Talk Like a Pirate Day

by Mel Gilden

I'm in a celebratory mood this week. Not only am I about to publish two novels on Amazon.com, but the week contains two of my favorite holidays: September 14 is National Cream Filled Doughnut Day, and September 19 is National Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Apparently, there are many food related holidays. (To see a complete list, go to statesymbolsusa.org) But the day celebrating cream filled doughnuts (or donuts, as most modern signage would have it) is the only one I had heard about before searching on line for a little background I could pass along to you. My search was in vain. No one knows, or would admit knowing, who declared this holiday or why. I guess despite the fat and sugar content one ingests to celebrate this holiday, eating a cream filled doughnut is its own reward.

On the other hand, National Talk Like a Pirate Day has its very own website (talklikeapirate.com), and it is full of information. Perhaps even chock full.

Robert Newton as Long John Silver, the first pirate to say "Arrr!"

The website is run by Captain Slappy and his shipmate Chumbucket. And if ye be wantin' to know why celebrate talkin' like a pirate, they answer, "Why not?" They will also tell you that September 19th was chosen because it is the birthday of Captain Slappy's ex-wife. (One can only guess what the ex-wife thinks of this honor.) There is also a video about how to talk like a pirate — just saying "Arrr!" is fine, but if that's all you do you miss out on most of the fun — and other useful information.

So have a good time celebrating important holidays here in the doldrums between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Personally, Arrr! I be slitin' the gizzard of a cream filled doughnut!