We continue our story of the Founding Fathers and food by taking a deep dive into America’s third President’s very expensive, very European food and drink habits. We discuss Thomas Jefferson’s crazy party-planning skills/booze-purchasing habits. More importantly, we trace the origin story of one of America’s first chefs, James Hemings (brother of Sally) and this unsung hero’s rise to the top of French and American cuisine. Finally, Faye has some thoughts on the name “Benedict.”
Tag: USA
2 Parts Rum, 1 Part Corn: A Recipe for Rebellion
We’re back with an all new episode to inaugurate our second season of Follow the Crumbs. We begin by destroying your Disney dreams and demystifying America’s two favorite mythical Native Americans – Pocahontas and Squanto. We explore Ben Franklin’s love affair with corn and how it connected to the South’s love affair with tobacco and rum. Finally, Faye pitches yet another HBO historical fiction series focused on Paul Revere’s famed drunken horse ride through Massachusetts.
Johnny Appleseed: The Man, The Myth, The Legend?
This week, we dive into the crazy and very much not-Disney-approved life of an American folk legend and learn how the bad apples he sold contributed to the United States’s budding hard apple cider industry. We also discover that good apples violated Johnny Appleseed’s religious beliefs, but we never find out why he used a tin cooking pot for a hat. Finally, we discuss how Johnny Appleseed’s name has misled Americans for decades.