)
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The Great Pie Conspiracy of 1967 How the Supreme Court Settled Utah Pie Co. v. Continental Baking
Ah, the ‘60s! The decade of Beatles songs, civil rights battles, long flowing locks, and … pie conspiracy rings? As it turns out, yes. When we were digging through U.S. Supreme Court cases this fall, our team stumbled upon a delicious (and scandalous) case of dessert mayhem just in time for Thanksgiving: Utah Pie Co. v. Continental Baking. Until the early 1960s, a local bakery in Salt Lake City, Utah, called Utah Pie. Co. was thriving. It had a corner on the local market, and its pies were selling like … well … pies! Then, something dramatic happened. Three other pie companies arrived on the scene and started selling their frozen desserts at prices far below Utah Pie Co.’s, despite the fact that they were trucking their pies in from farther away. This struck the folks at Utah Pie Co. as suspicious. They were a family-run operation, and their bakery was struggling thanks to this shady competition. Eventually, they sued Continental Baking, Pet Milk, and Carnation Co., the three pie companies in question, claiming that their price slashing was a conspiracy intended to drive Utah Pie Co. out of business. According to Supreme Court records, there was more than just price slashing going on, too. The case syllabus reports, “Pet admitted sending a spy into [Utah Pie Co.’s] plant during its negotiations with Safeway, but denied using what it learned.” These practices caused prices to decline across the market!
As you’ve probably guessed, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Utah Pie Co., reversing a previous decision by the Court of Appeals. The justices declared there was plenty of evidence that illegal price discrimination had taken place. Utah Pie Co. emerged with the win on April 24, 1967, with plenty of time to battle its way back to the top for Thanksgiving. When you dig into a slice of pumpkin or pecan pie this holiday season, consider raising your fork to the U.S. Supreme Court. Thanks to its decision in ‘67, local businesses have one more buffer against the pricing practices of the big boys.
sudoku
Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes
These candied sweet potatoes will make your family beg for more!
Ingredients •
4 lbs orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces, then cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges • 1 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp kosher salt • 1/4 tsp ground cloves • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed • 4 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Place sweet potato wedges in a 4-quart baking dish. 3. Sprinkle sugar, salt, and cloves over sweet potatoes. 4. Dot with butter and place cinnamon sticks around sweet potatoes. 5. Bake, turning every 15 minutes, until sweet potatoes are tender and the liquid is syrupy, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. 6. Remove from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes. 7. Discard cinnamon sticks and serve.
Solution
Inspired by FoodAndWine.com
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Inside This Issue 1 Meet Veteran and KPL Client Ahmad Key 2 How a Thanksgiving Dinner Mix- Up Led to the TV Dinner Georgia’s Battle of the Sweet Potatoes 3 The Great Pie Conspiracy of 1967 Cinnamon-Spiced Candied Sweet Potatoes 4 Is ‘Glamping’ the Perfect Winter Getaway?
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Is ‘Glamping’ the Perfect Winter Getaway? Cabin Fever Has Never Been So Stylish When COVID-19 struck the U.S., travel restrictions had people canceling their vacation plans left and right. This meant that many would-be vacationers had to find some getaways a little closer to home — namely, camping trips and their fancier cousin, glamping trips. If you haven’t heard of “glamping” before, it’s essentially glamorous camping. You have access to the beautiful, rugged outdoors as well as all the comforts of home. While traditional winter camping certainly wouldn’t be a relaxing getaway for most people, glamping during the winter months can give you access to the peace of the outdoors like you’ve never experienced before without so much as a shiver or sniffle. If you’ve decided to make glamping your go-to method of escape from the cabin fever that besets us all during the cold, dark winter days, you might be thinking: How can I make sure I have the best glamping experience possible? Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks you can apply to any glamping location to ensure that your time away from home is just as relaxing as that Caribbean cruise would have been.
STEP 1: DECIDE WHICH KIND OF LODGING YOU WANT. Glamping shelters come in all shapes and sizes depending on the level of comfort you desire on your trip. The most rugged glamping lodgings usually still include a wood-burning stove and a nice comfy bed, whether you opt for a log cabin or a specialized glamping tent (sometimes called a yurt). However, some of the more posh options include amenities like fresh linens, private bathrooms and showers, fully stocked kitchenettes, and even TVs. STEP 2: DECIDE HOW YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR TIME. Obviously, the point of glamping is to spend time in the great outdoors with winter activities, such as snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and other fun snow activities. However, glamping really shines during the frigid evenings. You can retreat indoors, throw some logs in the stove, prepare some hot cocoa or cider, and just watch the snowfall from your window. There’s no right or wrong way to glamp. All that matters is spending time in the wilderness with all the comforts of home — all while feeling refreshed and at peace.
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