Shish-kabobs
Taylor says that if birds land on the street lights, he will put sharp metal spikes on top and turn them into shish kabobs.
Shish kabobs is the North American term for shish kebabs, skewered and grilled cubes of meat, traditionally lamb, found in Mediterranean cuisine and originating in the Middle East. In North America, the word kebab nearly always refers to a shish kebab. The word kebab comes from Arabic, and means “frying, burning”, while the shish part means “skewer, pointed stick”.
Quiche
Rory predicts that quiche will be served at Sherry’s baby shower.
Quiche is a French tart which is a pastry crust filled with savoury custard and pieces of cheese, meat, seafood, or vegetables. The word goes back to the 17th century in the Lorrain patois (quiche Lorraine, anyone?), but only to 1805 in French. It’s probably related to the German word for “cake, tart”. The basic premise of putting savoury custard into a pastry shell goes back to the 14th century in England, and the 13th century in Italy, so they are not uniquely French.
Mojito [pictured]
Maureen offers Lorelai a mojito at the baby shower, which she gratefully accepts.
Mojito is a traditional Cuban punch, made from white rum, sugar (or sugar cane juice), lime juice, soda water, and mint. It originated in Havana, but it’s origins are debatable – local South American Indians, Sir Francis Drake, and African slaves have all been given the credit for it. The name may come from mojo, meaning a spice made from mint, or from mojadito, the Spanish for “lightly wet”. It’s a popular drink for summer, but because it’s green, Sherry has it at her “green is the new pink” autumn baby shower.
Club Soda
Gail offers Rory a club soda at the baby shower.
Club soda is a manufactured carbonated water used as a drink mixer. English chemist Joseph Priestly discovered the method for making carbonated water in 1772, but commercial production was begun by Johann Jacob Schweppe, a Swiss jeweller and amateur chemist in 1783. It was first made commercially in the US by Benjamin Silliman, a Yale chemistry professor, who sold in New Haven, Connecticut. The original trademarked club soda was made by Cantrell and Cochrane in Ireland in 1877 – the “club” in the name refers to the Kildare Street Club in Dublin.
Horseradish
Susan guesses that horseradish is the smell in her diaper during a game at the baby shower.
Horseradish (Armoracia rusticana) is a root vegetable in the radish and mustard family, cultivated since antiquity for use as a spice and condiment. You may remember that Emily enjoys horseradish on her steak.
Jell-O
Babette thinks that the Town Loner mentioned the word “Jello-O” in his protest.
Jello-O, previously discussed.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 