Time Travel Food! Beef Lo Mein For Thomas Jefferson

In Time Travel Food, we go back in time and make modern favorites for historical figures. In this episode, Jon makes Beef Lo Mein for a historical figure we know loved pasta and had an interest in Chinese culture. The struggle is making it with ingredients and tools/techniques that were available in the 1700's.
Jason Farmer's Channel ➧ / @farmageddon ➧➧
Our Brand New Viewing Experience ➧ townsendsplus.com/ ➧➧
Retail Website ➧ www.townsends.us/ ➧➧
Help support the channel with Patreon ➧ / townsend ➧➧
Instagram ➧ townsends_official

[@andanteinblue]

With the enormous commitment to authenticity on this channel, sometimes I forget that Townsends is probably a regular dude off camera who uses a phone, drives a car, and orders takeout. I love it!

[@ckc019]

There was a livestream he did, with t-shirt and a laptop infront of him, gnarly

[@anthrax2525]

@@tavolo22 John's appeared a few times here in civvies, and yes, he does drive. And in civs you wouldn't recognize him at all.

[@jamesofallthings3684]

Regular clothes are his costume.

[@dennisperusse3837]

He’s also a ham radio operator. I wonder if any hams have recognized his voice over the bands?

[@glamazon6172]

@@jamesofallthings3684 Like Batman.

[@hotelmario510]

Now I want to see Chinese Cooking Demystified cook some colonial-era American food using only ingredients you can find in Guangdong, to bring this full circle.

[@particlemannn]

RIGHT?!? Or a crossover with Made With Lau.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

We could try making a fried chicken sandwich for the royal court of the Han dynasty.

[@middlega]

@@particlemannn in the context suggested by the comment, this ain't a bad idea at all

[@eidrag]

they already covered some weird new era recipe history on how it came and what people substitute with until it become current version, wish they can recreate each iteration and compare

[@wheezyshoe212]

Speaking from experience, it's actually quite easy to cook a lot of colonial-era American food using Chinese ingredients. That said, I don't live in Guangdong, but in Shaanxi (Northern China has a tradition of using wheat while Southern China uses rice). The hardest things to get access to are things like cheese. Milk too, if you only stick to what's traditionally available, but outside of that, the only other traditional thing would be that ovens as the American colonials used were not common. Instead, steaming was much more common (and the Hui minority - the Muslim minority group - often used a kind of oven for making a flat bread similar to how Indian naan is made - an oven with the opening on the top and a hot fire in the middle. You then stick the dough onto the sides of the oven). Of course, some ingredients native to the Americas couldn't be used if you stuck with what traditionally would be available at the time (e.g. blueberries, maple syrup, etc)

[@HiperPivociarz]

Can't wait for "Making a Cheesy Gordita Crunch for Theodore Roosevelt"

[@matthewnichols7207]

I just posted an idea Maybe a Big Mac for Washington or a Chrunchwrap Supreme for Lincoln... pizza for Edison?

[@alexhurlbut]

@@matthewnichols7207 they already did one for George Washington and it's pizza

[@TocsTheWanderer]

@@matthewnichols7207 They focus on the 18th century, and very rarely stray from it. I don't think they're going to be making stuff for Lincoln, Edison, or Roosevelt as that would stray into the 19th-20th centuries

[@jamesofallthings3684]

Are you like 12 with a learning disability? Should spend more time learning your history instead of commenting.

[@wtk6069]

​@@TocsTheWandererSo Abe was born nine years too late. And he'll never know what he missed out on.

[@MrClarkisgod]

I just realized that they sell "Vegan fish sauce" at the supermarket and it's made from mushrooms instead. It's mushroom ketchup. The same thing I've seen John use for years. Also worchestershire sauce is a fish sauce sweetened with tamarind paste. It is about as close to an Asian fish sauce substitute you can get.

[@MC_Mega-Jessup]

Unfortunately Lea & Perrins wasn't commercialized until 1837 - a bit late for Thom - though garum was definitely around way before that...not sure if it ever turned up on a colonial table, though.

[@johndough8115]

worchestershire is way too Tangy / Fruity / Acidic.. compared to fish sauce... which is much more mild, in comparison.

[@jamesofallthings3684]

It's absolutely amazing is what it is.

[@jamesofallthings3684]

​@@johndough8115Blasphemy. It's amazing, just not in recipes that call for fish sauce I assume.

[@johndough8115]

@@jamesofallthings3684 Personally, Ive never really liked it that much. Ive seen people use it, or A1, on steak... and that is total Blasphemy. You should always be able to tell that you are eating Beef, not some tangy, overpowering, Citrus sauce. Btw... Try mixing some Balsamic Vinegar, with Soy Sauce. Balsamic is too sweet on its own... and Soy is very salty... but when combined in the right measure.. they create a very savory sauce, that is fantastic as a fat-free Salad Dressing... or on many other things. Fish sauce is completely in its own category. Being that I dont tend to like seafood (with a good fish fry as the exception)... I would likely have never have tried it. However, it was part of a Vietnamese dish, that I had ordered.. and it really went well with the dish (which was sort of similar to a Grilled chicken salad). Ive also always loved Caesar Salads. I was surprised to learn that Anchovies were blended into it. This is what got me to actually try Fish sauce, at all. On its own, its sort of odd. But when mixed into a dish, it gives just the right amount of Flavor boost... to add an elevated level of Depth to the dish.

[@mfaizsyahmi]

The dish embodies this series perfectly. The Chinese immigrants also came to the US with just the clothes on their backs, and they also had to make do with the local ingredients available to them at the time, so traditional greens were substituted with local grocery greens. So here we're just doing it all over again!

[@JoeSkylynx]

I have to wonder if dandelion and wild lettuce would have been used in favor of green onions!

[@salvatorenostrade3331]

@@JoeSkylynx probably not, wild onions and or garlic maybe but defo not dandelion and wild lettuce. You need something with the pungency of onions and not really the bitterness of typical wild vegetable leaves.

[@canaan5337]

Ramps would be a good substitute for green onions and or garlic.

[@bunnyslippers191]

@@salvatorenostrade3331 Dandelion greens are only bitter if you pick them after they start to bloom. We used to frantically pick them early in the spring trying to get as much as we could before the flower buds started forming. Once the buds get formed the leaves turn bitter. Before they even start to bud the leaves are tiny and not at all bitter. but there's a tiny window when the buds have started to form, but aren't fully developed when they are still good to eat. The only way to really tell is to pick a leaf and taste it to see if the flavor has turned yet or not. Wilted dandelion greens fixed with bacon grease are the bomb!

[@monhi64]

Definitely wouldn’t the first time people had to update vegetables to what is available. It’s kind of crazy how recent all of our current staple fruits and veg are. I think once you get back 500 years ago we pretty much lose every modern plant especially because many hadn’t made it out of the Americas yet. I would think chinas traditional veg would be older than European but probably still incredibly recent in the scale of things

[@italian504]

This dish feels like a luxury to offer to the folks in the past. Definitely something Thomas would commission you to make for guests at a party to showcase another use for macaroni

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

Dude, can you imagine how groundbreaking it would have been if Thomas Jefferson had gotten some hands on some lo mein? It would be the centerpiece of every party; soon enough, everyone in high society would be talking about how delicious it is.

[@gorlack2231]

and then he freaks everyone out by munching down a whole tomato. "Good Heavens, Master Jefferson has eaten that nightshade's fruit! He's killed himself!"

[@imahoare4742]

I love how creative this series gets.

[@Babbajune]

Yes, love Townsends! Just wondering why the Nutmeg Tavern series no longer appears.

[@joshuataylor3550]

cool concept

[@townsends]

@@Babbajune We still do a livestream almost every two weeks, last Friday was a cooking marathon and before that one in depth on chocolate - kzbin.infoRYa5Vd8G_vQ

[@Babbajune]

@@townsends Thanks, I guess I've just somehow missed the notification.

[@TheAaronChand]

​@@townsendshaving 18th century Americans try Food from India Hindustan during the same time period would be interesting 🤔

[@farmageddon]

This is legitimately one of the coolest videos I've ever seen on KZbin. You did a phenomenal job, and I'm sure President Jefferson would love your lo mein! Bravo! And thanks for the shout-out! I'm very honored and I absolutely love your channel!

[@karlpoppins]

What I find interesting about this series is that it implicitly addresses a situation in which many immigrants have found themselves: how to recreate the dishes they were raised with in their homeland using ingredients they find in the land they've immigrated to. Furthermore, it is an interesting showcase of the similar role wildly different ingredients play in the kitchen (e.g. mushroom catchup vs soy sauce).

[@ktefccre]

My family are Chinese immigrants. My parents learned to substitute ingredients with local varieties. Over time, the dishes changed to such a degree that when we have relatives visit, they don't recognize the dish.

[@andrewhcit]

@@ktefccre Indeed... and some Chinese immigrant dishes changed so much that they are no longer associated with even American Chinese food. The Denver omelet, for example, is originally a Chinese-American dish. Chinese cooks traveling inland with railroad work crews adapted egg foo young to use the ingredients available to them. My family are Chinese immigrants too, and I've come to think of American Chinese cuisine as a regional Chinese cuisine in itself.

[@MJTRadio]

I would have never guessed lo mein was where this series was headed next, but this was absolutely delightful. I know it doesn’t have as many components, but I’m still hoping we may see some historical buffalo wings at some point (maybe with the hot sauce and blue cheese dressing made from scratch to bulk the episode out)

[@riotandhalf]

Max over on Tasting History mentioned a dish called Deviled Bones that Samuel Johnston's biographer mentioned him eating, which at least if you make it with chicken wings gets you at least within the ballpark of buffalo wings

[@mrdanforth3744]

Deviled Bones was a dish made of chicken wings in a spicy sauce in other words, the ancestor of Buffalo wings. The recipe calls for the bones of any remaining joint or poultry which still has some meat on. Make a mixture of mustard, salt, cayenne, and pepper, and one teaspoonful of mushroom ketchup to two of mustard; rub the bones well with this, and broil rather brownish.

[@k.g.7591]

A lot of people will often say stuff like “if you gave a medieval serf a monster energy drink he’d explode” but Pete’s over here treating our boy TJ to the sleeper hit of the upcoming century

[@livingdeadgirl5691]

To be fair, a medival peasant whould probably spit out the drink, a Victorian child on the other hand whould gladly take 3 more.

[@unpapelcascaron7463]

@@livingdeadgirl5691 and then die 3 days later

[@reservoirfrogs2177]

They would drink it and wonder why we would poison ourselves with it lmao

[@gundog4273]

​@@reservoirfrogs2177 >drops belladonna into wine made in a 100 year old wooden bucket

[@user-cv6rl2qy1g]

Hello Mr. Townsends. You could also use molasses instead of honey. It serves the same purpose and was available for your time period/location. You can also use molasses to make your own modern double black soy sauce. As a former reenactor, and part time camp cook. I really love what you do.

[@dosman7560]

Mushroom ketchup seems in the running to be the next nutmeg on this channel

[@nicholasneyhart396]

Na, nothing will replace nutmeg.

[@ianfinrir8724]

Big Nutmeg already has their hooks in Jon. It's not getting replaced anytime soon.

[@groofay]

So there _was_ an ulterior motive for revisiting the mushroom ketchup recipe. I'm looking forward to where this series goes next, the inventiveness you put into them is really fun.

[@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721]

It's not his fault that mushroom ketchup is a miracle ingredient that works perfectly in so many dishes!

[@FrikInCasualMode]

Pro tip: (Courtesy of my grandma, who used to make homemade noodles) When you have a sheet of dough for noodles, instead of slowly cutting it lengthwise sprinkle with flour to prevent dough from sticking to itself - and then roll it as you would roll a newspaper. Then cut the roll across into pieces of desired width. Unroll the pieces - voila! Strips of noodles without the need to painstakingly cut them from a flat sheet.

[@kjlin3123]

That's exactly what I was thinking too. I was shocked when he was cutting the noodles like that.

[@HLBear]

As soon as you said soy sauce, I yelled Mushroom Ketchup! 😆 The salt. The umami. Perfect! And it's lovely how the noodles puffed a bit while cooking and came out roundish. That was fun. 😊

[@jawnhansen235]

I like how this is an insane premise for a video but he commits to it, it’s well written, and his energy/enthusiasm just makes it seem normal lol.

[@MakoRuu]

Jon, there is a much more efficient way to cut noodles extremely thin and delicate by overlapping the dough like a towel or a sheet and slicing down and towards you. It's an old Korean technique for making very thin noodles.

[@inisipisTV]

Well. there are, as there are many type of noodles today (thin, flat, fat, wrinkly, short and long) John is more aiming what the Colonials would make what they they think as Lo mien is.

[@FeloniousPedigrees]

​@@inisipisTV I hardly believe that was the point of of the video. It was just to help him on his next time cutting sheets of pasta. Hot tip.

[@_nicenick]

@@FeloniousPedigrees If that wasn't the point of the video, then why did he replace soy sauce with mushroom ketchup

[@FeloniousPedigrees]

@@_nicenick so he took fully into consideration all methodologies of cutting of pasta, from all areas of the globe, during this time period. Then found the literature stating how to cut pasta to a colonial american standard and then was able to produce the result on the fly? My point being that the op was giving tips on how to cut noodles generally without machinery. The original video is not a study on how to cut pasta. It is a fun video where you try to recreate a recipe during a different Era. In which it is done brilliantly.

[@renpixie]

Well, I’m using that hot tip the next time I’m cutting my noodles👍🏼

[@sibeisun5272]

I'm watching from Southern China. Love to see variation on this dish go this far. This is absolutely wholesome content!

[@Eric998765]

I like how historically plausible these are. Thomas Jefferson was into macaroni and Chinese philosophy, so let's make Beef Lo Mein!

[@ChineseCookingDemystified]

Super fun video! Just for fun (and because I'm in the mood to procrastinate), I kind of want to think about how I would crack that nut... I think that being Tom and all, we'd probably want to go all out. So what I'd do is actually serve this alongside a hot and sour soup - albeit a hot and sour soup starting with the traditional Chinese gluten (seitan) extraction process, ala traditional Henan-style hot pepper soup. For the uninitiated, this basically just consists of washing dough under water multiple times to separate out the starch and the gluten - this process yields us a *ton* of liquid wheat starch that we could use to both thicken the soup, as well as thicken our sauce. We'll also have some fresh gluten that we can toss in the soup. As a pasta aficionado, I think Tom might really enjoy fresh gluten - which I doubt he'd ever experienced. I really like the mushroom ketchup angle. I've heard that there were some fermented varieties of mushroom ketchup, any idea if this is accurate? Regardless, using the unfermented sort would likely be a tasty enough base as any. Oyster sauce, of course, is just super reduced oyster brine (which would be available, I believe), but I worry that might clash with the mushroom ketchup. Cooking set-up seems solid. At that time in China (before the advent of gas stoves) traditional wood powered stoves wouldn't be all that much more powerful or what have you. I might actually just be tempted to work with a cast iron pot over a wood fire, even. Ok, to put this together: 1. Make fresh noodles according to Tom's recipe. We could perhaps play with slightly cutting back the milk, and/or adding a sprinkle of lye to give the noodles more of a bite. 2. Make fresh gluten, reserving both the gluten and the liquid wheat starch. 3. Using base of beef stock, cook the gluten. Add a touch of shredded beef from making the stock. Thicken with the wheat starch liquid, finish with a VERY solid hit of white (preferably) or black pepper (the traditional base of these soups before adding chili became popular in post war Taiwan), together with vinegar. 4. Fried noodles can proceed roughly according to what you presented. Marinade would be slightly different - might be tempted to similar add a touch of lye. Final slurry would be using the reserved wheat starch. 5. And, of course, no Chinese meal would be complete without some fried or blanched greens :)

[@user-bz3kd2mt3u]

omg it's Chinese Cooking Demystified flushed 😳

[@townsends]

Thanks for your input. When I re-visit Tom, I'll know exactly what to do!

[@azurephoenix9546]

I wasn't expecting honey for a thickener, i would have expected arrow root, but here you are, innovating into the past and making it amazing. You all are realy genuinely craftsmen of your trade, from cooking to clay, to cameras to cabins to smithing. You all put so much of your selves into your work and it really cones through. Thank you all!

[@NoPantsBaby]

It's an interesting concept. Serving modern dishes with the means of the time period. Given that most restaurants add sugar Honey isn't a bad thickener, but you could boil down washing water that you washed wheat flour in and get wheat starch, or let oat or rye sourdough ferment for a while and get a goopy paste or use potato puree to thicken it. Look up Kissel as a dish that used that process since the 10th century.

[@wilhelmseleorningcniht9410]

You probably wouldn't want to boil the water as it'd gelatinise the starch, but you certainly can wait for the starch to separate and float down to the bottom before decanting it. There're some recipes from China where one does that, you make seitan and then use the starch paste to make these like pancake esque things if I remember right But you can also simply lay it in a shallow plate or other container and let it air dry before crushing, that wheat starch

[@1One2Three5Eight13]

I was thinking potato starch myself, since I know how easy it is to get it out of potatos, but I don't think that what kind of starch you use really matters, just use a straight starch.

[@smallbar2012]

I shouldn't be surprised, but the visual quality on this channel just continues to grow. Little details like shooting into the angle of the kitchen and letting the light be much more directional have really taken things to the next level. Well done, crew!

[@spicydoge3847]

I've been watching this channel for years and the amount of comfort it brings is invaluable to me. Thank you very much!

[@MC_Mega-Jessup]

Having just seen Joe Pera tease him about mushroom ketchup, it was funny to hear it so many times in this episode 😄

[@zhiracs]

Mushroom catsup: the ultimate multitool condiment, capable of filling any shoes presented to it.

[@aprilbennett4161]

Regarding thickening: Instead of using honey as the thickener, you can take some cues from Italian cuisine. Pasta water works as a thickener and won't ruin the dish the way more straightforward methods of adding flour would. Just add about a ladle-full, maybe more, feeling it out. You'll have to cook down the sauce a little, but it should suffice. If it doesn't thicken enough, you can also partially cook the noodles (maybe half to 3/4 cooked) and finish the noodles with roughly a ladle of pasta water and the seasoning until cooked through, eye-balling it until the sauce is the way you want. Maybe reserve two to three ladles of pasta water, just in case, because the noodles may be very thirsty. I'd probably still add some honey for flavoring purposes, though. EDIT: Also, potato starch is an alternative to cornstarch in Asian cuisine. Since potato starch was used to starch linen by European settlers, it should be plenty period accurate.

[@peterott-tn6pf]

That was outstanding Jon!!! How you incorporated different ingredients was awesome! That looked way better than ANY type of lo mein that I've ever had or even seen for that matter! Townsends never fails to deliver great content! Thank you all!!

[@singularity___]

The mushroom ketchup was a brilliant substitute for soy sauce. I've been wanting to make some to use on meat and in some fried rice/stir fry, but I never thought about it as an actual substitute. I bet this Lo Mein tasted insanely good, makes me want to recreate it (in my modern kitchen with my modern tools of course lol)

[@kgiro001]

I love the creativity here, yet you still find a way of sticking to the channel's mission. This is great stuff, looking forward to the next one! We are blessed to have Townsends!

[@edd3spagh3tt44]

Man I love your channel. It's so fascinating to learn all these recipes and the history behind them. Thank you for all that you do and everyone that works on channel.

[@Paperfiasco]

This little series of time travel recipes is one of the most brilliant things you and your team have done, stellar work sir!

[@foxfritter4389]

Every single video you release brings me comfort. I've used SOOO many of your recipes and cooking methods while camping (with lesser? feels wrong saying it..tools/ingredients) AND in my home kitchen to great success. You've got one of the best channels on youtube hands down. You can feel the love and passion in every production.

[@13Luk6iul]

I really enjoy this series! Nice to see a new format now and then and yet this fits so naturally with the rest of your content. Love it

[@yungstalin8936]

This channel is truly a national treasure. You guys never cease to amaze me with your videos and the concept for this video is just top notch!

[@abraxas521]

Didn't see when you started this series, but I went back and watched through them. Very creative! Period gap aside, it's a great practice in using alternatives to typical modern ingredient dishes. The mushroom ketchup for pizza sauce on the pizza episode sounds fantastic for a mushroom-y pizza.

[@inisipisTV]

Regarding the Braziers, that's why in Asia, specially in Southern China they have separate out-door kitchen in old homes to cook food like these.

[@beth12svist]

Fascinatingly, that seems to have been a bit of a thing in Europe historically as well, at least in some places, something that seems to have gotten lost in time. On Hardegg, a castle in Lower Austria (slightly confusingly, northern Austria, right at the border with the Czech Republic) they have an area that was an outdoors "summer" kitchen. Roof overhead, but open on all sides.

[@mikecollins8241]

Lots of "outdoor kitchens" here in Nebraska, both historically and in current usage :) Personally I do almost all of my cooking in the summer outside, between the grill (which doubles as an oven), smoker and griddle ;)

[@dianebondhus9355]

There is nothing these guys can't do! ❤ You're so creative and your attention to detail is so good that even after years of watching your videos, I find myself eagerly awaiting the next one. Great job guys! 🎉

[@idcanthony9286]

I love this series so much. I love this channel too and all the hard work by the crew. Thank you guys so much.

[@My_mid-victorian_crisis]

I love this series!!! I'm a bit of a food historian and love, love, LOVE, this idea of fusion!! And now your mushroom ketchup video makes more sense

[@asahearts1]

I would be really interested in seeing the history of cargo. Cargo nets, crates, barges, cranes, etc. Really interesting stuff.

[@matthewnichols7207]

Like transporting goods and services and maybe the making of the nets?

[@asahearts1]

@@matthewnichols7207 Yeah like transport. People focus on the use and manufacture of objects, but just as important is getting the goods to where they need to go. It's also a major employment sector.

[@zhiracs]

Now THIS is something I'd also like to see. There's got to be more to 18th century cargo infrastructure than guys heaving big wooden crates off of galleons.

[@beth12svist]

Ohhh. It would never have occurred to me as a topic, but I think it could be super-interesting! Especially in terms of, say, tracing how cargo from far away would have / could have gotten to the frontier.

[@asahearts1]

@@thestrangegreenman Can't get up there but maybe there's something online. Thanks ☺

[@Aura-Of-Syrinx]

I realllllly love this idea for new videos! Great work! :D

[@dzaijn]

I absolutely love everything about this. Thank you kindly for this amazing content!

[@Don__]

I understand that the premise of this series is how could you cook modern recipes with only ingredients immediately available in the 17th century. But another interpretation of the initial question could be what you could do with the available ingredients and technology. For example, you could probably go to a blacksmith and say you need a bowl with a handle, now you have a wok. I also see no problem in making oyster sauce, with whatever oysters are available locally.

[@zhiracs]

That sort of nerfs the challenge, though. I think the idea is that we have enough time to go to the market and get the components for the dish, but not enough to make a new sauce or commission special equipment.

[@beth12svist]

​​@@zhiracs I also think the idea is kind of that you might show it to a person from the time and they will be able to recreate it afterwards with what they're familiar with - which is part of the point of making this dish for pasta enthusiast Thomas Jefferson or pointing out that the penny loaves Benjamin Franklin habitually ate would make perfect burger buns. You could easily make _those_ with ingredients from the time, but not everyone baked their own bread, so here you go, historical cook, here's what you can use that you're familiar with.

[@theKobus]

You can’t imagine how happy I am that this is a series.

[@matthewanipen2418]

I was skeptical of these new time travel vids at first, but like EVERYTHING on this channel it is simply wonderful to watch. Thank you for this very creative new approach to bringing us into the past!

[@brendanjamieson]

Really like the concept of this series. Cheers!

[@Agentsquirtle]

I hope this is a new series that comes to the channel. I really enjoyed this

[@beth12svist]

It already is. There has been pizza and a burger, if I'm not forgetting anything. :-)

[@jayortiz1322]

As a chef of 17 years, 16 different restaurants. I have to tell you, this looks really delicious! Literally mouth watering. Haha 😋

[@laurencerushton3544]

A fun and entertaining video. I shared it with my Chinese wife to show bridging cultures and time periods in cooking.

[@jackknowlton2399]

What a great format/idea! Keep these Time Travel videos coming!

[@andrewjackson9417]

Next time you make noodles, lightly flour the strip, fold it, do it again to 4 or 5 folds, then you've got a short piece to cut into the desired width, unfold and you have your noodles. A lot easier than cutting the full length for each noodle.

[@NorthshireGaming]

I'm really digging this new twist on historical cooking!

[@thatonefriend2969]

i love this series conceptually. i hope there are more videos!

[@mountainmamma1643]

Love this channel, its just gold.

[@Kiyala]

Keep this series forever, please

[@raideurng2508]

While we think they would of never thought of this, this type of saute would be instantly recognizable to the french in Quebec and Louisiana territory. Noodles would certainly be the unusual factor, but a stock of that manner flavored with herbs is nothing unusual. As you demonstrated, all the ingredients were present and well known, they simply hadn't been combined in that manner, *yet*.

[@johnfessenden3771]

Another amazing trip down the rabbit hole! Thanks !

[@christopherbannister9832]

Just LOVE your videos!! Thank you.

[@Rokuke]

i mean with the China trade, american traders went to china often ate chinese food

[@Rokuke]

First Ship went to China is the Empress of China in 1783

[@BenHughes81]

I was thinking along these lines very recently. There are people that absolutely detest any food they consider not authentic, solely because it isn't authentic. Acting superior based on what one eats or doesn't eat is so strange to me and makes no sense. Like you said at the beginning of the video; There are people that move from one country to another, and have to improvise with what is available in order to cook something as close they can get to what they could make from their home country.

[@beth12svist]

Exactly! Like Czechs trying to cook Czech dumplings without Czech flour... you'd think moving from one European country to another would not cause too many cooking problems, but it does! (Not personal experience, but my sister lived in Latvia for a while, and I remember my father and his friends, on one of their trips to Britain, packing their backpacks with flour for someone they were staying with. 🙂)

[@vanfisher3613]

I just found your channel, and this series! I consume a lot of media, and it has honestly been years since I have watched something as authentic and delightful as these videos. Keep it up! You have a future with millions of subscribers!

[@qalbi_ibn_lari]

These videos make me so happy, it's wild. It's interesting, entertaining, educational, enlightening, and more. If I was a teacher, I would use Townsends videos to teach kids what early America was like. I hope you have a LONG LONG future ahead of you and Townsends.

[@Mojova1]

John you can roll the dough so you can cut it more easilly.

[@beth12svist]

Roll as in fold, not as in roll out. 😉 Shown in action in many videos on the Pasta Grannies channel!

[@bobh64]

How did I know when you mentioned soy sauce in the beginning I said to myself I bet he is going to use "Mushroom Ketchup" :)

[@mamadragon2581]

Same here.

[@beth12svist]

I suspect all longtime viewers immediately jumped to that conclusion. 😅

[@rscott1459]

Excellent offering! Thank you!

[@PhilthyPhil19982]

I absolutely love these! keep them coming!

[@wilfridwibblesworth2613]

Lo Mein and Chow Mein are dishes which transcend space & time and plunge headlong into the spiritual epoch where you shall be touched by God's noodly appendage.

[@zhiracs]

r'amen

[@benw9949]

I love this. American Chinese takeout food for the 18th Century. I've loved the other videos in the series. -- What about Tex-Mex food, a typical (or atypical) Mexican dinner? (enchiladas or tamales or both, refried beans and Spanish rice, guacamole, Chile con quest, maybe nachos, other foods) or tacos? What about Texas BBQ and potato salad and so on? (Maybe not all that different from some things available at the time, thought.) Or fish, shrimp, crab, etc? Spaghetti? Indian food?

[@jordanhunt2210]

Man I'm absolutely loving this series dude keep it up

[@danielogats]

Amazing direction for new content! Thanks!

[@Papalugnut]

Love this channel so much! I watch almost every video as they come out.. I’d love to see a little more time giving a genuine review of the food as it compares to the actual recipe though!

[@valeriairizarry2472]

Nobody: Tom: *approaches menacingly with chopsticks*

[@prodwawa]

Another fine video. Thanks for always putting out gold Townsends!

[@BenightedDawn]

wow! My mouth is watering! Thanks, John and crew.

[@connoreddings1314]

I just wanted to make it known how much I seriously enjoy these time travel videos. They are very creative and always make my day!

[@TylerJC1212]

What a delightful video! Cheers, mate!

[@majaligeti]

Love this new concept! Especially because you kept the historical aspect of it. It's very innovative.

[@Suitswonderland]

Fantastic series, I love the idea of time traveling with food, I hope you keep making them.

[@janisemom]

I am loving this series! Can’t wait to see what’s next!

[@Ranger_Kevin]

I love the concept of this series, really creative!

[@hannahcollins1816]

This is such a fun idea - I love this concept and hope to see more!!

[@goatfarmmb]

another awesome cooking video keep em comin' and the other ones too

[@Native_love]

Dude, my sons and I LOVE your channel! Thank you Mr. Townsend!

[@SVDBYTHBLD]

This is amazingly creative. Hats off to Townsends!

[@spartan021595]

This concept is awesome! Keep it up!

[@SassyTesla]

This is a super cool one, thanks for making this.

[@tylersimplot13]

This is an awesome idea, hope you do more!!

[@johnbiles419]

What a cool concept! Great video!

[@Bobo411]

I love the idea for this series! Very innovative.

[@AgentCheddar]

Love this, Jon. Such a fun series!

[@christophernorth1663]

What a great concept for a groovy channel. Way to go man!

[@3MenAndALetsPlay]

I love this concept! this is gonna be such a great video. I gotta go get a snack to enjoy this.

[@allenchu3969]

Wow..im truly impressed. Must have been painstaking just to make rhe noodles. Hats off to you! Thabk you! Was auch a fun video to watch. Truly impressed!

[@matuloco]

I really like the concept of this video, great idea!

[@MaffiaRK]

The Time Travel Food series has been excellent!! Thank you!

[@KartizaK]

I am Loving this Time Travel Series ! What a brilliant Idea

[@audreyrobles1505]

I'm very impressed with your substitutions. Very creative! 😁

[@WritingFighter]

Smashed that "Like" button before 2 minutes and for some reason the care, dedication, music, atmosphere, and narration just made me tear up a little at the end. Masterpiece!