Let’s get together and talk about hot pepper sandwiches. Maybe we’ll live to 100

My Uncle Ben Franco lived to be 104 years old. He gave all credit for his long and happy life to eating a hot pepper sandwich each and every day. These sandwiches were filled with fried peppers, dripping with olive oil and hot enough to cause small plants nearby to burst into flame in empathy. I know this was true, because my mother made those sandwiches every day of his life, including the last one.

Uncle Ben was the youngest of 24 children. His mother, my Great Grandma Carolina, was both Catholic and profoundly puzzled. She, too, lived to be very old, but she didn’t smile much.

Ben was a railroad man. He lost a couple of fingers when they were caught in the coupler of a freight train, a pretty common injury among trainmen. He didn’t seem to miss them much. He just switched the sandwiches to the other hand.

The Francos all believed there was something nearly magical in those peppers which are, in fact, remarkably full of vitamins. It was an established fact that because of her fondness for the nutrient-rich little firecrackers, Grandma Franco’s personal supply of milk was so hot that her new babies would actually have to stop and gasp in cool air before continuing to dine.

All of this is interesting and makes for good stories to warm a long, winter’s night, but apparently it wasn’t just those peppers that facilitated Uncle Ben’s long years.

I found this out last week when my daughter-in-law, enjoying a snowbound Minnesota winter, emailed me a copy of a television TED talk by Dr. Susan Pinker, author of “The Village Effect.” In this clip, Dr. Pinker enumerates the factors that predict whether a person — any person — will live to be 100. Apparently Melinda thought I possessed the qualifications needed.

The indicators were amazing.

Surprisingly, all of the factors that we’re nagged about daily — exercise, weight control, even breathing clean air or completing cardiac rehab — are less important predictors of reaching that century mark than having a flu shot. This is puzzling. The indicator doesn’t reveal whether this is because of the vaccine itself or the attention to a health routine. Most important of all is having stable relationships with a support network of people beyond your immediate family. At my house, we call that “the buddy list.” These are people you can count on, and they can count on you. It’s an important list to build while a person is feeling well and independent. When you need those buddies, it’s too late to get started.

The Australian Longitudinal Study of Aging looked at 1,500 people aged 70 or older and found that those with an extensive circle of friends outlived those with the fewest friends by 22 percent. Having family around did not increase lifespan, according to Hiyaguha Cohen, Human Development Coach.

The top indicator is most surprising.

People who reach 100 have lots of face-to-face interactions — not texting — with as many real people as possible. This means they speak to everyone they meet, and that was what caused Melinda to think I can look forward to a long life. It’s true: I do talk to everyone, just as in the old days when we’d greet passersby on the street. I like to do a little more. Whether I’m in line at the supermarket or checking in at the Y, I always ask if everyone is having fun.

One woman said, “Well, you can’t expect to have fun all the time.”

But yes, actually, I can. If I’m not having fun, I’m not doing it. Then, I usually add, “Tell me about yourself, your life, your dreams, your ambitions.”

It doesn’t matter what you say, but the fact that you’ve reached out matters. Most folks are thrilled to be asked.

The good news is that you don’t even have to have a positive attitude. Snarly curmudgeons can be centenarians, too. We just have to keep in touch, face-to-face with the world around us. There’s no substitute for the human connection.

See for yourself by checking the Life Expectancy Calculator online ( living to100.com ), where, according to Dr. Thomas Perls, I will live to be 105. The doctor inquires solicitously if I have enough money put away to live that long? No, I sure don’t. I could manage a hot pepper sandwich, though.

And then, sit down. Tell me about your life, your dreams, your ambitions.

This story was originally published February 3, 2018 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Let’s get together and talk about hot pepper sandwiches. Maybe we’ll live to 100."