Rich Food VS Poor Food

[@DrLicuid]

I glanced at the preview with asparagus standing in a loaf of bread and my first thought was - "Happy Birthday!"

[@righteousviking]

I would be a sad 21st century American if I was given bread and asparagus instead of cake hahaha!

[@faithrada]

​@righteousviking Actually the Asparagus "cake" would not disappoint here. I'll take Asparagus soup over Asparagus ice cream however. 😉

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

@@righteousviking I would love it as part of a side dish for a nice birthday dinner.

[@AdamtheRed-]

Worst. Birthday. Ever. Lol

[@oldasyouromens]

Yes, with hollandaise would be wonderful. ​@@Sorcerers_Apprentice

[@robzinawarriorprincess1318]

We live near Andrew Jackson's home, the Hermitage. It is a super nice house, but it has a lot of construction fakery, such as wood columns painted with a sand mixture to look like stone. They also painted plain wood with grain lines to make it look like expensive wood.

[@roberttalada5196]

Yeah, I’m not surprised.

[@sr2291]

"Rich" people have always been full of pretenses to make them feel they are better than the rest of us.

[@Norbrookc]

@@sr2291 One of my cousins, who was fairly well-to-do but not "Rich" told me about moving into their new house. They were apologetic to the moving people because of all the furniture, and the movers told them not to worry about it, and that many of the 'upscale' houses in the area really didn't have much in the way of furniture. It was all about appearances.

[@sr2291]

@@Norbrookc Thanks for sharing that.

[@littlekong7685]

@@Norbrookc Yup, my grandmother did catering for rich families back int he day. Apparently she had to bring her own cutlery because most only had 1 set for each person living there, she also had to bring table cloths, serving dishes, and a bucket to wash dishes in because the sinks were fake (Sometimes the fridges were too). She would be working while rented furniture and rented lamps were brought in for the party. The family either lived in another house, or only in 1 room and went out to dinner nightly (And the 1 room they lived in had the cheapest most well worn stuff imaginable).

[@floramew]

This kind of video is why I love you guys. I mean, "just" focusing on the recipes themselves is interesting enough already, but I really love connecting bits and pieces of knowledge together, trying to get a more holistic view of things, and like you said, reading in between the lines and drawing cultural conclusions etc from the context -- absolutely fascinating, thanks so much.

[@jaydoggy9043]

"Purges by urine." - That might be my favorite description of asparagus ever.

[@NoPantsBaby]

You know when you're REALLY rich? When the food isn't edible anymore. When you're just supposed to appreciate it as an art piece.

[@blargghkip]

Pineapples come to mind

[@WaterZer0]

Someone is attending dinner with the Shogun.

[@Chris-ut6eq]

@@WaterZer0 Or certain roman emperors.....

[@dziooooo]

This is why I DESPISE cake covered in fondant. It's barely edible, and almost always the "art" is of the quality you'd expect from a 6th-grader playing with Play-Doh.

[@Just_Sara]

@@blargghkip I heard the other day that people used to RENT pineapples, you too?

[@katertran1718]

It's so fascinating that the more complex dish isn't even considered the main dish, it's just a side. Crazy how different people were eating

[@PySnek]

Yes but food back then was so much more than today. No TVs, no Smartphones, just a very small collection of books. You'd spend much more time thinking about food preparation and presentation than today, because it was one of the main attractions. Nowadays food has to be something that we can be done with as quick as possible or we eat while watching TV or KZbin/streams.

[@teneillesw.4312]

@@PySnek i mean we still make giant spreads at thanksgiving and Christmas. normally we're more like the poor people of times past haha

[@TomSeliman99]

​@@PySnekmaybe in the USA. Not in Europe

[@sd-ch2cq]

It reminds me of 'instagram food', which is all about presentation

[@fruity4820]

​@@PySnekRich people back then still had music, they had dancing balls and paiting and fashion and embrodary and horse-riding, other sports and games and 100 more things to do

[@davea6314]

18th century: Salmon is much cheaper than chicken. 21st century: Chicken is much cheaper than salmon.

[@silverjohn6037]

Yes and no. If you're close to the source salmon and lobster would be common but, inland, they wouldn't be available to even the wealthiest person. Likewise, before refrigeration and reliable steam powered transportation, even royalty couldn't expect fresh fruits and vegetables year round the way the poorest people can today.

[@Kelnx]

@@silverjohn6037 A lot of it had to do with tastes and attitudes too. All shellfish for the most part were seen as poor people food during the colonial era, not only because they were so plentiful but because of some social attitudes towards "bottom feeder" sea food (the primary exception being oysters which also got cheaper as popularity exploded). It also didn't help that, before the lobster industry took off, there were so many lobsters off the New England coast that piles of them would wash up on shore and just rot and stink. Not something that really added to their appeal.

[@MrTeddy12397]

@@Kelnx i have heard that back in the day they first killed the lobsters before boiling, making them taste disgusting.

[@mrjones2721]

@@MrTeddy12397Nowadays restaurants kill lobsters immediately before boiling. The kill isn’t the problem, it’s how long you wait after killing. If they were killing lobsters well beforehand, I question their common sense. Surely it’s easy enough to keep a lobster in a bucket of water until you’re ready to cook it.

[@dividingpicnic]

Chicken didn’t get cheap until post-WWII I think. One of the early 20th century presidents (Hoover?) campaigned with the slogan “a chicken in every pot”, which was supposed to suggest bringing luxury to everyone, because chicken was a somewhat fancy kind of food.

[@LookingBackwards]

The quality of content and production in these videos is phenomenal. Don’t ever change, thank you for doing what you do

[@Breitman123]

Spot on!

[@benjaminscribner7737]

Our man Ryan once again wowing us with his knowledge. Another great video.

[@workingguy-OU812]

Ryan is such a great presenter.

[@aribantala]

I absolutely did not expect a crash course on "Diplomatic posturing", if one may forgive the term... And how the dining table was (and frankly is in many parts of the world) the place where you conduct diplomacy... Even if it's as simple as bonding a person to person relationship, or as grand as geopolitical correspondence. The inner, basic but fulfilling desire for food is such a strong force that it's really baffling that something as simple as "Making foods presentable" can forge the fate of Nations

[@Vaeldarg]

"Panda diplomacy" started that way. IIRC the story went that Ms. Reagan commented on the image of one on a pen of an official from China at a dinner. She said it was cute, and pandas were offered as a diplomatic gesture. Next thing you know, the U.S is turning a blind eye to human rights abuses otherwise have children crying over their zoo having to send back the pandas whenever the CCP gets upset.

[@littlekong7685]

The entirety of the middle east's land borders were drawn after WW2 over dinner and handshake agreements. The strategists and experts made maps in conferences and with great debate, but all that was basically ignored because the men approving the lines made their own maps over dinner and wine.

[@FruitMuff1n]

Ryan's solo videos are just getting better and better. Love it!

[@sonipitts]

Early Americans were really leaning into the "fake it til you make it" strategy. But in the end, we never lost the cultural impetus to obtain and maintain the appearance of wealth (or, more likely, what we *think* wealth looks like) regardless of our actual circumstances. Also...now I'm craving asparagus. 😆

[@strongback6550]

Should also be pointed out that many who didn't make it often turned to piracy and other forms of crime.

[@silverjohn6037]

Starbucks has made a fortune catering to that mind set. Their coffee isn't necessarily that much better than what you could brew at home but all the fashionable people have to buy the cup everyday to pose with rather than bringing a thermos to work.

[@SRMC23]

makes sense, it was a bunch of people being sent out or escaping from England to get a better jab at life, people wanted what the higher society had back in London or other big cities but they had to come by with what was around in the frontier.

[@TheFoxisintheHouse]

​@@strongback6550 😂 They made it through theft They didn't die of starvation

[@aidansearle5023]

They still do that don't they? Lol

[@palaceofwisdom9448]

This vaguely reminds me of green bean casserole, taking a humble green veggie and elevating it to something remarkable.

[@fruity4820]

The asparagus sticking out of the bread like birthday candles on a cake reminds me of those "fun ways to present vegetables so that your kid would want to eat them" type of videos/articles, and it's just so fascinating and heartwarming to me to think about how people back then found appeal in the same things kids (and secretly adults) get excited by today

[@MC-810]

My favorite Sunday morning activity! A leisurely cuppa and Townsends.

[@tatalsaba]

Food showing class and social hierarchy is a very interesting subject, both abundance, type of dishes, ingredients, cooking method and utensils all play into it.

[@Grandwigg]

A side dish of a second course for one, the whole dish (meal?) for the other. Says a lot. This was an excellent video for sure.

[@virongreene5146]

A history class with a cooking show mixed in....or do I have that backwards. As always, love the channel!

[@janemack8852]

I wish you had tasted the bread with each. That seems an important ingredient.

[@maiabravo5978]

This is the only channel recipe I've ever made myself. Loved it.

[@jackknifer1]

I love this presenter, he has an air of tranquility around him. Lovely video, thank you

[@zenhydra]

I love it. Thanks for the great video. I'm going to have to make a variation on the "rich" variation this weekend, and I truly appreciate the modern options we have in part because of educational material just like this.

[@cliffwoodbury5319]

I know i said this before, but AMAZING VIDEO. It's cool you are on this channel, because you have what it takes to have your own channel, and I would hope in the future this channel expand if it can attract other talents of the same pedigree, because it is cool to have multiple talents under one roof/channel, covering the same topics in their own unique entertaining way.

[@Pieces_Of_Eight]

Wonderful concept and culinary exploration, I really enjoyed the comparison of dishes and their social placement. Both look quite delicious too, nicely done!

[@olddawgdreaming5715]

Thanks for sharing with us. We use to get our asparagus the same way in Colorado along side the roads. Thanks Ryan for showing the differences between the haves and the have nots. Stay safe and keep up the great videos. Fred.

[@veesimmons2464]

For the love of asparagus! The fancy one does look divine, but I'd love the simple one just as much. Interesting video. I'd like to see more like this.

[@SimpleDesertRose]

We have asparagus growing in our garden this year. Come winter it should have been growing long enough to start harvesting crowns. I want to try this recipe. Most of my veggies I cook in butter, but this looks and sounds really good.

[@cherub3624]

That asparagus coming out of that thing looks like a 7 year olds first attempt at creating a dish.

[@deborahcaldwell9775]

You really cheered me up with this analitic explanation. Wonderful.

[@kellymurdock5982]

Coat asparagus in some olive oil, finely chopped garlic and sea salt. Let it sit for maybe a half hour and then grill it. Cooks fast and it is so good. Once I tasted it at a restaurant I never boiled again.

[@LissyVee]

I bought a bunch of asparagus the other day and I just cut it into pieces, put it in some hot oil in a skillet with S&P and cook it for 4 minutes but I also put fresh grated Parmesan over it when it’s done and it is SO GOOD.

[@malcolmdarke5299]

To be honest, "in fat with a bit of salt" is a top-notch way of cooking greens. It works well for courgettes, Brussels sprouts (I used a bit of cayenne for that one), leeks and apparently asparagus. I'd say that I don't understand why people don't like vegetables, but I do. It's that they haven't experienced vegetables cooked properly, which is a crying shame. Get your veggies fresh and prepare them simply. Let the flavours present themselves!

[@jeffhampton2767]

I like butter and fresh lemon on my asparagus

[@Blondie42]

6:12 I am utterly amazed that you found an old script font that includes the long s that looks like an f

[@Kennybecker777]

Nice video ❤

[@dmr6640]

As always, I really like Ryan's topics and presentations. Keep em coming.

[@christophermeister3706]

Always love your insight talking about the why behind these things.

[@SandrA-hr5zk]

Asparagus was cultivated in California by Chinese immigrants when the San Juaquin Delta was turned into agricultural lands. Stockton even has a festival for it. Filipinos and Vietnamese immigrants were also used for growing/harvesting the crop.

[@rikwilliams6352]

Fascinating, thank you for shareing.

[@timburr4453]

Brilliant video and presentation. very informative and interesting

[@LoganCableTech]

Watch out, Ryan, if you say Nutmeg 3 times in a row, Jon Townsend appears.

[@SheyD78]

Am I the only one tempted to mix those two piles of asparagus together to make it buttter, cream and egg asparagus?

[@ethangrazier4899]

Love Ryan as a presenter! Same with the sourdough video. 10/10

[@windycricket]

Sizzle some asparagus in olive oil until nearly preferred doneness. Squeeze some lemon juice on it with salt and pepper and pinch of garlic powder sizzle until done. OR cook some asparagus in olive oil/butter mixture until almost done. Then drop some eggs and seasoning in it and scramble it up. My two favorite ways to eat asparagus. Poor people style :)

[@gtbkts]

Thanks for all the awesome content and great videos!

[@juliegolick]

I've heard that nowadays you can tell someone's class by their attitude toward food: - Lower class: is there enough? - Middle class: is it good? - Upper class: is it well presented?

[@outdooraddventure]

I grew up in a single parent family. So I learned to appreciate what food we got. I know one thing for sure. My mother made us always good meals. Christmas birthdays etc was always great. We didn't have what all the other kids had. But I was a strong as hell athlete when I reached my early teens and into my high school years / adulthood

[@SargeOfTheGuard]

Your version of 'Asparagus Forced in a French Roll' as it was being prepared appeared more pleasing to my eye than the one that Jon Townsend did a few years back... but the way he sliced his open for consumption was more tastefully done than the way you excavated the innards of yours with a spoon... however, I'm sure that they both tasted just as good as one another! 😁

[@Faceplay2]

Always love these videos!

[@PulpParadise]

A recipe with nutmeg and Jon's not around. I hope that doesn't mean he had to go to nutmeg rehab. 😉This looks like such a lovely recipe - thanks for sharing Ryan and @Townsends!

[@davestelling]

Everything looked very good, enjoyed - thanks Ryan...

[@martykitson3442]

It looks like john has almost entirely handed the cooking over to you, good job Ryan🤠👍👍

[@MakoRuu]

That Asparagus loaf is very similar to Green Bean Casserole that we make for Christmas time. Perhaps they share a similar origin.

[@JJW77]

Excellent enjoyable video - I love the interesting history and comparison of the two food groups...

[@mr.stevens-pg6ff]

Showing this to my students. Thanks Townsends!

[@TextileGeorge]

great video guys, really enjoyed this on

[@brucetidwell7715]

Another great episode! The asparagus in custard looks delicious. QUESTION: When all of those dishes were laid out on the table, did the guests pass them around hand to hand, or did a servant bring them around the table and then leave them in the appropriate spot?

[@Werebud63]

From what I’ve heard, in regards to the massive feasts held by aristocracy (at least those held by the French aristocracy of the 17th and 18th century), no they wouldn’t be. It seems that at many feasts , especially large ones, what was near you is what you got. But the French aristocracy at the time could be really weird about food, so it may have been different elsewhere.

[@jojomojo6569]

Great video, loved it! Also, he looks a bit like Penn Jillette?

[@hayeonkim7838]

Thanks for interesting and valuable video as always ❤❤❤

[@mrjones2721]

My father had an asparagus patch that was about 8x8. It took very little work, and during the spring it was woefully productive. (Did I mention that I don’t like asparagus?) You harvested the stems multiple times, until it got late enough in the season that it didn’t taste good any longer. After that you let it grow unhindered into an unbroken patch of fluffy green, decorated with little red berries. Because it’s a perennial, that piece of ground is permanently occupied by asparagus. That would be a problem in a tiny English country garden, but Americans had more space to spare. So I’m not entirely sure why asparagus became a “fancy” food, unless the attraction is having asparagus out of season.

[@dianebondhus9355]

Mmm, you guys find the best recipes! Thanks for another top notch video. ❤

[@Wolfram762]

Awesome video man! Asparagus is one of my absolute favorite veggies!!

[@DireWolf28]

Silent Bob is a great teacher. I find the history of how people dined fascinating!

[@rickpratchett6758]

This is where the saying "Living high off the hog" comes from, because the cheaper cuts of pork are at the underside of the pig, like pork belly and internal organs, while the higher priced pork cuts are at the top, like ribs and such.

[@sethcarson5212]

I know this is unrelated and in bad form, for which I do apologize, but Im unsure of a better way to contact Townsend's. I may try through the shop contact form if this brings no results. I just read an article about some cherries that were found, intact, in fluid, seald in glass bottles at Mount Vernon. They were burried durring Washington's life. When they publish the lab analysis of them it would be fascinating to see Townsend's try to replicate them. Perhaps side by side with other known cherry preservation techniques? The story just broke recently and I wanted to tip them off.

[@BlessingsfromNorthIdaho]

In Wyoming along the irrigation canals asparagus grows wild and you can cut bags of it in the spring ❤.

[@lynnsenger9950]

My dad grew asparagus. We were the only two in the family that liked it. I thought I was the luckiest kid in the world.

[@successthruknowledge]

I think that I will try to cook the wealthy family's version of the asparagus recipe! I meant several times to try some of your recipes. I love asparagus so you must succeed with such a simple recipe!

[@aurinsaint9058]

I was at 2:50 roughly.....and hear our host say Rich people like food are tools! I just started laughing! He called Rich folk Tools! Lol It just made me laugh. I needed that laugh so bad.

[@xavierisrael3320]

Really like this format

[@jeffd.7092]

Thanks for an informative video. I’m gonna try both recipes with my family.

[@yep8058]

Really love your cooking videos

[@amel2784]

Excellent research and presentation. Thank you very much. 👍💯🏆

[@donbachmeier7617]

You are a very good communicator, sir.

[@usapatriot4163]

Great video! Love the poor food series. Thanks!

[@BobGeanis]

I had wild asparagus in the field once.

[@goofusmaximus1482]

The more things change, the more things stay the same. Three centuries later that does not change so much. Quite remarkable!

[@walterengler5709]

Very nice episode. Thanks!

[@Jeremiah-x2l]

Just found out the townsends guys live a 15 minute drive away from me. Crazy, been watching for years

[@Blrtech77]

Thanks Ryan for the history lesson. Amazing 👏

[@agimagi2158]

I was searching for a recipe for green aspargus (white is more common here). Guess I've found not one, but two!

[@LaundryFaerie]

Fun fact: white asparagus is the same plant as green asparagus; the only difference is that one is covered with mulch so it doesn't develop chlorophyll.

[@Rencol666]

fun fact you didnt know: asparagus is just young sprout. If you let it grow, it becomes small tree with poisonous fruit

[@jocelynnlillis2921]

I would love to see a video on the history of the Chef during this time frame , was they well respected? considered a servant? where they "peasants" and wht sorta foods would you find in a freestanding restaurant/tavern of the time

[@jamesellsworth9673]

RYAN! RYAN! I miss you behind the bar in Thompson's videos, even as engaging as Jon's daughter is. You also do as fine a job of unpacking a historical recipe as Jon does. We just need to see your take and your presence in these videos.

[@MsLeenite]

Thank you, Ryan.

[@coppergearheart4125]

This episode reminds me of reading Alexis Soyer's works, and he weirdly differentiated between asparagus, and something called sprue grass which I could only assume is wild asparagus.

[@smrk2452]

What does it look like in context? I’d image a presentation with asparagus sticking up from bread would have a complementary look in a room filled with tall candle sticks. And the context flavors would go well against highly decorated walls. It all fits in context.

[@farmerswife51]

Oh yes! We still know where the wild asparagus is in our neighborhood, and still pull over in these spots, even though we have asparagus beds in our yard.

[@krisk4513]

Pretty amazing how you can taste and experience something that can transport you a couple hundred years back in history.

[@MaxSwenson-qm3uh]

Bot????

[@zakhiks]

For asparagus butter n garlic. All you need 😂 easiest side dish ever n it's cheap

[@angelamneeley1797]

What a blessing Father is always right on time thank you fir your obedience to post about asparagus right now we just harvested some from the garden looking forward to trying these recipes. May YAH bless you and keep you and your families

[@larrymiller5253]

Bruh! Love your videos

[@hawktheelfowl]

It always tickles me when one of the recipes featured is still something I make routinely. Asparagus cooked/ fried in butter is decidedly the best!

[@rahannneon]

Excellent video.

[@leoscheibelhut940]

I assumed that the custard in the rich dish was going to set up and that the roll would then be sliced like a meatloaf with the asparagus in the middle. So both were served hot and the rolls were just coffin that many guests wouldn't bother to eat?

[@dwaynewladyka577]

A very nice looking dish using asparagus. Can you do a video on what dishes were served at banquets in the 18th century, in North America? Cheers!

[@michaelshuman3319]

Ah-Ha !! Early version of a Panera Bread Bowl !!

[@davidshettlesworth1442]

Thank you for a great history lesson and entertaining video. Carry On Sir.

[@guyfromcanada88]

I haven't kept up too much with the channel and i'm not sure who this chap is, but i like him . 🍻

[@DavidCowie2022]

Going by the other comments, his name is Ryan.

[@marcomcdowell8861]

At some point in human history, someone was so hungry that they tried raw asparagus. They couldn't get through it, so they went through various stages of cooking it, until they could consume it.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Anytime somebody says "you eat with your eyes first" irritates me. Because it's not true. You eat with your NOSE first. Because you can usually smell the food before you see it, and the sense of smell is very tightly coupled with the sense of taste. It's the reason when you are congested that food doesn't taste as good, because you can't smell it. I think there is no better appetizer than to smell the food cooking. Especially freshly baked bread. That is one of the most wonderful things to smell.

[@DannysGalaxyTab]

Hope we see more of this guy!

[@chicagorandy]

Thanks for sharing the novel recipe and the history behind it. I do believe that to know any people, learn what they eat and try it.