Hey, Answer Girl --

Does Canada celebrate Thanksgiving? If so, why?

-- Amanda

Canada does celebrate Thanksgiving, but earlier in the year than the United States.

Canadian Thanksgiving takes place on the second Monday of October, for a couple of reasons.

First, Martin Frobisher, an explorer from England, arrived in Newfoundland (part of Canada) in 1578. History says he wanted to give thanks for his safe arrival, thus instituting the first Thanksgiving. This means that Canada was, in fact, the first place in North America to host a Thanksgiving feast, a full 40 years or so before pilgrims landed in Massachusetts in the United States.

Thanksgiving was declared a national Canadian holiday in 1879, and was set to take place every Nov. 6 from then on. In 1957, Parliament changed the date to the second Monday in October "for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed."

Both Canada and the United States celebrate with pumpkin pie and turkey, so really, we're not that different, right? (Except when pronouncing "about.")

Hey, Answer Girl --

Does turkey really make you tired? I heard that was a rumor.

-- N.

OK, so the rumor is that tryptophan, an amino acid found in turkey, makes people tired.

While this is true -- L-tryptophan, in enormous doses, can trigger melatonin and seratonin in your brain and make you want to sleep -- the amount found in even the largest helpings of turkey won't make you drowsy.

First: Tryptophan only has the sleep-inducing effect if it's the only amino acid in the stomach. After you've finished off a plate of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, seven-layer salad and pie, tryptophan is definitely not the only thing in your stomach.

In fact, chicken, cheese and pork all contain more tryptophan than turkey, but the same sleepy feeling isn't usually attributed to those.

It's likely that the reason you're feeling sleepy after a Thanksgiving meal has more to do with the amount of fat you've just consumed. Overeating makes people tired because it directs blood away from the other organ systems. That blood is all pushing its way to the stomach to help with the rather large digestion project you've just created.

And don't forget, you're relaxing, on vacation, and with the people you love. Being comfortable often leads to sleep.