# When was it that you learned where "Thousand Island" referred to? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 28, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865 "2014-06-28T15:41:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/1 "2014-06-28T15:41:56Z")
Not wanting to disrupt the burger controversy thread, I did have this thought that I’m curious who all may share? Until I was an adult, I thought Thousand Island dressing was a “South Seas” thing. Do you (did you) ever think that way? If so, what changed your mind? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/2 "2014-06-28T15:47:00Z")
I’ve always known what Thousand Island dressing is, and I’ve always presumed that the “islands” were the little chunks of relish in it. Is that correct? It never even occurred to me that it might be associated with any geographical islands. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/3 "2014-06-28T15:50:21Z")
From the upper Midwest area, in one of the Great Lakes, I think. ETA: Ontario, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/4 "2014-06-28T15:50:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve always known what Thousand Island dressing is, and I’ve always presumed that the “islands” were the little chunks of relish in it. Is that correct? It never even occurred to me that it might be associated with any geographical islands. Check it out, then. Brace yourself! ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/5 "2014-06-28T15:51:03Z")
This thread, apparently. I suspect most people don’t know the origin of the name. It’s not all that popular a salad dressing, these days. If not for the Big Mac, it would probably be even more obscure. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/6 "2014-06-28T15:51:55Z")
I had no idea where the term came from. In fact, although I frequently see it on grocery shelves and on restaurant menus, I have only tried it a few times and no longer remember what it tastes like. This entry tells where it came from: > **[Thousand Island dressing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Island_dressing)** > > Thousand Island dressing is an American salad dressing and condiment based on mayonnaise that can include olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, tomato purée, and ketchup or Tabasco sauce. > It also typically contains finely chopped ingredients, which can include pickles, onions, bell peppers, green olives, hard-boiled egg, parsley, pimento, chives, garlic, or chopped nuts (such as walnuts or chestnuts). > According to The Oxford... So up to now I never even thought about where it came from for more than a fraction of a second. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/7 "2014-06-28T15:56:01Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’ve always known what Thousand Island dressing is, and I’ve always presumed that the “islands” were the little chunks of relish in it. Is that correct? It never even occurred to me that it might be associated with any geographical islands. [Thousand Islands.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_Islands) > [@](#): > > The Thousand Islands constitute an archipelago of 1,864 islands that straddles the Canada-U.S. border in the Saint Lawrence River as it emerges from the northeast corner of Lake Ontario. > [@](#): > > Thousand Island dressing was named for the chain of islands by the actress who popularised the dressing, May Irwin, stating that she thought the chopped vegetables in the dressing looked like the Thousand Islands region. When did I learn that? Fine, I’ll admit it: About 20 seconds ago. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/8 "2014-06-28T15:57:09Z")
I grew up in northern New York so I pretty much always knew this. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/9 "2014-06-28T16:03:48Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > This thread, apparently. I suspect most people don’t know the origin of the name. It’s not all that popular a salad dressing, these days. If not for the Big Mac, it would probably be even more obscure. Way cool. I went through the salad dressing progression of French (because that was the only kind Mama ever had) to Thousand Island (because it tasted better) to Blue Cheese / Roquefort (because it tasted way better) to a hodgepodge randomness these days of Ranch, Vinaigrette, Honey Mustard, etc. but still mostly Blue Cheese. Something I was reading (online most likely) mentioned the St. Lawrence and the number of standard (now anyway) recipes that originated in the resorts in that region and suddenly had that Aha! moment. It messed with my head that I had been so long not knowing that bit of trivia. Since I started this thread and have no quarrel with hijacks or changing subjects, are there other things like this that have come to you later in life? ---
**Author:** ![Twoflower](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/twoflower/32/22_2.png) [@Twoflower](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Twoflower)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/10 "2014-06-28T16:07:29Z")
I never knew about the geographical Thousand Islands until this thread, either. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/11 "2014-06-28T16:25:44Z")
Aisle 5 at my local grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Mapp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_mapp/32/369_2.png) [@Miss\_Mapp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Mapp)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/12 "2014-06-28T16:27:27Z")
I’ve known about the Thousand Islands most of my life, since I grew up along the Great Lakes and we sometimes went up to the St. Lawrence seaway and around the islands on summer vacations when I was a little girl. I have always assumed that the salad dressing was connected to the islands, but I don’t ever recall seeing it served specially there. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/13 "2014-06-28T16:28:59Z")
I’ve always known, but then, I have relatives all over Minnesota and environs. It’s still my default salad dressing. Anything but Ranch. That shit’s _vile_. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/14 "2014-06-28T16:58:10Z")
From an old episode of _Get Smart_, Max is trying to foil an evil plot by infiltrating a secret KAOS island. > [@](#): > > Max: But how were you able to hide an entire island? > KAOS Agent: Have you heard of the Thousand Islands? > Max: Yes. > KAOS Agent: Count them next time. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/15 "2014-06-28T17:03:52Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **Erdosain** : > > This thread, apparently. I suspect most people don’t know the origin of the name. It’s not all that popular a salad dressing, these days. If not for the Big Mac, it would probably be even more obscure. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a salad bar or grocery-store dressing aisle without it, and Big Mac special sauce, while similar to Thousand Island, isn’t quite the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/16 "2014-06-28T17:11:12Z")
I have friends who have a summer cabin on one of the tiniest of those islands, so I learned about it a rickety card table while being taught how to play bridge by a craggy cantankerous matriarch who thought the world was divided into two classes: those who play bridge, and the unwashed. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/17 "2014-06-28T17:28:40Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I grew up in northern New York so I pretty much always knew this. Aye, I’m from upstate (Elmira) originally and always knew this. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/18 "2014-06-28T17:31:09Z")
Thousand island is very popular among people that I know. I did a survey one time because I was bringing a salad to a pot luck so I asked about 30 or so people what kind of salda dressing they liked, overwhelmingly they said Thousand Island. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/19 "2014-06-28T17:40:56Z")
nm. Not responsive to the thread I saw a pretty good episode of CBS Sunday Morning on this topic. Quite a controversy in the Thousand Island region over who gets the “credit” for this “food.” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865/20 "2014-06-28T18:00:37Z")
I think I heard of the Thousand Islands before I heard of the dressing. I grew up on Long Island. Thousand Island dressing seems popular enough these days; it’s certainly replaced Russian dressing (essentially the same thing, only without the relish) among commercial dressings. It’s essential for a good roast beef sandwich since Russian is hard to find. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-it-that-you-learned-where-thousand-island-referred-to/691865.md?page=2)