SOUREST DAY
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SOUREST DAY
Pucker up, buttercups! On October 25th, right after the sugar-coated high of Sweetest Day, we get the holiday we truly deserve: Sourest Day. If life is giving you lemons, this is your moment to shine—or, more accurately, to scowl. Take your glass-half-full attitude and spread the joy -er- gloom. Smiles be banished! Replace them all with pouts and terrible frowns.
#SourestDay
Sourest Day is the one day of the year when you can let your inner grump run wild. Banish those smiles and replace them with epic pouts and magnificent frowns. Today, we wallow in our petulant moods and take sulking to an art form. Your goal is a harrumph so powerful it could be trademarked, a scowl so foul people catch a whiff of it before they even see you. That's just how sour you need to be on this day.
This funny holiday is a celebration of all things tart, from our attitudes to our taste buds. It’s the eye-watering tang of a lemon, the face-twisting challenge of a sour candy, and the grumpy mood of seeing your neighbor being excessively cheerful in the morning. Let your frown be your crown for the day!
HOW TO OBSERVE SOUREST DAY
Ready to embrace the grump? Here are some perfectly sour ways to celebrate. And remember, the real challenge is trying not to crack a smile!
- Take the sour candy challenge! Gather the most mouth-puckering candies you can find and challenge your friends to a sour-face-off. Who will be the last one standing without flinching?
- Have a complainer award ceremony! Invite friends over and give everyone one minute to complain about their biggest pet peeves. Give out awards for the most trivial gripe or the most dramatic sigh.
- Create a cranky pants playlist to ultimate your sour mood, filled with sad songs, angry anthems, and anything that makes you want to stare dramatically out a window.
- Instead of sending cheerful cards, send a sour greeting! Send a friend a postcard with a simple "Whatever" written on it, or mail them a single lemon with no explanation.
- Have the sourest, crankiest day...all day! Bet you can't stay sour ALL day! Use #SourestDay to post your grumpiest moments on social media.
SOUREST DAY HISTORY
This silly, yet dreary day, was created in 1977 by Richard Ankli of Ann Arbor, Michigan, as a humorous counterpoint to Sweetest Day and to honor a friend with the last name "Sauer" whose birthday falls on October 25th.
Sour FAQ
Q. What are the five basic tastes?
A. Many experts agree that we taste five basic tastes on our tongues. Those five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami, also known as savory. However, we also perceive two other tastes - astringent and pungent. While we may recognize the first five, astringent and pungent become more familiar to us when they are described.
- Astringent -Tannins stored in the bark, skin, and other parts of some foods we eat make our tongues pucker or feel dry. For example, dry wine has more tannins from contact with the grape skins and when we drink it, the wine feels dry on our tongues even though it's a liquid. Fresh grapes, apples, and teas will cause this sensation, too.
- Pungent - This sensation creates heat on our tongues and lips. Jalapenos, peppermint, and mustard can all cause a pungent sensation.
Q. My friend is in a sour mood. How can I cheer her up?
A. Trying to cheer up a petulant friend can take some doing, depending on the circumstances. Besides showering her with a completely opposite attitude (sweet, that is), you can try these tips:
- Tell a joke or funny story.
- Try listening to them. Sometimes just being able to express how we feel makes us feel better.
- Offer to watch a sitcom or funny movie with them.
- Go for a walk with them. Exercise produces endorphins which are one of the happy hormones in our bodies.