I think we can all agree that 2020 is one of the shittiest years in recent memory. With all of the free time we have on our hands I've been delving more into more nuanced content and have uncovered a gem. This Must Stream pick is probably my most obscure yet and is one that I think my good friend from South Africa (@lizelle) might really enjoy.
Pick #2 for 2020 is a YouTube channel called Townsends. The host, always wearing clothing from the period, focuses mostly on 18th and 19th century cooking like this recipe for fried chicken that comes from a cookbook published in 1736:
"Our movements through time and space seem somehow trivial compared to a heap of boiled meat in broth, the smell of saffron, garlic, fishbones, and Pernod." - Anthony Bourdain
Or a how about a macaroni and cheese recipe from 1784?
Interspersed amongst the delicious and unique recipes are practical DIY videos like How To Make An Earthen Oven (try to ignore the silly hats):
and Clothing Repair:
If you're a history geek like me, there are enough fascinating videos on this channel to lose yourself for weeks. Each episode is like traveling back in time, not the boring two-dimensional past we learned about in school but a vibrant living, breathing past.
You can learn so much about a people from the food they eat. After watching Townsends for a few days I feel like I have a much more intimate knowledge of our ancestors. If these videos are any indication they ate better than most of us do now. I can't wait for my taste buds to do a little time traveling and try some of these recipes for myself.
Escapism or not, I highly recommend you add a few videos from this channel to your playlist. Enjoy!
Here’s a list of my previous Must Stream recommendations:
- The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned From a Mythical Man ;
- Heal;
- The Kindness Diaries: Season Two;
- Ramen Heads;
- Anthony Bourdain's Raw Craft.;
- Peaky Blinders; and
- It’s A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood.
Happy Streaming,
Eric
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Eric, nice to see you're still at it! Looking forward to more of your posts. Peaky Blinders is great. Always been a Cillian fan but the best part is the writing. I'll check out a couple of your other suggestions. Bourdain will be top of the list. A sorryful outcome but nice to savour his presence while we had him.
Thank you, Brian. It's great to see you back! Peaky Blinders is one of my favorite series of all time, Outlander comes in a close second. To think, Cillian almost didn't get the role! Raw Craft, Anthony Bourdain's series is pretty engaging. It's something that could have easily been expanded upon. It's so sad we lost him so soon. He was brilliant.
He was brilliant. I could listen to him. So at ease and breathed sincerity. He was a delight!
Absolutely. One of the best of our time, IMO. I found one of his appearances on an obscure little podcast that's really haunting (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/32-anthony-bourdain-holiday-martinis-with-uncle-tony/id1040667321?i=1000379268814). It was two years before he died. He's getting schnockered on martinis and quite accidentally reveals a little about his struggles with depression. It really gives you a glimpse into the challenges he was facing at the time.
Thanks for the link. It was great. The last two minutes tells it all, doesn't it! Probably fuelled with the martinis but still on the mark. Unadulterated truth. Hard to hear in some ways now we know what happened.
You're welcome! Yeah, it was very revealing. I believe this was around the time his relationship with Asia Argento began. I believe that is what pushed him over the edge, I'm not placing blame because they were both adults.
Wow and I'm not surprised you knew these would be right up my alley! I just watched the first one and can't wait to see more, thank you so much for the mention otherwise I may just have missed it; awesome suggestions Eric!
How I'd love to travel through time and this takes us right back!
We really are blessed to have access to wonderful viewing channels like these!
I still remember when all we had was a radio, ok I was very young then! But one had to use your imagination by listening to sound effects and voices;) The whole family would sit around the radio in the evening and listen to the radio dramas, it was wonderful entertainment;)
Then along came the television and it was just WOW; South Africa only got television in the 1970s!
Giving my age away with all of this not so, but it did keep us entertained believe it or not;);)
Happy watching!
Yep you're so right, 2020 has been the worst year ever; felt like one was watching a horror movie in the beginning but how adaptable aren't us human beings as it's now the new norm although many of us are starting to rebel!
Lol, yes, you're one of the first people I thought of when I came across this! The deeper I delve into this channel, the more I enjoy it. I really want to try some of these dishes. Some are so unique and sound absolutely delicious.
I never knew that South Africa didn't have television before the 1970's! I'm sure it caused quite a stir when it was finally rolled out there. Did you find that television changed the culture and life experience after it was widespread?
I think the "utopian fiction" will become a thing after this horrendous year. We have so much dystopia all around us now. It's going to be a long road to recovery.
That chicken looks finger licken gooooooooooood.
It sure does! I want to try it.
Excellent plan, @ericvancewalton! Some of these videos I had seen before when you published them on steemit. I loved remembering Anthony Bourdain, one of my favorites. These days, by the way, I was reading some Venezuelan chronicles of the conquest and I was talking about the way the natives had to cook. Many of the meals were cooked underground or with wood and wrapped with some leaves. It is fascinating to imagine the smells, tastes, and texture of the food. The senses also have memory and you can travel with them. Thank you for sharing. A big hug
Thanks Nancy! It's so interesting to learn more about our ancestor's day-to-day existence. It's amazing to see how similar they really were after all of the technology is taken out of the equation. I often ask myself which of us are better off?
Hello dear friend @ericvancewalton Good day.
This is a very good option to occupy the extra time we have to stay at home, we know that living together can be lethal and we do not occupy our time well.
I love these suggestions, I am intrigued to know my ancestors and everything that leads me there is welcome
I appreciate you letting us know this information
I wish you an excellent day
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks and enjoy your day!
2020 isn't that bad. You just have to get to know her.
COVID-19 and the imposed isolation is balanced with the solidarity found in BLM protests.
Murder hornet's deadly sting is balanced with the preying mantis.
As to any who have died or have been blinded or injured from police brutality, I still don't have a good counter balance. Those events just make me sad and redefine my desire for no human to experience physical violence.
It really is all about perspective, isn't it? I only hope some of the changes were seeing are long-lasting. Society seems to have a short memory and attention span sometimes.
Very interesting! I am going to have to share this with one of my good friends. He is somewhat of a homesteader and he is really into these old cooking styles. He has a lot of his grandmothers recipes that he plays around with from time to time. I think he would get a real kick out if this if he hasn't seen it already!
Thanks for sharing!
You're welcome! This channel really sucks you in. What I like about most of these episodes is they're around 15 minutes so it's not a huge time-commitment.
That isn't too bad at all!
I discovered the DIY eps are longer. Some are over an hour.
No worries, I sent it to him and by the end of the day he had already watched two.
Lol, I'm glad he's liking it. The channel is pretty addictive.
1736... I like his creativity and his dressing.
Peaky blinders is a must must that agree with 100% . I will check the others
I agree with you this shitty year, I want to believe that it will not be worse. I think that many of us sitting at home are a little fat, and if we are still learning to cook according to historical recipes, then obesity is just around the corner. Thanks, informative post.
You're right. An 18th century diet would surely cause obesity today. People in the past burned way more calories than most of us do.
The year 2020 just show everybody that nobody knows the future we can only live for the future.
I wish this year can be restart though.
I'm hoping 2021 brings better things for us all!