The Union Oyster House is the oldest restaurant in Boston and the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the U.S. �?the doors have always been open to diners since 1826. Union Street was laid out in 1636, but there are no municipal records documenting the Oyster House's date of construction. All that is known is that the building has stood on Union Street as a major local landmark for more than 250 years. In 1742—before it became a seafood house, the building housed importer Hopestill Capen's fancy dress goods business, known colorfully as "At the Sign of the Cornfields." At this time, the Boston waterfront came up to the back door of the dry goods establishment, making it convenient for ships to deliver their cloth and goods from Europe. Oysters were first served to the public in this country in 1763 when a primitive saloon was opened in New York City in a Broad Street cellar. The first stirrings of the American Revolution reached the upper floor of the building in 1771, when printer Isaiah Thomas published his newspaper "The Massachusetts Spy," long known as the oldest newspaper in the United States. In 1775, Capen's silk and dry goods store became headquarters for Ebenezer Hancock, the first paymaster of the Continental Army. There is no reason to doubt that Washington himself was familiar with its surroundings. At the very spot where diners today enjoy their favorite New England specialties, Federal troops received their "war wages" in the official pay-station. During the revolution the Adams, Hancock, and Quincy wives, as well as their neighbors, often sat in their stalls of the Capen House sewing and mending clothes for the colonists. In 1796, a future king of France lived on the second floor. Exiled from his country, he earned his living by teaching French to many of Boston's fashionable young ladies. Later Louis Phillippe returned home to serve as King from 1830 to 1848 In the 19th century, the American people were enveloped in an oyster craze. In every town there were oyster parlors, oyster cellars, oyster saloons, oyster bars, oyster houses, oyster stalls and oyster lunchrooms. 1826 marked the end of Capen's Dry Goods Store and the beginning of Atwood and Bacon's establishment. The new owners installed the fabled semi-circular Oyster Bar �?where the greats of Boston paused for refreshment. It was at the Oyster Bar that Daniel Webster, a constant customer, daily drank his tall tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters, seldom having less than six plates. The toothpick was first used in the United States at the Union Oyster House. Enterprising Charles Forster of Maine first imported the picks from South America. To promote his new business he hired Harvard boys to dine at the Union Oyster House and ask for toothpicks A college president was salad man here. Jack Coleman, President of Pennsylvania's Haverford College worked in total anonymity for a few months during his sabbatical when he secretly sampled some of America's rigorous jobs and lifestyles. The Kennedy Clan has patronized the Union Oyster House for years. J.F.K. loved to feast in privacy in the upstairs dining room. His favorite booth "The Kennedy Booth" has since been dedicated in his memory. Since 1826, the Union Oyster House has known only three owners. Carrying on proud traditions in dining and service since 1970 have been Mr. Joseph A. Milano, Jr., and Ms. Mary Ann Milano Picardi.  "Cook Book Review"   "Giving Thanks," by Kathleen Curtin and Sandra L. Oliver. There are no presents, no songs, no stories about red-nosed turkeys that fly. And yet, Thanksgiving is many people’s favorite holiday. It’s certainly our most universal celebration, a day when 97 percent of Americans—more than 280 million people—share one common goal: eat some turkey! Are you curious about the origins and history of Thanksgiving? Do you need the perfect hostess gift for the friend or family member who is cooking your Thanksgiving feast this year? Are you searching for inspiration for your own holiday cooking? A Treasure Trove of Holiday Lore, Images and Recipes Giving Thanks, published in October of 2005 by Clarkson Potter, a Random House imprint, is a treasure trove of holiday lore, images and recipes that will be cherished year after year when Thanksgiving rolls around. Subtitled “Thanksgiving Recipes and History, from Pilgrims to Pumpkin Pie,�?this book by Plimoth Plantation food historian Kathleen Curtin and Food History News publisher Sandra L. Oliver is not only the definitive Thanksgiving cookbook, it is a detailed and fascinating account of the origins and meaning of the quintessential American holiday. The first third of the book is devoted to telling the tale of Thanksgiving, from the Pilgrims�?first three-day harvest celebration in 1621 to modern interpretations of the traditional feast of thanks. Trivia lovers will discover myriad tidbits with which to regale fellow dinner guests. The Definitive Thanksgiving Cookbook Cookbook collectors and those seeking to infuse their Thanksgiving celebrations with new tastes will turn right to Part II, where Curtin and Oliver share more than 75 recipes ranging from classics, such as Roasted Turkey, New England Stewed Pumpkin and Wampanoag Corn Porridge, to more exotic fare, such as Cuban Stuffed Turkey and Cranberry Pear Pie. The one thing missing from the book that would have made a nice addition is a place to record details of your own memorable Thanksgiving menus, guests and stories. The hardcover book is beautifully illustrated with historic drawings and photos, paintings by American artists such as Norman Rockwell, commercial advertising art and color photographs from Plimoth Plantation, the living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, that preserves the culture of the Wampanoag Indians and New England’s first English settlers. History, Food and Gratitude Giving Thanks is a book not only about history and food, but about gratitude. Holidays can be hectic, but Thanksgiving, especially, is a time to pause and to appreciate the abundance and opportunities that America has represented to generations that have called it home. Curl up with Giving Thanks before the family arrives, while the gravy is thickening, or after the last morsel of pie has disappeared. Even if you have only a moment, short sub-topics and sidebars will allow you to learn something interesting and inspiring about America’s holiday. "Chef of the Month" Justin Wilson HOW Y’ALL ARE ?  Justin Wilson.spent his life enjoying people and spreading the Cajun culture to others around the world. He loved to cook and he loved good food. He said it relaxed him to stir in a pot and drink a little wine, either alone or with friends.  Internationally known Cajun cook and humorist Justin E. Wilson died at age 87. Probably best known for his Cajun cooking series that has aired on public television for 30 years, Wilson, who prepared typical Cajun dishes of pungent spices and hot peppers, always said he was ``not a chef, just a damn good cook.'' A former safety engineer who learned to cook from his Cajun mother, Wilson turned to humor for a living after being seriously injured in a car accident in the 1940s. Sara Sue Easterly, his daughter, said he started telling jokes to make critical warehouse reports less painful for the recipients. ``People just kept asking him for more and more jokes, so he did,'' she said. ``If there was breath in the man's body, he was cooking and telling jokes.'' Wilson recorded more than 27 albums and wrote eight Cajun cookbooks and two books of Cajun humor. He had just finished work on a soon-to-be published Cajun cookbook for children. He made public speaking engagements across the United States, Europe and Australia, and taught human relations courses at police academies in three states. Wilson also had a passion for politics, his daughter said. ``When we were growing up, we never knew who we would find at the kitchen table for breakfast -- Sen. (Russell B.) Long, Gov. (John) McKeithen, Jimmie Davis -- or anyone else in the neighborhood,'' Easterly said. Of his fractured French-to-English sayings, some that worked their way into the American vernacular included, ``How ya'll are?'' and ``Me, I'll gar-on-tee!'' Wilson referred to himself as a ``half-bleed Cajun,'' his daughter said. ``He always said he didn't think he could take a full dose of Cajun blood.'' His motto was ``If it ain't fun, don't do it.'' He was a member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and American Legion, a lifetime member of Ducks Unlimited and an inaugural member of the Louisiana Legends, along with Aaron Neville, Ron Guidry, George Rodrigue and Long.