Franklin's encouragement of the turkey as the national bird of the US was based on the bird's usefulness - tasty meat, eggs, plentiful feathers for bedding or decoration, while the eagle is just an aggressive predator.
"while the eagle is just an aggressive predator" and how has our nation acted since the adoption of this national symbol? Utilitarian or predatory to others? It's own people?
Turkeys are just dumb food. It takes an aggressive predator to survive in the world exemplified by the eagle. We found that out trying to break away from England.
Eagles have a place in the ecosystem. There’s no useless animal. Just those we can’t use. I think it’s worse to only like something for what it can give you and not for it’s own right.
@HadrianGuardiola Exactly. Isn't it scary how they want it be our symbol because they see it as a list of things it provides THEM? Then call the other symbol predatory 😆 🤔I think....they're projecting their predatory nature onto the Eagle.
@@HadrianGuardiolaI think the philosophy is more of that because a turkey is a useful animal all around, then the hope is for the nation to also be able to be like that turkey, all around useful to others. While an eagle is merely, as OP said, an aggressive predator with no redeeming values or any other real positive philosophy other than being domineering.
I find myself having good bread and cheese often as a light evening meal. Probably 3x a week. A fresh loaf of good Italian style bread with butter and a sharp cheese with water or a little wine is a good match for a late meal before bed.
Thomas Tryon was the author of the vegetarian book he read. Tryon also was instrumental in getting people to drink water instead of ale and how to choose where you take your water source. Tryon's book is mingled with astrology and advice on food designed by your choloric, phlegmatic, sanguine etc personality. I took a summer in college reading all the books Franklin mentioned in the autobiography. It was a rich education. I learned so much more about Franklin, and he left us clues in his autobiography by letting us know what he read. Genius.
@CULTURESHOCK3643the reds and yellows and blacks and blues, I’ve combined the latter, but when you think you’re only tissue and sinew, and/or you’re trapped by the sin of that dirt and salt and sulfur, and feel you can’t win, you’ll believe the waters make you suffer. Idk makes some semblance of sense to me, some ancient form of reason.
@CULTURESHOCK3643 Alchemy and chemistry are only separated by degrees of understanding of physics behind the chemical reactions plus the realization that mystic ideas have no basis in physics. And yet, people today still consult their astrologers, who give hope and guidance about the future. Or go to therapy for the promise of some kind of healing. People are complex and varied in their aspirations.
Thank you for sharing this info. I was wondering who was writing such a book in that day. How did you get yhe idea to read all the original sources mentioned by Franklin. That was such a good idea
Most people up until the 1950s ate mostly vegetables , bread, eggs, cheese berries milk, beer, fish and on Sunday and special occasions meat. It was rare eat animal as could give other things like wool, eggs , milk, cheese , fertilizer, weed prevention, money from selling. My grandparents, great grandparents had to raise and grow most of what they ate. Meat from a cow, chicken, pig was for Sunday and special events. Fish , crab was had if it could be caught fresh . The modern era of eating meat and anything you want every meal didn't occur until the 50s and beyond. And people were still happy, and still grew big on vegetables,eggs milk, cheese , bread, fish some meat. Many people in 1700s were very tall, and my grandparents were the same
The reason why meat was a rare (no pun intended) was because you had the Depression and many Americans ate fried Bologna multiple times a day, several days a week. My mother said that they often did not eat 3x a day. Then you had WWII and much of the best meat, chicken, etc was saved for the soldiers and sailors. But in the 1950's we ate meat pretty much 5-6 days a week.
Maybe if they were very rural but in most of northern Europe from 1800s on, meat was quite common, often imported from colonies etc. Even in WW1, bully beef was a standard canned predecessor of Spam while vegetables and fruit would be grown domestically in an allotment where possible. Also the average men's height was under 5'6" and this is put down to diet with less protein and total calories.
@@Your-Least-Favorite-Strangerit still is in Scandinavian/Baltics with smoked and dried fish or Icelandic self preserving shark meat (something to do with ammonia excreted through the skin during the drying process that helps preserve it and gives it a unique flavour. )flavour
I think the smaller height was more due to lack of vitamins? It's pretty easy to get a good amount of protein from bread, nuts, beans etc. Certainly enough for your average Joe! @@aj2080xy6
Everyone grew veggie gardens back then, went to stores or mill for flour,sugar,salt,tea they all had a cow or cows, chickens, goats. The people in cities had to use mercantile. I find how these people lived back then facinating
I first read Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography in high school about 45 yrs ago - at that time I was intrigued by his depth of insight and how he describes making specific decisions about food, water & beer - that stuck with me throughout my life, I think I have re-read the book at least 3 times now - each time gaining a deeper appreciation for this man’s character and how he developed his life to be always interesting and contemplative, while at the same time seeking out other interesting people to learn more and test his own ideas. - I owe that man a great debt indeed - I often tell my friends & colleagues that I have never met a soul that didn’t teach me something that I did not know or understand as well as I could have and thus the appreciation for everyone around me is now part of my being - this I learned from our good friends guidance
I haven't read it, but going by this video, he was probably wrong about the water and beer. Beer was simply much, much safer than water, especially in places like Philadelphia where a lot of people lived and there was no proper sewage drainage or water purification in the 18th century. He was almost certainly not boiling his water that he used for drinking. Philadelphia had many water based plagues at that time and especially in the 19th century.
@@tarstarkuszThat depends on where someone is living and the sanitation at the time. This is a widely quoted factoid that does not apply to most instances, especially in the often vilified Middle Ages.
@@ursamajor7468 Ben Franklin didn't live in the Middle Ages and he lived in Philadelphia where there were in fact outbreaks of water borne plagues at the time Franklin lived there. But it was worse later. But other than the specifics about Franklin, I agree with you. People hear stuff on TV or read a factoid and think they are experts on a topic.
An excellent summary of Ben Franklin's philosophy on eating and drinking! The music was particularly fitting for this episode, and the accompanying portraits and shots were spot on as well. Thanks Townsends!
I was raised that you ate was put in front of you and be damn glad you got it. Yes my grandparents lived through the depression and my parents ww2. To this day I am thankful for the knowledge I have to make a King's feast on a pauper's budget today. You can live high on a dime it just takes a little doing and imagination.
My philosophy is: There is no "right" way to cook something - your only limit is your imagination, inventiveness, and how much effort you want to put into it. You can make bread from beans, soup from bones, and dessert from scraps - you just need to play with your food enough to know how to make it more desirable. I make a point of making as much as I can from as little as possible; I hate the idea of being dependent on pre-made ultra-processed junk, so I take what I can and always try to make something better than it appears. I loved my old job because I got to bring home vegetable scraps like broccoli stems, onion skins, radish tops, carrot peels, potato peels, and occasionally extra seafood or meat (or at least bones and shells for flavorful broths); waste not want not.
I was living with a wasteful roommate that when we were low on food and were able to get a decent meal she would pick at it still and managed to leave part of her plate unfinished despite us having nothing to eat the next day, it was very annoying
Although my family was comfortable, I was raised that way as well. Unlike Franklin's household, we did pay attention to the food. My mother was a wonderful cook and my father made sure we praised every meal. She was Greek and Mexican so mealtime was important in our family whether it was beans and bacon or steak and scalloped potatoes.
My great uncle was a Salior during WWII on the Ill fated USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Aircraft Carrier..he was one of the many brave fighting saliors who died fighting the Japanese The few who survived on the Franklin returned her back to Port in bad shape & sinking please remember my great uncle Bowsman Mate Fernando "Fernie" Martinez & all the rest Unsung Heroes who Gave it All🙏AMEN 1:06
This is a perfect distillation of why we love history. Finding the universality of our nature. Its been said that the same nation of another time still makes for a foreign experience, and even then we can see just how similar we are today to those of the past. Perfect.
I love history. How the world got started. How humans began to hunt and fish. How the dinosaurs rule the planet before humans arrived. How humans got here. Why did the dinosaurs have to die out before humans arrived. Why can't humans and dinosaurs co-exist? Did early humans really lived in caves? Who invented houses? How invented nails to build house? I have many questions.
I agree. I love that detail too. It makes him so relatable. It's a detail that seems so of our time, but there it is: a detail in the life of an individualist, nonconforming, free thinking, teenager of the eighteenth century, rebelling against the norm. So human, so relatable and so inspirational.
I'm, right now, reading: "Benjamin Franklin an American Life" by Walter Isaacson, published in 2003. A biography that quotes many times from Franklin's autobiography. Franklin is a most incomparable person. The book by Isaacson is a complete and extraordinary portrait of Franklin.
This is next up on my reading list. I’ve heard it is the best account of Franklin there is. I’m really excited to read about him. He’s not quite as gruff or hardened as Washington and Adams or even Jefferson might have been. Franklin, at least from what it seems, would have been very approachable and welcoming.
The David C. Cook publications (publishers of a children's "cartoon quality" Bible as well as a weekly newspaper for non-sectarian Sunday School) wrote about Ben Franklin in the 1950s. He was apprenticed to his brother in a print shop who treated him badly. He left/ran away from Boston for Philadelphia as a youth. I remember the drawing of Ben with a crusty French loaf under each arm. Then "Little Golden Books" published a story of Ben Franklin and his accomplishments and inventions entitled Ben and Me, told from the point of view of the mouse who took up residence in Ben's tricorner hat. Later, when I read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, and even later when I watched his portrayal in the television version of John Adams (and read the book), I thought old Ben would have been fun to know. By the way, when in college, visiting the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, I was fascinated with a chair of his on display. The docent came to me and asked if I wanted to sit in that chair. Of COURSE!! It was an odd feeling, but I could imagine myself as Ben's publishing apprentice, sitting in that chair being taught by one of the instrumental movers and shakers among our founding fathers. Wow!!
the "eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation" means less of a distraction and more of a way to keep everything pleasurable to overindulge to the point where eating or drinking something become "old" or not fun
I thought it was avoid eating boring food, bring on dinner theater, herbs and spices, and don't get so drunk that you can't enjoy company and they can't enjoy.
Honestly, Franklin's eating habits sound very similar to those of the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, almost to the point where I wonder if C.S. Forester, didn't to some extent use Franklin as a model for Hornblower in this aspect of his life. Hornblower was content to live on the plain fare that his crew had to live on, but he realized as he gained in rank and stature that he would need to provide fancier fare to offer his peers and superiors when he entertained them. Also, Hornblower hated being intoxicated, and was as result a very light drinker,
Fantastic video (as always)! I’m a Ben Franklin nut, and I appreciate all of the effort you took in researching this, and the obvious care you have for the topic :)
Also wanted to add, I greatly appreciate Franklin’s idea of conversation taking precedent over the meal- I’d rather share a single hot dog with 2 people and have a great conversation than dine at a table dressed for a royal feast with a room full of dullards!
Love your stuff. I enjoy your philosophy of finding wisdom and meaning for our modern lives through the times of our ancestors. Humbling ourselves is never a bad thing.
I cannot stress enough how very grateful I am at having been born and raised and still living in Philadelphia. Walking so many of those same streets as Ben, wandering through his old carriageway, looking at the foundations of his house. The streets and scenery, while surely changed since Franklin, still give me a feeling of connection. I know that Ben was born and raised in Boston, but he spent so much of his adult life in Philly and tried to improve the city in so many ways - paving, streetlights, covering the open sewer that Dock Creek had become, and so on.
Philly has turned into a shi%hole now. I used to live in a nice working class arear and now its crackheads. You either live in a rich area, or you have to leave.
yet if both of you were alive at the same time, he could care less about who you were. same as any smart rich guy today. you are just a common nobody pedestalizing someone who won't reciprocate.
I'd assume the majority of Americas past leaders and historical figures would be disgusted with modern America and society in general. @@dannybursace9151
I'm a fan of Ben Franklin. I e visited his home, workplace and town growing up. I think I would have liked to have known him. He was a character! One of those naturally unique people that comes along every 200 years or so that seems to be from another time and/or planet. He had his hands in so many things in his life. An inventor, a politician, a printer, a writer and historian. He did it not only to quench his own curiosity but for the betterment of his fellow man. There's still alot to be learned from a person like Benjamin Franklin.
Ben Franklin apparently (unconfirmed) wrote a short guide on the reasons why dating older women was superior to dating younger women. Guy was a player of all ages.
The brewery Yards in Philly offers a beer that is "based on" a Ben Franklin recipe. It seems he had at least enough interest in beer to become a brewer.
@@lynnmartz8739 Sumerians had a similar sentiment: he who does not enjoy beer does not know what is good in life. (it should be noted Sumerians had a very "live for today, tomorrow is not guaranteed" philosophy. They liked their beer very much)
PA was near the start of episcopalian, which does encourage fasting. However, it's to a different extent, to abstain from certain rich foods(abstinence) and or fast by skipping meals, eating lightly, or removing the meat portion from the meal.
Just bear in mind that in most places drinking water was extremely dangerous due to the many pathogens in the water... beer was much safer having been boiled.
Was wondering myself how one would keep from falling ill from drinking just water, especially in a city as dirty as London was reputed to be. Where did drinking water come from? Special wells or just out of the same river they dumped their sewage and refuse in?
@@mh53j An excellent observation... and a fascinating topic. If your interested look up the famous Broad Street Cholera Epidemic of 1854 (Wikipedia has an excellent article on it) In a time when the cause of such a widespread and deadly killer was barely understood a man named John Snow, a London physician effectively demonstrated that cholera was water borne by removing the handle from the Broad Street water pump and noting the decline in infections... incidentally he also noted that a group of river workers from the same area had a much lower infection rate as they earned enough money to quench their thirst with beer instead of the well water that the urban poor used. I think that Franklin’s fellow printers were actually onto something... he was lucky.
Yeah drinking the water in early/mid 18th century London sounds like a risky proposition. And even previously good water could turn bad by contamination, which may explain increases in the mortality rate amongst the nobility during certain periods - aka the water was bad everywhere in certain parts…
8:34 reminds me of something. My history professor at Anne Arundel CC wrote THE book on colonial government, and quoted Robert Eden's justification for his extremely lavish lifestyle in Annapolis before the revolution: "If you are going to be a governor, first you must live like one." I don't blame his wife, optics and how you were perceived by the movers and shakers around you was a HUGE, HUGE deal
Ben Franklin was my mother's first cousin 13 or so times removed. My mother was a serious genealogist, so I'm certain , but sadly we don't have any family stories about him.
The bit about Franklin "not comprehending" why his wife went out and bought fancy plate ware to make him look richer made me chuckle. Obviously he wasn't a man of vanity. I think all people should aspire to be a bit more like him.
Utterly fascinating and absorbing. Thank you. A couple of other points - Benjamin Franklin was a member of Sir Francis Dashwood's notorious 'Hellfire Club', whose meetings were held in Dashwood's 'Hellfire Caves' (and occasionally in the golden ball atop the spire of the local church), but the revels in the caves were definitely of the 'Wine, Women, more Wine, more Women and song' sort of things. Dashwood was also known for lavish banquets, to which Franklin, as a member, would have been invited. Secondly, when work was carried out on the house near the Thames, where Franklin lived in London, hundreds of anatomised human bones were discovered buried under the cellar floor. Dating showed that they were from the same time period as when Franklin had lived there. At that time, human dissection, other than those carried out on executed criminals, was against the law. To do it at home, even more so, as it was seen as evidence of using 'resurrection men' to acquire bodies. It was a macabre discovery, to be sure.
Interesting to learn. I always assumed he was eating fancy things because of his wealth and traveling everywhere. No idea he was born into a working class family. I always assumed he was old money. On another note I thought beer was more popular at the time because it was difficult to find clean drinking water compared to today.
Lol. Water was easy to come by in new America. You could almost pull water from any stream or creek or spring back then. I definitely would not do that these days.
When has old money made any contributions to the world? In history, it was always the people who struggled and surpassed their trials who made a difference.
Townsends is starting to teach the very rock-bottom basics of great thought and political acumen to the common man. I see what you are doing, sir, and I wholeheartedly approve.
One time my dad caught a fish. And when he tried to take the hook out he noticed something very strange. There was a fish inside the mouth of the fish. The smaller fish had the hook. The bigger fish could have avoided being caught if it had only let the smaller one go free. But nope, they both got eaten that day. Very strange. I would not believe it either except that I was there.
@@sirllamaiii9708 Um no. It was a real literal fish that tried to eat a smaller fish that had just taken the bait. The bigger fish was our dinner and the smaller one was more or less a goner. If you ever go fishing you may see this happen some day.
@@egrintarg230 yeah I get ya I just dug up dirt to make space for my garden next year, took 2 hours of shoveling, plus an 8 hour shift earlier. I feel ya mate I am exhausted.
Upon arriving in Philadelphia for the first time, at 6AM on a Sunday, after rowing all night from Trenton, Franklin was famished. He went to the only place open at that hour, a bakery. With his last three pennies, he purchased two loaves of bread and washed them down with water scooped up by hand from the Delaware River. (He then went to a church and fell asleep in the back.)
Same here. I’m on medication forever and it’s been under control. Not supposed to drink at all but will partake rarely and eat treats now and then but try to avoid both because of it. The pain of an attack is unbearable.
In the musical 1776 one of the members of Congress asks Franklin "Do you have the honor of being Dr. Franklin" to which came the reply, "Yes, but unfortunately the gout comes with the honor."
If I had to guess how Benjamin Franklin ate under ideal circumstances. Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, a couple glasses of water, maybe a pippin. Dinner: Bread, cheese, boiled eggs, water. Supper: An easily caught fish seasoned plainly (salt, pepper, dill or similar herb), a simple baked potato with butter, peas, and water.
I always love hearing about Ben, he feels like the most relatable historical man out there! I have no problem having a lunch of cheese and bread, or cheese and crackers lol. The story of the silver spoon shows that he didn't really care about impressing the Jones's. Yet his wife was like, "you need to start eating like a human" lol.
My grandmother's grandmother lived in the part of Philadelphia where Franklin lived and ran a tavern there during the same time period. My grandmother was famous for her fried potatoes and it was clear that she had learned how to make them from her family background.
I read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in college. He was a brilliant man who contributed a lot more than I ever imagined. But he was by no means modest!
I love hearing you talk about Ben Franklin, he was definitely eccentric. I love that glass you have before you! Are they available or will they be in your shop?
Speaking of Ben Franklin being a vegetarian, he was the first to mention tofu in a 1770 letter to John Bartram, calling it "cheese" from China. He also corresponded with James Flint on how the Chinese converted soy beans to tofu. In 1878, the US had their first tofu factory.
Good Food, fine wine, and beautiful women. They aren't the meaning of life, but they sure do make things interesting. Good to see Ben enjoyed two of those at least.
I just read the autobiography of Gandhi. He also was a vegetarian and very frugal (this is different than being a cheapskate. It is more about being mindful of money and where it is going). Very interesting!
He acknowledged that this fish eating other fish argument was an excuse to indulge in his old eating habit: "So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do." He went back to vegetarianism.
![วันเกิดเธอ (TO YOU) - PHUWIN [ OFFICIAL MV ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_ROx1Bj3T0Y/mqdefault.jpg)
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin www.townsends.us/products/autobiorgraphy-of-benjamin-franklin
Franklin's encouragement of the turkey as the national bird of the US was based on the bird's usefulness - tasty meat, eggs, plentiful feathers for bedding or decoration, while the eagle is just an aggressive predator.
"while the eagle is just an aggressive predator" and how has our nation acted since the adoption of this national symbol? Utilitarian or predatory to others? It's own people?
Turkeys are just dumb food.
It takes an aggressive predator to survive in the world exemplified by the eagle. We found that out trying to break away from England.
Eagles have a place in the ecosystem. There’s no useless animal. Just those we can’t use. I think it’s worse to only like something for what it can give you and not for it’s own right.
@HadrianGuardiola Exactly. Isn't it scary how they want it be our symbol because they see it as a list of things it provides THEM? Then call the other symbol predatory 😆
🤔I think....they're projecting their predatory nature onto the Eagle.
@@HadrianGuardiolaI think the philosophy is more of that because a turkey is a useful animal all around, then the hope is for the nation to also be able to be like that turkey, all around useful to others.
While an eagle is merely, as OP said, an aggressive predator with no redeeming values or any other real positive philosophy other than being domineering.
If you lived 84 years in the 1700s, you did something right
I agree ☝️
He probably would’ve hit 90s if he didn’t get that health problem
Or has really good genetics, that's an option too. People could live long even in middle ages, though it's uncommon
*'Eat to live, don't live to eat.'* - Benjamin Franklin
I find myself having good bread and cheese often as a light evening meal. Probably 3x a week.
A fresh loaf of good Italian style bread with butter and a sharp cheese with water or a little wine is a good match for a late meal before bed.
One bottle of wine more like
Wonderful, maybe add a little fruit , an apple perhaps or grapes , with that marvelous wine . Live long and prosper .
@@bhartley868 I drink 4-5 bottles of wine a week and engage in BOOZE FITNESS
That sounds pretty good honestly. Sometimes a heavy meal makes it hard to fall asleep and can cause heartburn
For an individual who did noparticularly like food, he spent a lot of time thinking and writing about.
Thomas Tryon was the author of the vegetarian book he read. Tryon also was instrumental in getting people to drink water instead of ale and how to choose where you take your water source. Tryon's book is mingled with astrology and advice on food designed by your choloric, phlegmatic, sanguine etc personality. I took a summer in college reading all the books Franklin mentioned in the autobiography. It was a rich education. I learned so much more about Franklin, and he left us clues in his autobiography by letting us know what he read. Genius.
@CULTURESHOCK3643 That was how the science was back then. Like how alchemy was a legit thing people thought worked.
@CULTURESHOCK3643the reds and yellows and blacks and blues, I’ve combined the latter, but when you think you’re only tissue and sinew, and/or you’re trapped by the sin of that dirt and salt and sulfur, and feel you can’t win, you’ll believe the waters make you suffer.
Idk makes some semblance of sense to me, some ancient form of reason.
@CULTURESHOCK3643 Alchemy and chemistry are only separated by degrees of understanding of physics behind the chemical reactions plus the realization that mystic ideas have no basis in physics.
And yet, people today still consult their astrologers, who give hope and guidance about the future. Or go to therapy for the promise of some kind of healing. People are complex and varied in their aspirations.
Thank you for sharing this info. I was wondering who was writing such a book in that day. How did you get yhe idea to read all the original sources mentioned by Franklin. That was such a good idea
Nice!
Most people up until the 1950s ate mostly vegetables , bread, eggs, cheese berries milk, beer, fish and on Sunday and special occasions meat. It was rare eat animal as could give other things like wool, eggs , milk, cheese , fertilizer, weed prevention, money from selling.
My grandparents, great grandparents had to raise and grow most of what they ate. Meat from a cow, chicken, pig was for Sunday and special events. Fish , crab was had if it could be caught fresh . The modern era of eating meat and anything you want every meal didn't occur until the 50s and beyond.
And people were still happy, and still grew big on vegetables,eggs milk, cheese , bread, fish some meat.
Many people in 1700s were very tall, and my grandparents were the same
Fish were VERY common on tables for anyone close to water, and salt cod or stockfish was a common export from across Europe.
The reason why meat was a rare (no pun intended) was because you had the Depression and many Americans ate fried Bologna multiple times a day, several days a week. My mother said that they often did not eat 3x a day. Then you had WWII and much of the best meat, chicken, etc was saved for the soldiers and sailors. But in the 1950's we ate meat pretty much 5-6 days a week.
Maybe if they were very rural but in most of northern Europe from 1800s on, meat was quite common, often imported from colonies etc. Even in WW1, bully beef was a standard canned predecessor of Spam while vegetables and fruit would be grown domestically in an allotment where possible. Also the average men's height was under 5'6" and this is put down to diet with less protein and total calories.
@@Your-Least-Favorite-Strangerit still is in Scandinavian/Baltics with smoked and dried fish or Icelandic self preserving shark meat (something to do with ammonia excreted through the skin during the drying process that helps preserve it and gives it a unique flavour. )flavour
I think the smaller height was more due to lack of vitamins? It's pretty easy to get a good amount of protein from bread, nuts, beans etc. Certainly enough for your average Joe! @@aj2080xy6
based purely on the thumbnail, you have to eat like a skyrim npc
Everyone grew veggie gardens back then, went to stores or mill for flour,sugar,salt,tea they all had a cow or cows, chickens, goats. The people in cities had to use mercantile. I find how these people lived back then facinating
18th century some 80% of the population was agrarian, now its 3%
@@92bagder
I disagree on both counts. That's more of a Socialist perspective not American.
@@opybrook7766how do you disagree haha its just a fact.
Towns had mercantiles too. Remember little house on the prairie.
@@opybrook7766 ????????????
I first read Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography in high school about 45 yrs ago - at that time I was intrigued by his depth of insight and how he describes making specific decisions about food, water & beer - that stuck with me throughout my life, I think I have re-read the book at least 3 times now - each time gaining a deeper appreciation for this man’s character and how he developed his life to be always interesting and contemplative, while at the same time seeking out other interesting people to learn more and test his own ideas. - I owe that man a great debt indeed - I often tell my friends & colleagues that I have never met a soul that didn’t teach me something that I did not know or understand as well as I could have and thus the appreciation for everyone around me is now part of my being - this I learned from our good friends guidance
I haven't read it, but going by this video, he was probably wrong about the water and beer. Beer was simply much, much safer than water, especially in places like Philadelphia where a lot of people lived and there was no proper sewage drainage or water purification in the 18th century. He was almost certainly not boiling his water that he used for drinking. Philadelphia had many water based plagues at that time and especially in the 19th century.
@@tarstarkuszThat depends on where someone is living and the sanitation at the time. This is a widely quoted factoid that does not apply to most instances, especially in the often vilified Middle Ages.
@@ursamajor7468 Ben Franklin didn't live in the Middle Ages and he lived in Philadelphia where there were in fact outbreaks of water borne plagues at the time Franklin lived there. But it was worse later.
But other than the specifics about Franklin, I agree with you. People hear stuff on TV or read a factoid and think they are experts on a topic.
An excellent summary of Ben Franklin's philosophy on eating and drinking! The music was particularly fitting for this episode, and the accompanying portraits and shots were spot on as well. Thanks Townsends!
I was raised that you ate was put in front of you and be damn glad you got it. Yes my grandparents lived through the depression and my parents ww2. To this day I am thankful for the knowledge I have to make a King's feast on a pauper's budget today.
You can live high on a dime it just takes a little doing and imagination.
That's a really good philosophy thanks for sharing!
My philosophy is: There is no "right" way to cook something - your only limit is your imagination, inventiveness, and how much effort you want to put into it. You can make bread from beans, soup from bones, and dessert from scraps - you just need to play with your food enough to know how to make it more desirable.
I make a point of making as much as I can from as little as possible; I hate the idea of being dependent on pre-made ultra-processed junk, so I take what I can and always try to make something better than it appears. I loved my old job because I got to bring home vegetable scraps like broccoli stems, onion skins, radish tops, carrot peels, potato peels, and occasionally extra seafood or meat (or at least bones and shells for flavorful broths); waste not want not.
I was living with a wasteful roommate that when we were low on food and were able to get a decent meal she would pick at it still and managed to leave part of her plate unfinished despite us having nothing to eat the next day, it was very annoying
Although my family was comfortable, I was raised that way as well. Unlike Franklin's household, we did pay attention to the food. My mother was a wonderful cook and my father made sure we praised every meal. She was Greek and Mexican so mealtime was important in our family whether it was beans and bacon or steak and scalloped potatoes.
Same here. I was raised to appreciate what you have. There are always many who are less fortunate.
My great uncle was a Salior during WWII on the Ill fated USS BENJAMIN FRANKLIN Aircraft Carrier..he was one of the many brave fighting saliors who died fighting the Japanese The few who survived on the Franklin returned her back to Port in bad shape & sinking please remember my great uncle Bowsman Mate Fernando "Fernie" Martinez & all the rest Unsung Heroes who Gave it All🙏AMEN 1:06
This is a perfect distillation of why we love history. Finding the universality of our nature. Its been said that the same nation of another time still makes for a foreign experience, and even then we can see just how similar we are today to those of the past. Perfect.
Very interesting and well stated.
I love history. How the world got started. How humans began to hunt and fish. How the dinosaurs rule the planet before humans arrived. How humans got here. Why did the dinosaurs have to die out before humans arrived. Why can't humans and dinosaurs co-exist? Did early humans really lived in caves? Who invented houses? How invented nails to build house? I have many questions.
I love that Benjamin Franklin went through a teenage vegetarian phase.
People make mistakes.
Yeah, but the John Wayne Gacy corpses in the basement phase is my favorite.
@@brianrusseth2700 He may have been doing experiments illegally through the means of hired grave robbers.
I agree. I love that detail too. It makes him so relatable. It's a detail that seems so of our time, but there it is: a detail in the life of an individualist, nonconforming, free thinking, teenager of the eighteenth century, rebelling against the norm. So human, so relatable and so inspirational.
@@vincentlamb3436thank you I’ve been trying to explain that to people
I'm, right now, reading: "Benjamin Franklin an American Life" by Walter Isaacson, published in 2003. A biography that quotes many times from Franklin's autobiography. Franklin is a most incomparable person. The book by Isaacson is a complete and extraordinary portrait of Franklin.
Will look for this book. Thank you!
This is next up on my reading list. I’ve heard it is the best account of Franklin there is. I’m really excited to read about him. He’s not quite as gruff or hardened as Washington and Adams or even Jefferson might have been. Franklin, at least from what it seems, would have been very approachable and welcoming.
ben wrote a whole article on how amusing farting is.
@@Upsidedownamericanflag Not to mention stealing ideas from fellow inventors/scientists.
Just wanted to say thanks. Your videos are wonderful and really add something to life.
The David C. Cook publications (publishers of a children's "cartoon quality" Bible as well as a weekly newspaper for non-sectarian Sunday School) wrote about Ben Franklin in the 1950s. He was apprenticed to his brother in a print shop who treated him badly. He left/ran away from Boston for Philadelphia as a youth. I remember the drawing of Ben with a crusty French loaf under each arm. Then "Little Golden Books" published a story of Ben Franklin and his accomplishments and inventions entitled Ben and Me, told from the point of view of the mouse who took up residence in Ben's tricorner hat. Later, when I read Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography, and even later when I watched his portrayal in the television version of John Adams (and read the book), I thought old Ben would have been fun to know. By the way, when in college, visiting the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, I was fascinated with a chair of his on display. The docent came to me and asked if I wanted to sit in that chair. Of COURSE!! It was an odd feeling, but I could imagine myself as Ben's publishing apprentice, sitting in that chair being taught by one of the instrumental movers and shakers among our founding fathers. Wow!!
I certainly hope you caught this year's PBS Burns' documentary. 4 hours everyone will enjoy!
You know watching these videos at 4 am is kinda bad and I should sleep now
Crazy to think that while he was doing all this cool, altruistic stuff, he also owned slaves.
Yes, but he eventually became an abolitionist.
the "eat not to dullness, drink not to elevation" means less of a distraction and more of a way to keep everything pleasurable to overindulge to the point where eating or drinking something become "old" or not fun
I thought it was avoid eating boring food, bring on dinner theater, herbs and spices, and don't get so drunk that you can't enjoy company and they can't enjoy.
Paintings of Franklin show that he did not ignore food.
Honestly, Franklin's eating habits sound very similar to those of the fictional character Horatio Hornblower, almost to the point where I wonder if C.S. Forester, didn't to some extent use Franklin as a model for Hornblower in this aspect of his life. Hornblower was content to live on the plain fare that his crew had to live on, but he realized as he gained in rank and stature that he would need to provide fancier fare to offer his peers and superiors when he entertained them. Also, Hornblower hated being intoxicated, and was as result a very light drinker,
Fantastic video (as always)! I’m a Ben Franklin nut, and I appreciate all of the effort you took in researching this, and the obvious care you have for the topic :)
Also wanted to add, I greatly appreciate Franklin’s idea of conversation taking precedent over the meal- I’d rather share a single hot dog with 2 people and have a great conversation than dine at a table dressed for a royal feast with a room full of dullards!
@@bigbeefscorcho. Man, you got hungry for food *and* enticing conversation. I love how videos like this bring interesting people to it.
: )
For some reason, I love this man...
There is something endearing in his appearance. =)
Love your stuff. I enjoy your philosophy of finding wisdom and meaning for our modern lives through the times of our ancestors. Humbling ourselves is never a bad thing.
Next time I get made fun of for eating bread cheese and beer, I'm going to say Ben Franklin ate it and look how successful and famous he was.
I cannot stress enough how very grateful I am at having been born and raised and still living in Philadelphia. Walking so many of those same streets as Ben, wandering through his old carriageway, looking at the foundations of his house. The streets and scenery, while surely changed since Franklin, still give me a feeling of connection. I know that Ben was born and raised in Boston, but he spent so much of his adult life in Philly and tried to improve the city in so many ways - paving, streetlights, covering the open sewer that Dock Creek had become, and so on.
Philly has turned into a shi%hole now. I used to live in a nice working class arear and now its crackheads. You either live in a rich area, or you have to leave.
yet if both of you were alive at the same time, he could care less about who you were. same as any smart rich guy today. you are just a common nobody pedestalizing someone who won't reciprocate.
He’d be ashamed of what Philadelphia is now, he’d want nothing to do with it like the rest of the country
@@dannybursace9151 Lol you are exactly right! FILTHYDELPHIA is a cess pool of lawlessness, crime, and drugs. Like most major cities are anymore
I'd assume the majority of Americas past leaders and historical figures would be disgusted with modern America and society in general. @@dannybursace9151
I have been loving your Benjamin Franklin Autobiography Book Club! Highly recommended!!
You're right, he was an eccentric and DID NOT eat like everyone else. He was frivolous with wine hence the gout he suffered from was very evident.
Wine is the educated mans one weakness I often find…
@@burrator8291 you mean educated on everything but the effect of intoxicants on the mind body and spirit?
@@13RA33 well, yes haha! But then I am fully aware that dairy is not good for me yet I am pretty fond of cheeses *gulp*
@@13RA33 You must be triggered.
@@soybasedjeremy3653 you must be balding
You're forgetting Benjamin Franklin's biggest part of his personality. He was a bullshitter. World class.
And a complete nutter. Flying a kite in a thunderstorm and promoting daylight saving time. Quite mad.
most people will be in debt forever not able to travel and see the world they live in, but they have nice stuff.
I'm a fan of Ben Franklin. I e visited his home, workplace and town growing up. I think I would have liked to have known him. He was a character! One of those naturally unique people that comes along every 200 years or so that seems to be from another time and/or planet. He had his hands in so many things in his life. An inventor, a politician, a printer, a writer and historian. He did it not only to quench his own curiosity but for the betterment of his fellow man. There's still alot to be learned from a person like Benjamin Franklin.
Ben Franklin apparently (unconfirmed) wrote a short guide on the reasons why dating older women was superior to dating younger women. Guy was a player of all ages.
He looked like a grandma, so, of course he wrote that. He wanted men to date him
For all of his talk about not spending too much time and money on food, he spent a lot of time writing down his favorite recipes from his travels.
The brewery Yards in Philly offers a beer that is "based on" a Ben Franklin recipe. It seems he had at least enough interest in beer to become a brewer.
I'd like to know how old he was when he said that beer was proof that God loves us.
@@lynnmartz8739 and wants us to be happy.
@@lynnmartz8739 Sumerians had a similar sentiment: he who does not enjoy beer does not know what is good in life.
(it should be noted Sumerians had a very "live for today, tomorrow is not guaranteed" philosophy. They liked their beer very much)
Considering the stories about his gout and stones he had to pass, I think I'm good on not eating like Mr. Franklin.
PA was near the start of episcopalian, which does encourage fasting. However, it's to a different extent, to abstain from certain rich foods(abstinence) and or fast by skipping meals, eating lightly, or removing the meat portion from the meal.
Just bear in mind that in most places drinking water was extremely dangerous due to the many pathogens in the water... beer was much safer having been boiled.
Was wondering myself how one would keep from falling ill from drinking just water, especially in a city as dirty as London was reputed to be. Where did drinking water come from? Special wells or just out of the same river they dumped their sewage and refuse in?
@@mh53j An excellent observation... and a fascinating topic. If your interested look up the famous Broad Street Cholera Epidemic of 1854 (Wikipedia has an excellent article on it) In a time when the cause of such a widespread and deadly killer was barely understood a man named John Snow, a London physician effectively demonstrated that cholera was water borne by removing the handle from the Broad Street water pump and noting the decline in infections... incidentally he also noted that a group of river workers from the same area had a much lower infection rate as they earned enough money to quench their thirst with beer instead of the well water that the urban poor used. I think that Franklin’s fellow printers were actually onto something... he was lucky.
Lots of wells had good water. He wouldn't have drunk from a river or the like.
@@HLBear Perhaps, but still risky though...
Yeah drinking the water in early/mid 18th century London sounds like a risky proposition. And even previously good water could turn bad by contamination, which may explain increases in the mortality rate amongst the nobility during certain periods - aka the water was bad everywhere in certain parts…
8:34 reminds me of something. My history professor at Anne Arundel CC wrote THE book on colonial government, and quoted Robert Eden's justification for his extremely lavish lifestyle in Annapolis before the revolution: "If you are going to be a governor, first you must live like one." I don't blame his wife, optics and how you were perceived by the movers and shakers around you was a HUGE, HUGE deal
Wonderful accompaniment to the book, thanks again John/Townsends😊
Ben Franklin was my mother's first cousin 13 or so times removed. My mother was a serious genealogist, so I'm certain , but sadly we don't have any family stories about him.
A hank of bread, a chunk of cheese and a bottle of ale. That’s a ploughmans lunch. Maybe some pickles if available.
Plus pickled onions. Good stuff....
The bit about Franklin "not comprehending" why his wife went out and bought fancy plate ware to make him look richer made me chuckle. Obviously he wasn't a man of vanity. I think all people should aspire to be a bit more like him.
Hi from Syracuse NY everyone thank you for sharing your adventures in history during the 1766
your videos are the best! you have me totally addicted! can hardly get enough! thanks!
I prefer to eat good and be left alone at the table. No conversation
We all know what he was eating in Paris when he was a diplomat
Indifferent to food. Bread and cheese at the office desk for lunch. I don’t know, he looked pretty chunky. He was scarfing down 18th century Big Macs.
Hello from Detroit Michigan brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise and taking us on your adventure through time and space
Sad really, food is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
BTW a fantastic portrayal of Ben Franklin (and many others of the time) was from HBO's John Adam mini series
I've learned more in this video than I ever did in history class
Why would they talk about ben franklins eating habits in a high school history class
@@oh-yt9ug not that, his personality and upbringing.
Eating good food is one of the few great pleasures in this life!
Great episode!!! Love the text choice for quotes and historical images! The music and set is great! Well done!
Utterly fascinating and absorbing. Thank you.
A couple of other points - Benjamin Franklin was a member of Sir Francis Dashwood's notorious 'Hellfire Club', whose meetings were held in Dashwood's 'Hellfire Caves' (and occasionally in the golden ball atop the spire of the local church), but the revels in the caves were definitely of the 'Wine, Women, more Wine, more Women and song' sort of things. Dashwood was also known for lavish banquets, to which Franklin, as a member, would have been invited.
Secondly, when work was carried out on the house near the Thames, where Franklin lived in London, hundreds of anatomised human bones were discovered buried under the cellar floor. Dating showed that they were from the same time period as when Franklin had lived there. At that time, human dissection, other than those carried out on executed criminals, was against the law. To do it at home, even more so, as it was seen as evidence of using 'resurrection men' to acquire bodies. It was a macabre discovery, to be sure.
Interesting to learn. I always assumed he was eating fancy things because of his wealth and traveling everywhere. No idea he was born into a working class family. I always assumed he was old money.
On another note I thought beer was more popular at the time because it was difficult to find clean drinking water compared to today.
Lol. Water was easy to come by in new America. You could almost pull water from any stream or creek or spring back then. I definitely would not do that these days.
When has old money made any contributions to the world? In history, it was always the people who struggled and surpassed their trials who made a difference.
@@LordoftheOzarks I think he was referring to water borne illness and disease. Which can be found in any stream, creek, or river water.
He would probably have found it quite ironic for his face to now be on $100 bills.
@@Vaeldarg yeah but then imagine Jackson seeing his face on a federal reserve note when he did everything to crush having a central bank.
Townsends is starting to teach the very rock-bottom basics of great thought and political acumen to the common man. I see what you are doing, sir, and I wholeheartedly approve.
I love Benjamin Franklin! He’s such a vital part of American history! Thanks for this informative video!
If Ben were alive today, I bet he would be a TH-camr.
Great content. I love the personal side of this.
the cheese you show in this video looks divine. Seeing you pull it apart made my mouth water
not exactly known as a picture of health...
Looks good got a feeling we all be eating like this soon please keep them videos coming thank you
Exactly why I clicked on it.
You will eat bugs, and you will be happy
eat the bugs live in the pod own nothing and you’ll be happy
Sheep!
This is what a perpetual victim looks like. Please don't have kids. Cowards shouldn't breed
One time my dad caught a fish. And when he tried to take the hook out he noticed something very strange. There was a fish inside the mouth of the fish. The smaller fish had the hook. The bigger fish could have avoided being caught if it had only let the smaller one go free. But nope, they both got eaten that day. Very strange. I would not believe it either except that I was there.
Sounds like it could be a metaphor. Fish was insistent on getting his lunch and ended up someone else's. Who knows
@@sirllamaiii9708 Um no. It was a real literal fish that tried to eat a smaller fish that had just taken the bait. The bigger fish was our dinner and the smaller one was more or less a goner. If you ever go fishing you may see this happen some day.
@@egrintarg230 yeh I mean more of it sounds like it could be a metaphor, like turned into one or something
@@sirllamaiii9708 Well, I suppose that could be. I am feeling like getting some metaphorical beer. Been a metaphorically long day. Ya know.
@@egrintarg230 yeah I get ya I just dug up dirt to make space for my garden next year, took 2 hours of shoveling, plus an 8 hour shift earlier. I feel ya mate I am exhausted.
Upon arriving in Philadelphia for the first time, at 6AM on a Sunday, after rowing all night from Trenton, Franklin was famished. He went to the only place open at that hour, a bakery. With his last three pennies, he purchased two loaves of bread and washed them down with water scooped up by hand from the Delaware River. (He then went to a church and fell asleep in the back.)
Sees title: "I'm staying away from that joke."
All I will say is as someone who's had gout....How Ben Franklin put up with it year after year I will never understand. Once was enough
Same here. I’m on medication forever and it’s been under control. Not supposed to drink at all but will partake rarely and eat treats now and then but try to avoid both because of it. The pain of an attack is unbearable.
You have a low tolerance to pain
In the musical 1776 one of the members of Congress asks Franklin "Do you have the honor of being Dr. Franklin" to which came the reply, "Yes, but unfortunately the gout comes with the honor."
@@dime4026 Have you ever had gout?
I always knew that wine and a rich diet caused gout, but I was surprised to learn that beer and shellfish also are gout triggers.
If I had to guess how Benjamin Franklin ate under ideal circumstances.
Breakfast: Oatmeal with raisins, a couple glasses of water, maybe a pippin.
Dinner: Bread, cheese, boiled eggs, water.
Supper: An easily caught fish seasoned plainly (salt, pepper, dill or similar herb), a simple baked potato with butter, peas, and water.
Eat to live, don't live to eat. hahaha, Cheers
I always love hearing about Ben, he feels like the most relatable historical man out there! I have no problem having a lunch of cheese and bread, or cheese and crackers lol. The story of the silver spoon shows that he didn't really care about impressing the Jones's. Yet his wife was like, "you need to start eating like a human" lol.
eat to live don't live to eat -Benjamin Franklin
Eat to live, don't live to eat and you will be fine. Old Ben should have taken his own advice on eating later in life he was pretty heavy.
My grandmother's grandmother lived in the part of Philadelphia where Franklin lived and ran a tavern there during the same time period. My grandmother was famous for her fried potatoes and it was clear that she had learned how to make them from her family background.
In the musical 1776 Franklin, complaining about his gout, declares, "I wish King George felt like my big toe all over."
My visual image of Benjamin Franklin is Howard da Silva.
I read The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin in college. He was a brilliant man who contributed a lot more than I ever imagined. But he was by no means modest!
What a delightful video! Love your style and content. Thank you.
"Beer is living proof that god loves us and wants us to be happy". Benjamin Franklin
So much I didn't know about BF. Thank you for your research and work to present this to the public!
The thing that strikes me the most about old Ben is his pragmatism.
You've sparked my interest!
I love hearing you talk about Ben Franklin, he was definitely eccentric. I love that glass you have before you! Are they available or will they be in your shop?
Franklin said "Beers is Gods proof that he loves us and wants to be happy"
You seem like such a cool guy. I love watching your channel in my youtube mix.
Speaking of Ben Franklin being a vegetarian, he was the first to mention tofu in a 1770 letter to John Bartram, calling it "cheese" from China. He also corresponded with James Flint on how the Chinese converted soy beans to tofu. In 1878, the US had their first tofu factory.
Ah yes, 4 am and I’m watching a video on Benjamin Franklins diet. Have to love youtube
A standard simple in Bree, meat cheese bread and ale. A worthy meal indeed.
Awesome! Can you do a similar video about his schedule, for he kept quite a rigid schedule. Thanks!
Water in Europe at that time was too polluted to drink.Hence the beer and wine was a staple .
Good Food, fine wine, and beautiful women. They aren't the meaning of life, but they sure do make things interesting. Good to see Ben enjoyed two of those at least.
What I gathered from this was even Ben Franklin knew. Happy wife, happy life.
I really enjoyed this - thank you for posting it!
Thank you for the Benjamin Franklin content
Amazing video, i came for his meals and stayed for the storytelling
I just read the autobiography of Gandhi. He also was a vegetarian and very frugal (this is different than being a cheapskate. It is more about being mindful of money and where it is going). Very interesting!
He couldn't remember what he ate a few hours after dinner? 😂 He must've been a comfort eater.
thank you for sharing this information. Your channel offer's so much to the viewers.
He acknowledged that this fish eating other fish argument was an excuse to indulge in his old eating habit:
"So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do."
He went back to vegetarianism.
Eat what you like.
You should not be obese, but don't deprive yourself.
None of us are getting out of this alive.
Looking at Franklin's chins, he should have eaten a little better than he did.