Friday, May 16, 2008

A Symbol for Hospitality


The pineapple has been a symbol of hospitality since the days of the early American colonies. The legend began with the sea captains of New England, who sailed among the Caribbean Islands and returned to the colonies bearing their cargo of fruits, spices, and rum.

According to the legend, the captain would spear a pineapple on a fence post outside his home to let his friends know of his safe return from the sea. The pineapple was an invitation for them to visit, share his food and drink, and listen to tales of his voyage.

As the tradition grew, colonial innkeepers added the pineapple to their signs and advertisements, and bedposts carved in the shape of a pineapple were a common sight at inns across new England. The legend has continued to the present, and frequently one sees the pineapple symbol in hotels and restaurants to signal the presence of hospitality.

The Educational Institute of the American Hotel & Motel Association has chosen the pineapple symbol of hospitality to recognize and award a property’s effort to achieve the highest levels of guest and employee satisfaction.


10 comments:

Voegtli said...

Here we only find canned pinapples. But our things of hospitality are water and dates.

S-V-H said...

Hi Peter

thanks for commenting to my post. I LOVE dates ...! :-)

TorAa said...

I did learn soemthing here:
How simple the solutions is to start a trade and then a Brand. For those that take the step.

Thanks for visiting my humble blog.

S-V-H said...

Hi Toraa

Nice to see you here around. I'm happy my post was interesting to you.

Dilip and Ez said...

That's something new I learnt today. It's always interesting to learn about local culture and customs. Thanks for sharing the info.

S-V-H said...

Hi Haminah,

nice to see you here on my blog. Thanks for your kind comment.

Carole said...

Geat shot Sue and like your explanation of the customs of years gone by.

S-V-H said...

Thank you for commenting here, Carol. :-)

Carole said...

Beautiful shot of the foxglove with the added bonus of the droplets of rainwater. Lovely..

S-V-H said...

Hi Carol,

thank you for your comment to the foxglove flower! :-)

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