Cucumber News

As we have done most mornings since his arrival, my guest from The Netherlands and I discussed the news over coffee before he departed for his commute on the Metro and a full day of classes.  This morning, I noted that the major front page photo and story in The Washington Post featured the farmer and his wife who grew the 2009 official White House Christmas Tree (not to be confused with the National Christmas Tree or about 24 other trees in the White House during the holidays). 

I felt rather embarrassed that, with all that is going on in the world, such emphasis was given to this story in the largest newspaper of the capital city of our powerhouse country. 

“We call that ‘cucumber news’,” he said with a grin.  “When there is nothing going on,” he clarified.  “I would hardly say there is nothing going on right now,” I replied, sheepishly, feeling even more ashamed.  Our conversation turned to other topics but I couldn’t stop thinking of this funny expression and what must be its origin. 

Cucumber news is similar to another expression called the “silly season”, which is the couple of months in the Northern Hemisphere, starting mid to late summer, when exaggerated news stories appear in the media because there is nothing going on; in Washington, DC this is certainly the case because our newsmakers on Capitol Hill have all gone home or on fact finding trips to interesting places. In the Southern Hemisphere, this period occurs in the Christmas/New Year period, which is their summer.

In the Dutch, Norwegian, Czech, Polish, Hungarian and Hebrew languages, the “silly season” alludes to cucumbers (according to Wikipedia, specifically to gherkins or pickled cucumbers).  Their cucumber references translate to “cucumber time” or “cucumber season” or “pickled cucumber season”.  In England, cucumber season was a term for the slow business time for tailors.

Having grown cucumbers, zucchini and other squash relatives in my backyard vegetable garden, I can attest to the fact that it does become the silly season in late summer when they you cannot pick them fast enough and they grow to mammoth size very quickly.  Neighbors shutter their windows when they see you coming with yet another bag of vegetables to share.  Back in the 80’s zucchini bread, super-sweet and buttery cake-like “bread”, was all the rage; some of us are still trying to get the weight off from that effort to dispose of lots of zucchinis.

Perhaps over dinner tonight, my guest and I  will discuss my research into the meaning of “cucumber news” and have a little laugh about it.  What will be more difficult to explain is why, in a time with much real, dramatic news, an article about the selection of the White House Christmas Tree was the main feature of the front page.  I will tell him that sometimes the reporters decide to give us a break from the bad news of the economy, the circus on Capitol Hill,  deaths from the unending conflicts here and afar, and the local elections, to focus on something everyone can feel good about and be drawn to.  It feeds an old fashioned sort of longing for a human interest story with no blood and guts that makes you feel good all over.  That is what it did for me.

On reflection, I rather like the feature of the day being something positive.  Maybe we’ll be so lucky as to continue to have the false appearance of “cucumber season,” when in fact green leafy vegetables are more prolific and our beautiful, colorful fall will soon be winter and the problems of the world will still be very much alive.