Add the supply list and measurements to the video description , and then more viewers can buy the list of supplies and try them for a 1776 Holiday feast ! :-)
there's something special about the concept of these "poorman feast" dishes, being myself a cook it never fails to amaze me the results you can obtain with limited ingredients (and water available). i praise not the recipes but all the knowledge behind them, thanks for sharing with the world the joy of simplicity
Jon is a gift, after a hard day of work, he is nice to come home to and show how as much as life was difficult, it was still simpler with less bs stress that the average day brought. ive done a few of his recipes and they turned out delicious. my dr might say otherwise but i dont care, i want to go to bed with a full belly and have a good sleep than waking up to go #2 because my dr says i have to eat more salads and veggies.
I love the way these are filmed in natural daylight. Reminds me of times when I was a kid and we would spend summer vacations in an old Maine farmhouse without electricity - kerosene lamps at night, and cooking on a wood stove. It's hard to remember that this is how everybody saw and heard (and tasted and smelled) the world back then.
It’s not that long ago. Every hot meal I ever ate till I was ten years old was cooked on a wood fired oven. Every glass of water came off the roof via spell in a corrugated iron tank, and the toilet was out the back of the house in the yard - fortunately plumbed into a septic tank! I’m now fifty five and grew up in rural Australia.
"You have to have certain kind of skills to move up in the military." I am so used to every other creator finding some way to shoehorn in that word, I was expecting Jon to say "which is why I am proud to be sponsored by SKILLShare!" :)
He's the sole reason I've started asking myself "does this need nutmeg?" whenever I cook up something that doesn't have a fixed recipe.... and surprisingly often the answer is "yes... yes it does!".
yeah, its like: "no there is not any indication there was nutmeg but come on, who does not have some nutmeg with themselfs at all times, of cause there was nutmeg, so I am going to add that"
I wish the Townsend series were shown in our schools today! This wonderful history is being lost! Thanks for all the day to day details and a true understanding of the hardships our ancestors went through for all the comforts we take for granted today. People were so much tougher and resilient then. So much to learn from them and so humbled by their fortitude and spirit.
I'm delighted to see you back at Historic Fort Wayne! We got to visit it in June. Such a wonderful location! Best wishes and much love to all the Townsends and Friends.
These videos are genius! You figured out how to distill the best concepts of the long-format content into a shorter and more widely accessible format. I love it.
@@DavidSpratt123 With the british army it was expected for all officers to have had at least 1 servant, with the official regulations being set down where Subalterns (Lieutenants) were authorized to have 1 Batman (more like Alfred than Bruce Wayne) and 2 servants, but weirdly Captains and field officers would have 1 servants and 2 batmen although this regulation would change as the war dragged where by 1781 there apparently was 1 servant per officer. Given that the American army of the Revolutionary War more or less took its entire structure and doctrine wholesale from the British Army (considering the majority of the early war Officers had been British Army officers before the war, such as George Washington himself) it makes sense that they would have servants as well. In the US Army the practice does continue but in the modern day the only officers who have attaches or orderlies are General officers due to the wide range of tasks and responsibilities Generals have.
@DaHuntsman1 Slight add on, field grade officers will have a singular Adjutant, but this is typically only when they are serving in a command capacity.
meanwhile on the other end of human generations, we have resorted to act like how AI replicating humans way back then on the internet for money. But I won't lose hope on humanity that easily just because of them.
my favorite thing about townsends videos is when i can point at the screen in excitement after John says something i can relate to my everyday life, like sugar, being in cones rather than granulated.
@@Wmoore1Everyone has the right to see the world however they wish. However, I personally think the world is doing much better than it ever has been for a very long time. It only looks "bad" to some because they never realized how horrible the past really was. Now, all the "bad' is available for everyone to see. No more hiding it; we all can deal with it and clean house and eventually live in a better world if we so choose to.
This channel has always been educational, entertaining, and wholesome. Thank you Jon for all the years of allowing us all to learn from your knowledge of the past and how our ancestors as well as military personnel survived. Hope you're well Jon 😊
One of the great differences between officers and men in the military has always been that the men are 'equipped and victualed' by the government and officers must purchase their own. In modern times, this means simply that officers must buy their own uniforms and pay for their meals out of a rations allowance in their pay. What's more, they pay for **exactly** the same food and uniforms as enlisted men are getting. And speaking as a former enlisted man, it's very hard to feel sorry for the lieutenant when he gets **double** your rations in addition to all the luxuries. When all you get is a mug of somewhat brownish, slightly tea-flavored hot water, 6 pounds of tea AND coffee is quite the Christmas present. Don't mistake me, all this was just part of the system of the era. It was 'just how things are done, old boy', and it took World War One for the military systems around the world to even begin to be more egalitarian when it comes to the officer corps. I should also say that, as a Civil War reenactor, one of my recommendations to everyone starting in the hobby is to 'watch Townsends and memorize everything' 😉 Just as the Great Depression still influenced American society into the 70s, the Revolutionary period deeply influenced the America of the 1860s and so a good grounding in the basics of the Colonial period is pretty necessary to understand the Civil War era.
OTOH; A private is only responsible for himself and his equipment. An officer is responsible for an entire unit and knowing and being mindful of the men's welfare and employing them to preserve the unit. Its a much greater responsibility and so the rewards are better.
@@obsidianjane4413 It depends. Staying in the Colonial period, many regiments were formed from militia companies where each man brought his own equipment. Uniforms were issued, but these were expected to wear out under campaign conditions. The primary reason why many state regiments pushed for commonality of muskets was because most of the commanders felt that the bayonet was the primary weapon of war. Most hunting arms of the period wouldn't take a bayonet, and some calibers were too small to take even a plug bayonet. And the fact remains that Colonial logistics ranged from 'miserable' to 'almost nothing' for the majority of the war. Hard to say you're responsible for equipment you were never issued, you know? And then to see a captain and lieutenant get double rations while you're being issued short rations [and not very palatable or healthy ones at that], well, troops tend to get grumpy about that.
@@carlhicksjr8401 I agree with you. Also, many, if not most units during the Revolution were county militia units, to which I don't think much was provided to the officers. My ancestor got his commission as a LT of militia from a Virginia Committee of Safety in 1775 at the age of 17, and I don't believe he received much in the way of wine and cheese and vittles, especially because Virginia Committees of Safety weren't exactly rolling in wealth in those early days. The units were known as "shirtmen" because they showed up in their hunting shirts, rather than any sort of uniformity. And I doubt the officers were any different.
@@carlhicksjr8401It should be recognised however that in the British Army of the time you would actually be bleeding money as an officer by paying your servants, mess bills, uniforms and mounts that you wouldn’t actually be making money until you reach Captain(which means you would have had to buy three commissions at that point). This was one of the reason that officers from the ranks usually just sold their commission as fast as possible if they were allowed to.
@@imadeanaccounttocomment7800 Certainly true, but I have two counter-points for you... 1. Most [but certainly not all] British officers had private means [aka family money] to help them along. The purchase system tended to keep officer commissions in the upper thousand families of the UK. 2. This video is detailing Continental American practices in regiments where the officers were elected as often as not.
My daughter is almost two but we both enjoy your show! It’s a educational program but it’s relaxing to watch and very lively. You show a lot of passion for your work. Thankyou
This is the best American history channel I’ve ever seen. Some might call it a cooking channel, but I think it’s a history channel before anything else!
I’ve been watching your videos regularly for a couple years now and they never fail to entertain and educate. Please keep up the fantastic work! Best history channel on TH-cam
Last day of vacation, came home last night from dinner with a friend who insisted I take the last bit of the leftover cheese. I had ham in the freezer, raisins in the cabinet, I figured, why not? I've never made rice pudding before - I'm glad I made it, but I must admit I may not make it again (though I do eat rice porridge with spicy cured meat a lot). Otherwise, this Welsh Rabbit toast might become my new favorite thing ever. Thanks for the vid!
Wow! One of the most interesting, informative, and practical videos I’ve seen yet. You had me hanging on every word. I love the care package info. It’s a little different than the ones we send to our servicemen and women today.
Your videos always makes me appriciate the old, more basic foods our ancestors had to eat for thousands of years. And it always makes me hungry for some bread, butter and cheese lol. Very good channel.
It’s interesting to think about the idea that the officers are expected to take care of themselves instead of having things provided for them. That attitude / expectation / approach could explain a number of things, such as part of the nature (even if not the magnitude) of the officer / enlisted pay disparity. Even today, there are examples of officers being responsible for things enlisted personnel might not be. Luckily, food is taken care of for everybody when you’re in the field or deployed. But uniforms are an example. Enlisted receive a uniform allowance to take care of costs. Officers are expected to pay out of their own pocket to buy, maintain, and replace uniform items. (It might not seem like much, but when you consider officers are required to have their branch’s version of a tux and they have to buy whole new sets of uniforms whenever Uncle Sam decides to go with a different design or color pattern, it can be a pretty Penny.)
It was such a great idea when you all decided to begin posting all those years ago! I have absolutely appreciated the time and work you each put into each video. Allowing "strangers" a glimpse into your lives. Watching the children grow into fine young folks has been fun😄. After a few years, many of we subscribers no longer feel like strangers nor even acquaintances but, oddly, friends😄. God Bless each of you. Brook🧑🌾🍏🍎, and Opy & Asa🐕🐕😃❤️
I'm glad this changed. As a PSG, my PL eats the same as me and our Joes' do. Sure, in garrison, he might enjoy better sleeping conditions but, all in all, we all enjoy every bit of the fun together when deployed :)
That list of ingredients in the care package already had me drooling - as you showed, so many lovely things you can make with that. I did notice the lack of nutmeg, but then you fixed that little typo 🤣. Though seriously, maybe they figured people would at least have their own spices because there really weren't any in there.
I have shown and will show your channel videos to my pupils. Some of them are very very very interested in US early history which is not generally included in our school history curriculum (which is a pity). Your videos is a treasure for these younglings. Thank you very much for all your work. I thank you kindly.
I was hoping for a preparation using the dried tongue. I have eaten tongue which was ground and added to a preparation known here as “head cheese” (originally ground trimmings from the animal’s head suspended in gelatin. After being chilled, it can be sliced and used as a sandwich filling) Generally speaking, not something for the current modern American palate. In Belgium it’s referred to as simply “kop” meaning head and is relatively common. I suspect the colonials ate something similar as I recall tongue to be extremely tough and needed to be ground or chopped very finely. A question for John - Does tongue pop up in the period cookbooks? Ben thought it worthy to be included in the care package. (Probably on your list of recipes never to make. 😬) Thanks for the great video.
I've tried cooked sliced tongue (cow/ox) in a green mixed salad with mustard-radish dressing in Latvia in a small town restaurant on day 1... and ordered it every day for the whole trip. It was absolutely delicious... 😊
As an American born in the 80s, my dad very much fed my cousin and me head cheese when we were kids. Until one day she (older than me) asked, "hey uncle Mick, why's it called head cheese?" ...and then she never ate it again lol. I haven't even seen it in years!
Great video! One thing about which I was curious: the initial list of provisions seemed like more than one man could eat before spoilage even if they were preserved. Where these officers behooved to share this food with subordinates, sort of as a treat here and there? I imagine an officer gathering a few men and opening a big chest filled with awesome food would really gain some respect.
Yeah I also don't get it. He said that they got TWICE the rations of the enlisted men? But also made it sound like they had to buy their own food?? I understand that the provided rations were probably nothing fancy and that promotions were partially based on things like food they served/ate, so probably they had to supplement their reasons with "nicer" ingredients out of their own pay in consideration of that. But it still sounds like they had plenty to eat regardless, so I struggle to justify calling something like this a "poor man's" feast. Maybe next time we'll get a "poor baron's feast" or even a "poor king's feast" 😂
It might help your understanding if you read the Aubrey Maturin series ("Master and Commander" is the first book, all written by Patrick O'Brien). Although it's the English navy in the series, it is 18th century and addresses the officers needing to provide for their mess and to be able to present themselves as good provisioners. Jack Aubrey loves to eat and loves good food. More than once it's noted that he is generous at the table. While an army lieutenant would not be a leader of a huge group, he nevertheless is an officer and has to uphold the customs of an officer.
I was wondering kind of the same thing. How long could these rations last? Not just spoilage but how many meals could you get from this (on average, I realize some of it depends on how much is eaten in a day and what was cooked)
Pretty much all of the supplies in that list would last for months and months the way they were preserved in that time period. The butter, for instance, was usually very heavily salted, much saltier than any butter you can buy at a grocery store today. I’d also wager that it would only last that officer maybe a month, maybe two if they stretched it (and they likely would have). By way of example, the enlisted man in that era would have received a pound of meat daily as the meat portion of their rations.
Truely one of the best youtube channels out there. I think diving into the meals of a person says alot more about the daily lives of the times they are living in than even the notable history. I mean, you just explained who these people were and what they had to do all just to explain why they eat what they eat. love it.
I love a new a Townsends video! Educational, interesting, re-creatable, great for all ages and so incredibly visually beautiful. Honestly... you guys are great all around!
Importantly: meritocracy was a thing inspired by the first French revolution and Napoleonic restructuring of the French military so it was fantastic having this insight in how things were in the US before the inspiration of French meritocracy.
It predates the French Revolution. The US never did commission purchasing, even during the American Revolution. The British also never did commission purchasing in the engineers or artillery and commissioned their officers from those who passed training schools and promoted them based on seniority and merit.
Honestly officer status is still purchased because it requires a college degree. Absolutely useless requirement that should have been abolished decades ago.
Fascinating series. Today we take food for granted both in its accessibility and variety. People for instance are astounding when I tell them Italian food had not incorporated tomatoes till well after the discovery of the new world. Hot peppers unknown till that era as well. Much of history from military to explorers has been directly tied to food stocks, preservation techniques.
I’ve learned & remembered so much historical information from Townsends videos then I did in a lot of my history classes. You make learning truly exiting!
Love your videos, they bring history to life. What a wonderful thing to wake up to, I didn’t expect this. I need to make a grocery run and Franklin’s care package is going on my list! Well, ingredients if not quantity. 🥰👍👍
i miss a time when we finished our plates, and took what we ate, and ate what we took. food waste makes me feel disdain. farmers, hunters, and suppliers worked hard to bring it to us.
It’s interesting that you bring up naval officers. As a veteran of the Navy, I’d say the divide between officer and enlisted is probably the largest of the 4 branches of service. They’re pretty much sea-aristocrats. If they want to be aloof and distant from the enlisted, it’s encouraged in many commands.
Yep. Which I why I chose not to join the navy. And the US Navy is probably one of the more egalitarian around the world. Some of it is for pragmatic reasons (familiarity breeds contempt etc.) but most is a tradition that benefits those with power to change it, so it doesn't change.
@@obsidianjane4413That's funny as hell, a navy recruiter came to my high school sort of talking about all the technical training I could get and I said but I want to be an officer! He didn't have much to say to me after that. I guess with my glasses I was never going to be an aviator.
I’m really enjoying this series! I’d love to see the “poor female farmer/cook/shopkeeper/seamstress or anything else you can think of…feast!” An enslaved person’s feast, enslaved person who has to travel and live in the wilderness with the owner, or on a farm. Not sure if there’s any written documents of enslaved persons out on the frontier, but that would be really interesting, too! (These videos always make me think how did they get any other work done when it took such an effort just to obtain ingredients and then cook it without any modern help, and clean everything up afterward. That’s a full day all by itself!! And no way to “spend Sunday making freezer meals for a month!” Well, I guess, it could be spending a day canning, preserving or similar…so kind of similar!
I really do appreciate this fun educational content I prefer these feasts videos but my 5 year old son loves your time travelling food videos. Great stuff!!!
That was really super interesting. I have started reading the biography of Ben Franklin. He is a very interesting person. We as a society have failed to teach our history to ourselves. The history of our founding fathers wasn't properly taught in schools when I was a kid. So, you can forget about it for the kids in school today. Even the fall of Rome was a tragedy.
Welsh rabbit! The first time I encountered that term was just maybe two years ago, reading Poe's "Some Words with a Mummy" (1845), which opens up with the narrator describing his meal of Welsh Rabbit. A light supper of course. I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at once, however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection to two. And really between two and three, there is merely a single unit of difference. I ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five; -- but, clearly, she has confounded two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely, it has reference to bottles of Brown Stout, without which, in the way of condiment, Welsh rabbit is to be eschewed. Having thus concluded a frugal meal...
Poe, when he got into tongue-in-cheek mode, was hilarious. And his satires could be absolutely vicious. An author I enjoy very much. "Some Words with a Mummy" is one of his more amusing tales. Upon the Mummy showing signs of life: "I cannot say that I was _alarmed_ at the phenomenon, because "alarmed" is, in my case, not exactly the word. It is possible, however, that, but for the Brown Stout, I might have been a little nervous."
This is cool! I recently did a family ancestry search and found that my mother’s parents follow all the way back to great….grandfather his dad and his brother were all ensigns in the NY 3rd militia during the revolutionary war following my grandmother side and on my grandfathers side a great…. Grandfather who served in the old guard during the civil war in DC. History is very interesting!
Really liked this video. You also mentioned that the officers received 2x the provisions of the men. What would these standard rations consist of? How would the care package fit into these rations? Would be great to see a follow on video talking about this. Thank you for making this video!
It would have been of whatever was provided which can be highly variable. Whatever proteins could be secured as well as grains. Sometimes it would be processed flour, other times wheat or oat if all that was available. Even junior officers tended to have "attendants". Ie; camp followers, be they wives, family, or servants. So they had to feed them as well.
If you soak the raisins in the rum (by the warm fire to get the maximum effect) before hand you could add a lot more flavor with only the loss of maybe a half an ounce or less of rum from your allotment. Just saying.
The old saying of the Brits, "The first son inherits, the second joins the military, and the third the church." Your description of young officer finances hasn't changed much to this day. In 1976, I was given money to buy about half of what I needed: (green) Class A for graduation/commissioning and two pair of fatigues. But I had to pay for my Dress Blues and a second pair of boots and extra fatigues. Plus, we had to pay for our food, even if at the mess hall or in the field. By the end of the month, I didn't have much more money than a private who was issued everything for 'free' (tax-payer funded).
But that changes quickly with promotion and time-in-service. Relatively anyway. Continental officers still got on better and much more comfortably than the common soldiers. The main difference between American and English officer corps is that they didn't have a landed aristocracy backing them. Some would be from plantation owners, but not all were wealthy etc.
I commissioned in 98 (after 10 years enlisted). Luckily I had most everything (OCS requirements) so I wasn't out a lot when I commissioned. But they still give us that whopping $150.00 one-time clothing allowance that hasn't changed since WW2. My son commissioned in 2019. It cost nearly $5000.00 today to outfit a new Lieutenant
The inventory mentioned in this video is from the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin www.townsends.us/products/autobiorgraphy-of-benjamin-franklin
Add the supply list and measurements to the video description , and then more viewers can buy the list of supplies and try them for a 1776 Holiday feast ! :-)
Do you have a video about old spice? can't find too much just googling it. Great videos, i always enjoy them a lot!
This is the best series of videos that townsends has ever done. The life of the everyman is the most important topic of history in my opinion.
Agree, and it's grand to talk about the good times (feast) and the poor times.
Thank you for watching!
This series and the time travel series are two of my favorites
i agree! cant wait to see the next one
That feast looks amazing. I would consider myself blessed to receive a plate of that.
there's something special about the concept of these "poorman feast" dishes, being myself a cook it never fails to amaze me the results you can obtain with limited ingredients (and water available).
i praise not the recipes but all the knowledge behind them, thanks for sharing with the world the joy of simplicity
And here comes Jon Townsend, bringing peace and education to our troubled world again. Thank you, Jon.
truly a treasure and we're all thankful for him
Jon is a gift, after a hard day of work, he is nice to come home to and show how as much as life was difficult, it was still simpler with less bs stress that the average day brought. ive done a few of his recipes and they turned out delicious. my dr might say otherwise but i dont care, i want to go to bed with a full belly and have a good sleep than waking up to go #2 because my dr says i have to eat more salads and veggies.
He should develop a series of how to commit Guerilla Warfare against the British back in the 1700s to 1800s
Don't forget bringing nutmeg to our troubled world. LOL
and nutmeg.
I love the way these are filmed in natural daylight. Reminds me of times when I was a kid and we would spend summer vacations in an old Maine farmhouse without electricity - kerosene lamps at night, and cooking on a wood stove. It's hard to remember that this is how everybody saw and heard (and tasted and smelled) the world back then.
It’s not that long ago. Every hot meal I ever ate till I was ten years old was cooked on a wood fired oven. Every glass of water came off the roof via spell in a corrugated iron tank, and the toilet was out the back of the house in the yard - fortunately plumbed into a septic tank! I’m now fifty five and grew up in rural Australia.
Sounds lovely.
It was nice - could have done with fewer mosquitoes, but overall wonderful times for a 10 year old. @@avanticurecanti9998
Reminds me of the movie "Barry Lyndon".
Bet they managed their time better too
As a retired 18th Century Lieutenant, I can say this is very accurate for the fine meals I ate during the war.
😂
God Bless you for your service and sacrifice!
Did the packages have nutmeg
😂
I hear you Sir! By the way, Sir, how much did you spend to buy your rank of commission
. Did you have your sister service the colonel?
"You have to have certain kind of skills to move up in the military."
I am so used to every other creator finding some way to shoehorn in that word, I was expecting Jon to say "which is why I am proud to be sponsored by SKILLShare!" :)
I love how the care package had to have nutmeg in it 😂
He's the sole reason I've started asking myself "does this need nutmeg?" whenever I cook up something that doesn't have a fixed recipe.... and surprisingly often the answer is "yes... yes it does!".
@@andersjjensen Well, you try nutmeg in a recipe once and you're hooked.
yeah, its like: "no there is not any indication there was nutmeg but come on, who does not have some nutmeg with themselfs at all times, of cause there was nutmeg, so I am going to add that"
Lol; rice pudding without nutmeg would be an abomination…
@@seanbrown9048 like 99% of rice pudding all over the world?
*LOL OF COURSE YOU SNUCK NUTMEGS INTO THE CARE PACKAGE BRO* love ya man
I wish the Townsend series were shown in our schools today! This wonderful history is being lost! Thanks for all the day to day details and a true understanding of the hardships our ancestors went through for all the comforts we take for granted today. People were so much tougher and resilient then. So much to learn from them and so humbled by their fortitude and spirit.
Simply one of the best channels on all of TH-cam. Loved it as always, great work.
Thank you so much!
I'm delighted to see you back at Historic Fort Wayne! We got to visit it in June. Such a wonderful location! Best wishes and much love to all the Townsends and Friends.
Gorgeously shot, wonderfully clear background info, Townsends did a great job again!
I love how peaceful and wholesome this channel is. All the best to you
These videos are genius! You figured out how to distill the best concepts of the long-format content into a shorter and more widely accessible format. I love it.
Love your channel, been following for more than 7 years. Congrats on 2 million subscribers!
I strongly suspect that the greater amount of food given was also to support the officer's servant as, being a gentleman, he was expected to have one.
You think juniors officers would have them as well? Or would army orderlies be tasked with that’s as well
@@DavidSpratt123 With the british army it was expected for all officers to have had at least 1 servant, with the official regulations being set down where Subalterns (Lieutenants) were authorized to have 1 Batman (more like Alfred than Bruce Wayne) and 2 servants, but weirdly Captains and field officers would have 1 servants and 2 batmen although this regulation would change as the war dragged where by 1781 there apparently was 1 servant per officer. Given that the American army of the Revolutionary War more or less took its entire structure and doctrine wholesale from the British Army (considering the majority of the early war Officers had been British Army officers before the war, such as George Washington himself) it makes sense that they would have servants as well.
In the US Army the practice does continue but in the modern day the only officers who have attaches or orderlies are General officers due to the wide range of tasks and responsibilities Generals have.
@@DaHuntsman1 thanks mate, very interesting and insightful
@DaHuntsman1 Slight add on, field grade officers will have a singular Adjutant, but this is typically only when they are serving in a command capacity.
Junior officers were limited in the number of servants they could bring, a lieutenant would be expdcted to have one, etc.@@DavidSpratt123
Our ancestors really did the most incredible things under the most incredible circumstances
I do hope our descendants are as amazed by us as we are of our forefathers. Cheers to both those both before and after
meanwhile on the other end of human generations, we have resorted to act like how AI replicating humans way back then on the internet for money. But I won't lose hope on humanity that easily just because of them.
my favorite thing about townsends videos is when i can point at the screen in excitement after John says something i can relate to my everyday life, like sugar, being in cones rather than granulated.
Whenever im stressed or feel like shit, this video is an oasis in the hectic storm. Keep on, your works are a comfort to the mind
I love how you take the list of ingredients from the care package and use that to recreate the daily lives of these lieutenants
Been adding nutmeg to all my savory dishes, my beef cabbage 15 bean stew is now the best stew I've ever made! Next dish is roasted Cornish game hens😁
I cook my Cornish game hen in a smoker. Fabulous!
@@daviddansereau1793 I don't have one unfortunately, but I plan on getting bricks and making one!
The world is pure chaos, then Townsends uploads a video and all is right for just a bit.
All of the videos are worth downloading and documenting. In my opinion, we're all going to be eating as they did back then in the near future.
Settle down, doomers...
@@robertcole9391 Clearly know nothing about anything. You people wouldnt survive the great depression. Or WWII. Lol!
What do you eat@@Wmoore1
@@Wmoore1Everyone has the right to see the world however they wish. However, I personally think the world is doing much better than it ever has been for a very long time. It only looks "bad" to some because they never realized how horrible the past really was. Now, all the "bad' is available for everyone to see. No more hiding it; we all can deal with it and clean house and eventually live in a better world if we so choose to.
Honorable act of kindness from Benjamin Franklin
He's still venerated for a reason.
What did he do for the rankers rations? America rejected British rule but to this day, practice 1700's British class snobbery against the poor.
What he gave was an amazing amount, even today that would be very generous.
Might want to brush up on your history a bit. The problem with the old world was snobbery through nobility and title that was through lineage.
@@spritbong5285 Pretty sure Ben Franklin was instrumental in getting rankers paid.
Fantastic! Cooking and learning. Jon is a great teacher.
This channel has always been educational, entertaining, and wholesome. Thank you Jon for all the years of allowing us all to learn from your knowledge of the past and how our ancestors as well as military personnel survived. Hope you're well Jon 😊
Always a good day when a Townsend video comes out.
One of the great differences between officers and men in the military has always been that the men are 'equipped and victualed' by the government and officers must purchase their own. In modern times, this means simply that officers must buy their own uniforms and pay for their meals out of a rations allowance in their pay. What's more, they pay for **exactly** the same food and uniforms as enlisted men are getting.
And speaking as a former enlisted man, it's very hard to feel sorry for the lieutenant when he gets **double** your rations in addition to all the luxuries. When all you get is a mug of somewhat brownish, slightly tea-flavored hot water, 6 pounds of tea AND coffee is quite the Christmas present.
Don't mistake me, all this was just part of the system of the era. It was 'just how things are done, old boy', and it took World War One for the military systems around the world to even begin to be more egalitarian when it comes to the officer corps.
I should also say that, as a Civil War reenactor, one of my recommendations to everyone starting in the hobby is to 'watch Townsends and memorize everything' 😉 Just as the Great Depression still influenced American society into the 70s, the Revolutionary period deeply influenced the America of the 1860s and so a good grounding in the basics of the Colonial period is pretty necessary to understand the Civil War era.
OTOH;
A private is only responsible for himself and his equipment. An officer is responsible for an entire unit and knowing and being mindful of the men's welfare and employing them to preserve the unit. Its a much greater responsibility and so the rewards are better.
@@obsidianjane4413 It depends.
Staying in the Colonial period, many regiments were formed from militia companies where each man brought his own equipment. Uniforms were issued, but these were expected to wear out under campaign conditions. The primary reason why many state regiments pushed for commonality of muskets was because most of the commanders felt that the bayonet was the primary weapon of war. Most hunting arms of the period wouldn't take a bayonet, and some calibers were too small to take even a plug bayonet.
And the fact remains that Colonial logistics ranged from 'miserable' to 'almost nothing' for the majority of the war. Hard to say you're responsible for equipment you were never issued, you know? And then to see a captain and lieutenant get double rations while you're being issued short rations [and not very palatable or healthy ones at that], well, troops tend to get grumpy about that.
@@carlhicksjr8401 I agree with you. Also, many, if not most units during the Revolution were county militia units, to which I don't think much was provided to the officers. My ancestor got his commission as a LT of militia from a Virginia Committee of Safety in 1775 at the age of 17, and I don't believe he received much in the way of wine and cheese and vittles, especially because Virginia Committees of Safety weren't exactly rolling in wealth in those early days. The units were known as "shirtmen" because they showed up in their hunting shirts, rather than any sort of uniformity. And I doubt the officers were any different.
@@carlhicksjr8401It should be recognised however that in the British Army of the time you would actually be bleeding money as an officer by paying your servants, mess bills, uniforms and mounts that you wouldn’t actually be making money until you reach Captain(which means you would have had to buy three commissions at that point). This was one of the reason that officers from the ranks usually just sold their commission as fast as possible if they were allowed to.
@@imadeanaccounttocomment7800 Certainly true, but I have two counter-points for you...
1. Most [but certainly not all] British officers had private means [aka family money] to help them along. The purchase system tended to keep officer commissions in the upper thousand families of the UK.
2. This video is detailing Continental American practices in regiments where the officers were elected as often as not.
My daughter is almost two but we both enjoy your show! It’s a educational program but it’s relaxing to watch and very lively. You show a lot of passion for your work. Thankyou
Benjamin Franklin was so influential, and awesome. A true American to those he saw as needing assistance. Great video.
Always good to see a Townsend video
This is the best American history channel I’ve ever seen. Some might call it a cooking channel, but I think it’s a history channel before anything else!
These videos are wonderful. You get an insight into the lives of the folks who lived back then, and even get some cooking done as well
I’ve been watching your videos regularly for a couple years now and they never fail to entertain and educate. Please keep up the fantastic work! Best history channel on TH-cam
It's great to learn history in such a peaceful atmosphere. I thank you for both the education and the respite.
I had enough service in the field to save this to my watch later playlist, and as a 2LT in the Army this was a great watch now I'm home!
Wow, that care package is huge, has to last tho. I've had both the rarebit and the pudding, still great meals enjoyed today. Thanks Jon
Last day of vacation, came home last night from dinner with a friend who insisted I take the last bit of the leftover cheese. I had ham in the freezer, raisins in the cabinet, I figured, why not? I've never made rice pudding before - I'm glad I made it, but I must admit I may not make it again (though I do eat rice porridge with spicy cured meat a lot). Otherwise, this Welsh Rabbit toast might become my new favorite thing ever. Thanks for the vid!
Wow! One of the most interesting, informative, and practical videos I’ve seen yet. You had me hanging on every word. I love the care package info. It’s a little different than the ones we send to our servicemen and women today.
I would be cool to see a collaboration between Townsends and Tasting History, with both of their loves for historical foods. Keep up the great work!
Yes!
That would be a dream team. 😊
So awesome to see Fort Wayne on your channel! Your channel got me excited to start doing living history and I volunteer now at the fort!
Man I love historical food videos. Townsends and tasting history, both great.
Love the combination of history and food, thanks!
Your videos are always so chill man, my stomach was in shambles earlier and watching this totally calmed it down. Huge W
I just love how Townsends continually serves us up a beautiful blend of history and storytelling, with cook work and book work.
This is by far, the most underrated channel on TH-cam.
Your videos always makes me appriciate the old, more basic foods our ancestors had to eat for thousands of years. And it always makes me hungry for some bread, butter and cheese lol. Very good channel.
Love the history that goes along with the food! Thx Townsends!
The thorough information, the love and care put into each of these videos is unparallelled.
you are one of my favorite channels. i really appreciate history of food and ZERO current politics
Idk why after workI like to roll up something crazy, light a wood wick candle and read a book with Townsends in the background it’s my fav❤️
My 3rd Great-grandfather was a First Lieutenant in the Revolutionary War! I had NO idea of his hardships!
May I ask what state, what unit?
@@historyandhorseplaying7374 First Lieutenant Philip Pindell was in Maryland. I have to look at my notes about his unit.
Gunpowder Upper Battalion.
Captain Nicholas Kelly was his commanding officer.
@patmccoy8758 very cool, my ancestor was an LT in the Virginia militia, right across the Potomac from Maryland
The editing and location on this video is amazing! I always look forward to a new Townsend video.
It’s interesting to think about the idea that the officers are expected to take care of themselves instead of having things provided for them. That attitude / expectation / approach could explain a number of things, such as part of the nature (even if not the magnitude) of the officer / enlisted pay disparity. Even today, there are examples of officers being responsible for things enlisted personnel might not be.
Luckily, food is taken care of for everybody when you’re in the field or deployed. But uniforms are an example. Enlisted receive a uniform allowance to take care of costs. Officers are expected to pay out of their own pocket to buy, maintain, and replace uniform items. (It might not seem like much, but when you consider officers are required to have their branch’s version of a tux and they have to buy whole new sets of uniforms whenever Uncle Sam decides to go with a different design or color pattern, it can be a pretty Penny.)
This was a great episode. So much history and cooking skill back in the 18th century. Thanks for sharing
You are much like my favorite teachers when I was in school. Engaging, fun and lively.
It was such a great idea when you all decided to begin posting all those years ago! I have absolutely appreciated the time and work you each put into each video. Allowing "strangers" a glimpse into your lives. Watching the children grow into fine young folks has been fun😄. After a few years, many of we subscribers no longer feel like strangers nor even acquaintances but, oddly, friends😄.
God Bless each of you.
Brook🧑🌾🍏🍎, and
Opy & Asa🐕🐕😃❤️
by the way, Double Gloucester is a type of red mild cheddar from Gloucestershire in england :)
I'm glad this changed. As a PSG, my PL eats the same as me and our Joes' do. Sure, in garrison, he might enjoy better sleeping conditions but, all in all, we all enjoy every bit of the fun together when deployed :)
The filming and story telling in these videos is exceptional.
That list of ingredients in the care package already had me drooling - as you showed, so many lovely things you can make with that. I did notice the lack of nutmeg, but then you fixed that little typo 🤣. Though seriously, maybe they figured people would at least have their own spices because there really weren't any in there.
Insights, atmosphere, and a little bit of craving. How can one not like this? Always a pleasure :)
This is my favorite channel. I enjoy the mix of history and cooking. The Lieutenants were basically just making charcuterie boards.
I have shown and will show your channel videos to my pupils. Some of them are very very very interested in US early history which is not generally included in our school history curriculum (which is a pity). Your videos is a treasure for these younglings. Thank you very much for all your work. I thank you kindly.
I was hoping for a preparation using the dried tongue. I have eaten tongue which was ground and added to a preparation known here as “head cheese” (originally ground trimmings from the animal’s head suspended in gelatin. After being chilled, it can be sliced and used as a sandwich filling) Generally speaking, not something for the current modern American palate.
In Belgium it’s referred to as simply “kop” meaning head and is relatively common. I suspect the colonials ate something similar as I recall tongue to be extremely tough and needed to be ground or chopped very finely.
A question for John - Does tongue pop up in the period cookbooks? Ben thought it worthy to be included in the care package. (Probably on your list of recipes never to make. 😬)
Thanks for the great video.
There is a Mexican restaurant near me that offers beef tongue burritos.
I've tried cooked sliced tongue (cow/ox) in a green mixed salad with mustard-radish dressing in Latvia in a small town restaurant on day 1... and ordered it every day for the whole trip. It was absolutely delicious... 😊
As an American born in the 80s, my dad very much fed my cousin and me head cheese when we were kids. Until one day she (older than me) asked, "hey uncle Mick, why's it called head cheese?" ...and then she never ate it again lol. I haven't even seen it in years!
When I was a small boy on the farm in Michigan, my parents made headcheese during the winter months.
Head cheese of pork ("sylte") is a traditional christmas food in Norway. On sandwich, or on lefse. Mmmmmm ...
i love it! a mini documentary about history about culinary culture. it's so calming, cozy, and always so DELICIOUS
Just for remembering Franklin's missing nutmeg order, Townsends needs to be on the 101 dollar bill!
Great video! One thing about which I was curious: the initial list of provisions seemed like more than one man could eat before spoilage even if they were preserved. Where these officers behooved to share this food with subordinates, sort of as a treat here and there? I imagine an officer gathering a few men and opening a big chest filled with awesome food would really gain some respect.
Yeah I also don't get it. He said that they got TWICE the rations of the enlisted men? But also made it sound like they had to buy their own food?? I understand that the provided rations were probably nothing fancy and that promotions were partially based on things like food they served/ate, so probably they had to supplement their reasons with "nicer" ingredients out of their own pay in consideration of that. But it still sounds like they had plenty to eat regardless, so I struggle to justify calling something like this a "poor man's" feast. Maybe next time we'll get a "poor baron's feast" or even a "poor king's feast" 😂
It might help your understanding if you read the Aubrey Maturin series ("Master and Commander" is the first book, all written by Patrick O'Brien).
Although it's the English navy in the series, it is 18th century and addresses the officers needing to provide for their mess and to be able to present themselves as good provisioners. Jack Aubrey loves to eat and loves good food. More than once it's noted that he is generous at the table.
While an army lieutenant would not be a leader of a huge group, he nevertheless is an officer and has to uphold the customs of an officer.
I was wondering kind of the same thing. How long could these rations last? Not just spoilage but how many meals could you get from this (on average, I realize some of it depends on how much is eaten in a day and what was cooked)
Pretty much all of the supplies in that list would last for months and months the way they were preserved in that time period. The butter, for instance, was usually very heavily salted, much saltier than any butter you can buy at a grocery store today. I’d also wager that it would only last that officer maybe a month, maybe two if they stretched it (and they likely would have). By way of example, the enlisted man in that era would have received a pound of meat daily as the meat portion of their rations.
This channel is so informative and wholesome. Love it.
Truely one of the best youtube channels out there. I think diving into the meals of a person says alot more about the daily lives of the times they are living in than even the notable history. I mean, you just explained who these people were and what they had to do all just to explain why they eat what they eat. love it.
Even today receiving a care package whether it be from family or from your community. It is really a refreshing thing to see while you are deployed.
I love a new a Townsends video! Educational, interesting, re-creatable, great for all ages and so incredibly visually beautiful.
Honestly... you guys are great all around!
Importantly: meritocracy was a thing inspired by the first French revolution and Napoleonic restructuring of the French military so it was fantastic having this insight in how things were in the US before the inspiration of French meritocracy.
It predates the French Revolution. The US never did commission purchasing, even during the American Revolution. The British also never did commission purchasing in the engineers or artillery and commissioned their officers from those who passed training schools and promoted them
based on seniority and merit.
Honestly officer status is still purchased because it requires a college degree. Absolutely useless requirement that should have been abolished decades ago.
Great way to start my day. Awesome video !!😊
Fascinating series. Today we take food for granted both in its accessibility and variety. People for instance are astounding when I tell them Italian food had not incorporated tomatoes till well after the discovery of the new world. Hot peppers unknown till that era as well. Much of history from military to explorers has been directly tied to food stocks, preservation techniques.
I’ve learned & remembered so much historical information from Townsends videos then I did in a lot of my history classes. You make learning truly exiting!
Love your videos, they bring history to life. What a wonderful thing to wake up to, I didn’t expect this. I need to make a grocery run and Franklin’s care package is going on my list! Well, ingredients if not quantity. 🥰👍👍
I’m not sure there is better content on TH-cam, love how cozy your vids make me feel
i miss a time when we finished our plates, and took what we ate, and ate what we took. food waste makes me feel disdain. farmers, hunters, and suppliers worked hard to bring it to us.
My father introduced me to your videos a long time ago, I'm glad that you're still making quality stuff now that he's gone. ❤
It's good how you explain difficult concepts. Definitely a skill you have ..
It’s interesting that you bring up naval officers. As a veteran of the Navy, I’d say the divide between officer and enlisted is probably the largest of the 4 branches of service. They’re pretty much sea-aristocrats. If they want to be aloof and distant from the enlisted, it’s encouraged in many commands.
Yep. Which I why I chose not to join the navy. And the US Navy is probably one of the more egalitarian around the world. Some of it is for pragmatic reasons (familiarity breeds contempt etc.) but most is a tradition that benefits those with power to change it, so it doesn't change.
@@obsidianjane4413That's funny as hell, a navy recruiter came to my high school sort of talking about all the technical training I could get and I said but I want to be an officer! He didn't have much to say to me after that. I guess with my glasses I was never going to be an aviator.
Very well done Mr. Townsend. Love this type of presentation from you folks, keep it up!
Out of all your videos, These Feat videos are absolutely my favorite
I’m really enjoying this series! I’d love to see the “poor female farmer/cook/shopkeeper/seamstress or anything else you can think of…feast!” An enslaved person’s feast, enslaved person who has to travel and live in the wilderness with the owner, or on a farm. Not sure if there’s any written documents of enslaved persons out on the frontier, but that would be really interesting, too! (These videos always make me think how did they get any other work done when it took such an effort just to obtain ingredients and then cook it without any modern help, and clean everything up afterward. That’s a full day all by itself!! And no way to “spend Sunday making freezer meals for a month!” Well, I guess, it could be spending a day canning, preserving or similar…so kind of similar!
Just added another item to my bucket list. Spending a day in the life of a revolutionary war character in your village.
That would be awesome.
Jon knowing he has to eat what he's gonna cook: "Today I want a victory for this officer!"
and as a culinary student I agree lol
I cant explain how this man is the exact copy of my high school math teacher. Just one of the reasons i love this channel
I really do appreciate this fun educational content I prefer these feasts videos but my 5 year old son loves your time travelling food videos. Great stuff!!!
That was really super interesting. I have started reading the biography of Ben Franklin. He is a very interesting person. We as a society have failed to teach our history to ourselves. The history of our founding fathers wasn't properly taught in schools when I was a kid. So, you can forget about it for the kids in school today. Even the fall of Rome was a tragedy.
Welsh rabbit! The first time I encountered that term was just maybe two years ago, reading Poe's "Some Words with a Mummy" (1845), which opens up with the narrator describing his meal of Welsh Rabbit.
A light supper of course. I am exceedingly fond of Welsh rabbit. More than a pound at once, however, may not at all times be advisable. Still, there can be no material objection to two. And really between two and three, there is merely a single unit of difference. I ventured, perhaps, upon four. My wife will have it five; -- but, clearly, she has confounded two very distinct affairs. The abstract number, five, I am willing to admit; but, concretely, it has reference to bottles of Brown Stout, without which, in the way of condiment, Welsh rabbit is to be eschewed.
Having thus concluded a frugal meal...
wow, lol thanks for sharing.
Nicely worded! 😆
Poe, when he got into tongue-in-cheek mode, was hilarious. And his satires could be absolutely vicious. An author I enjoy very much. "Some Words with a Mummy" is one of his more amusing tales.
Upon the Mummy showing signs of life:
"I cannot say that I was _alarmed_ at the phenomenon, because "alarmed" is, in my case, not exactly the word. It is possible, however, that, but for the Brown Stout, I might have been a little nervous."
This is cool! I recently did a family ancestry search and found that my mother’s parents follow all the way back to great….grandfather his dad and his brother were all ensigns in the NY 3rd militia during the revolutionary war following my grandmother side and on my grandfathers side a great…. Grandfather who served in the old guard during the civil war in DC. History is very interesting!
Excellent video! Thanks for doing what you do :)
Easily one of the coolest channels on YT
When he said “I’m sure the recipe probably (perhaps not) included some nutmeg”. HAHA
Really liked this video. You also mentioned that the officers received 2x the provisions of the men. What would these standard rations consist of? How would the care package fit into these rations? Would be great to see a follow on video talking about this. Thank you for making this video!
It would have been of whatever was provided which can be highly variable. Whatever proteins could be secured as well as grains. Sometimes it would be processed flour, other times wheat or oat if all that was available.
Even junior officers tended to have "attendants". Ie; camp followers, be they wives, family, or servants. So they had to feed them as well.
If you soak the raisins in the rum (by the warm fire to get the maximum effect) before hand you could add a lot more flavor with only the loss of maybe a half an ounce or less of rum from your allotment. Just saying.
I love these videos. They give me a sense of calm and ease.
Thank you. I learn so much watching your videos.
The old saying of the Brits, "The first son inherits, the second joins the military, and the third the church." Your description of young officer finances hasn't changed much to this day. In 1976, I was given money to buy about half of what I needed: (green) Class A for graduation/commissioning and two pair of fatigues. But I had to pay for my Dress Blues and a second pair of boots and extra fatigues. Plus, we had to pay for our food, even if at the mess hall or in the field. By the end of the month, I didn't have much more money than a private who was issued everything for 'free' (tax-payer funded).
But that changes quickly with promotion and time-in-service. Relatively anyway.
Continental officers still got on better and much more comfortably than the common soldiers. The main difference between American and English officer corps is that they didn't have a landed aristocracy backing them. Some would be from plantation owners, but not all were wealthy etc.
Pretty sure that was to teach you how to live by your men's means
I commissioned in 98 (after 10 years enlisted). Luckily I had most everything (OCS requirements) so I wasn't out a lot when I commissioned. But they still give us that whopping $150.00 one-time clothing allowance that hasn't changed since WW2. My son commissioned in 2019. It cost nearly $5000.00 today to outfit a new Lieutenant