1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,280 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always 3 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,320 Speaker 1: so much for tuning in. Heads up, you're gonna learn 4 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:39,480 Speaker 1: that tapioca was way more important back in the day. 5 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 1: But but it's only part of this amazing story. So 6 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: shout out as always to our super producer, Mr Max Williams. 7 00:00:49,240 --> 00:00:54,920 Speaker 1: I am the condom, the condom mom. There should be 8 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: a condiment man too. It's too many syllables for the song. Ben, 9 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: you'd be the indiment man because you've been getting into 10 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: that that vein a lot recently. That's true. I was 11 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,040 Speaker 1: sending I was sending uh, yeah, I've been uh. And Noel, 12 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,840 Speaker 1: remember I was sending you and Max like pictures of 13 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:20,039 Speaker 1: various condiments around the world, mastarto being one. No, thank you, 14 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:28,360 Speaker 1: like fruit gelatin with mustard oil. I'm good. I know 15 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:31,360 Speaker 1: I'm gonna try something but uh. But yeah, So we 16 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:35,240 Speaker 1: do have a history of condiments, as you ongoing serious folks. 17 00:01:35,280 --> 00:01:39,400 Speaker 1: As you know, Noel, Max and I love love love 18 00:01:39,480 --> 00:01:43,640 Speaker 1: talking about the history of the food. Wow, history of 19 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: foods in general. No, keep it of the food. Uh, 20 00:01:46,840 --> 00:01:52,120 Speaker 1: And we're going to talk about illuminary today. Man named 21 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:57,240 Speaker 1: William A. Mitchell is a prolific inventor, and he loved 22 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:02,720 Speaker 1: inventing food, uh different types of foods, often called novelty foods, 23 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: some of which remain commonplace today. As a matter of fact, 24 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,119 Speaker 1: if you, uh, if you celebrated Thanksgiving, if you're based 25 00:02:10,160 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: in the US and you had a bunch of people over, 26 00:02:13,880 --> 00:02:18,359 Speaker 1: you might have seen one of Mitchell's inventions cool whip 27 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: right maybe yes, yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. I first 28 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:28,080 Speaker 1: ran into this guy when I was doing that uh 29 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:32,200 Speaker 1: Stuff of Genius series way back in the day, and 30 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:36,800 Speaker 1: his career gave me so many questions that still remains. 31 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,200 Speaker 1: So I would love to get you guys input or 32 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: perspective on some of these outstanding questions. Which will which 33 00:02:44,480 --> 00:02:47,840 Speaker 1: will get to? But what do we know about William 34 00:02:47,840 --> 00:02:53,440 Speaker 1: AY Mitchell. Well, he was a food scientists. We know 35 00:02:53,600 --> 00:02:57,160 Speaker 1: he passed away, uh not terribly terribly long ago, given 36 00:02:57,200 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: the greater timeline of you know, the nun units in 37 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,120 Speaker 1: two thousand four. And he was, as you said, a 38 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 1: bit of a candy man, a bit of a Willy 39 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:11,600 Speaker 1: Wonka esque figure. You know, he really liked food with 40 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:15,360 Speaker 1: a gimmick, you know, food with a twist. Yeah. Yeah. 41 00:03:15,480 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: He lived to the ripe old age of ninety three, 42 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,320 Speaker 1: which you would think for someone who lives in the 43 00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,200 Speaker 1: world of candy and novelty, he would have some health repercussions, 44 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:29,040 Speaker 1: but he had a life well lived. He was born 45 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,680 Speaker 1: to a farm family in Minnesota nineteen eleven, right after 46 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: the turn of the century, and unfortunately, his childhood was 47 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:41,040 Speaker 1: pretty tough. His father passed away while he was still 48 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:44,720 Speaker 1: in grade school, and he became one of those kids, 49 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: this was common at the time, one of those kids 50 00:03:46,960 --> 00:03:51,000 Speaker 1: who had to balance working on the farm to support 51 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: his family with pursuing education. And he would actually go 52 00:03:55,360 --> 00:03:58,600 Speaker 1: and contract out as a child to other farmers in 53 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,280 Speaker 1: the area to help with a bean and pe harvest 54 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: because the family needed the money. By the time he 55 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,520 Speaker 1: was a teenager, he's in Lamar, Colorado, and he still 56 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: is taking on sidework to help supplement the household income. 57 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: He is trapping muskrats, and he's harvesting melons during the 58 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:21,719 Speaker 1: melon season. I think a big change for him comes 59 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:25,840 Speaker 1: in high school where he takes on the graveyard shift 60 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:29,560 Speaker 1: at a place called the American Beat Sugar Company. So 61 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: he stays up in the wee hours operating sugar crystallization 62 00:04:34,200 --> 00:04:38,800 Speaker 1: tanks and then maybe sleeping two hours before he goes 63 00:04:38,880 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: to school. Yeah, he was a busy boy, balancing a 64 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,320 Speaker 1: lot of things, spinning a lot of plates. But education 65 00:04:46,040 --> 00:04:50,119 Speaker 1: was very important to him, and he actually also worked 66 00:04:50,160 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: as a carpenter for a time in order to pay 67 00:04:54,200 --> 00:04:58,200 Speaker 1: his tuition at Cottoner College in Lincoln, Nebraska, and then 68 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:02,560 Speaker 1: he would further education um with a master's degree in 69 00:05:02,640 --> 00:05:06,880 Speaker 1: chemistry from the University of Nebraska, and then became a 70 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:11,840 Speaker 1: research chemist UM with a pretty relatively high level role 71 00:05:11,960 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: at the Agricultural Experiment Station. I love when you have 72 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: a station on a thing. It makes me immediately think 73 00:05:18,320 --> 00:05:20,760 Speaker 1: of like the thing, you know, or like these like 74 00:05:21,160 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: research stations and in uh In in Alaska, you know, 75 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:26,920 Speaker 1: where people kind of lose their minds and end up 76 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:31,200 Speaker 1: murdering each other or become sentient blobs that subsume one another, 77 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: you know, or maybe just maybe just doing research, who knows. 78 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,599 Speaker 1: But not long after he started that job, there was 79 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: a laboratory explosion that happened as a result of a 80 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:45,800 Speaker 1: crack and a beaker of alcohol, and he was injured 81 00:05:45,839 --> 00:05:48,720 Speaker 1: pretty badly. He got second and third degree burns over 82 00:05:49,240 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: eighty percent of his body. Um. And this this actually 83 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: comes from a how stuff works article from from the 84 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: old days. Yeah yeah, big big fans of house So 85 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: for would I made stuff of genius, it was for 86 00:06:02,839 --> 00:06:06,359 Speaker 1: house Stuff Works. So shout out to Laurie L. Dove. 87 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: We're not going to give you the title of this 88 00:06:09,279 --> 00:06:13,520 Speaker 1: article just yet because it's got some spoilers in it. Okay, 89 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 1: here's my first question. It's gonna give you this statement, 90 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,760 Speaker 1: which is true, is confirmed by multiple sources, and I 91 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,560 Speaker 1: want to learn more about it with you guys. So 92 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,640 Speaker 1: he's known for cool whip, right. He's known for several 93 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:30,520 Speaker 1: other things, including powdered egg whites, which are a thing. 94 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:36,279 Speaker 1: But his real breakthrough, his breakout single, was the creation 95 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: of not tapioca, but a tapioca substitute. During World War 96 00:06:43,080 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 1: Two off air, Max and I were talking about the 97 00:06:46,880 --> 00:06:49,960 Speaker 1: last time we had knowingly tried tapioca, and for me, 98 00:06:50,040 --> 00:06:53,680 Speaker 1: it's almost exclusively in Boba ti. You know, you get 99 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: the little balls in the tie t or whatever, and 100 00:06:56,120 --> 00:06:58,760 Speaker 1: then it's great. It's great stuff. But I had no 101 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,320 Speaker 1: idea tapioca is such a big deal, correct, I mean, 102 00:07:02,400 --> 00:07:04,800 Speaker 1: just in terms of think of it like an additive 103 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:07,760 Speaker 1: like gelatin or something like that, or like a thing 104 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: you might use to preserve foods. So he came up 105 00:07:12,320 --> 00:07:15,960 Speaker 1: with actually a tapioca substitute during World War Two when 106 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:21,760 Speaker 1: supplies of O G. Tapioca were very, very scant um. 107 00:07:21,800 --> 00:07:24,679 Speaker 1: The Associated Press had that to say about it. And 108 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:30,040 Speaker 1: what he did was use starch grains found in cassava 109 00:07:30,200 --> 00:07:34,440 Speaker 1: roots that came from the eastern part of the world, 110 00:07:34,920 --> 00:07:39,920 Speaker 1: and he was able to kind of supplement disrupted supply 111 00:07:40,040 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: chains that were a problem for some of these prepackaged 112 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:47,480 Speaker 1: foods in terms of the availability of these preservatives you know, 113 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: during wartime of course, and and these were probably been 114 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:53,160 Speaker 1: what for things like m R. E s or various 115 00:07:53,280 --> 00:07:57,120 Speaker 1: things to make them shelf stable. Yeah, yeah, it seems 116 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: like it is used as a thick, mean agent. It's 117 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,560 Speaker 1: also a way to just load more carbohydrates into food. 118 00:08:06,040 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: It's strange because tapioca, which is still you know, commonly 119 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 1: used in tropical areas today, it's low in various nutrients. 120 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: It's almost entirely carbs. So maybe this was just the 121 00:08:17,880 --> 00:08:24,040 Speaker 1: idea of getting more energy to people. But this combination 122 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: of starches and gelatine kept the soldiers in the war sated. 123 00:08:31,680 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: It kept them full right, and they may not have 124 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:39,440 Speaker 1: loved the taste. As as everybody knows, World War two 125 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: military rations were not ideal, but an army marches on 126 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:48,320 Speaker 1: its stomach, so he really did genuinely help the war effort. 127 00:08:49,160 --> 00:08:52,240 Speaker 1: But that that's just his breakthrough, right, He's just the 128 00:08:52,559 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: father of tapioca substitutes. It's his next creation that becomes 129 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: the subject of of modern folklore. Honestly, it's a big 130 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,280 Speaker 1: big deal. You know him, You love them pop rocks. 131 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:18,959 Speaker 1: Mitchell is the guy who invented pop rocks. Yeah, still 132 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:22,280 Speaker 1: a delight to this day. There's all kinds of silly 133 00:09:23,240 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: you know, cocktails even that will use pop rocks, so 134 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 1: you know, and and and like themed bars and things 135 00:09:29,200 --> 00:09:32,240 Speaker 1: like there's one in l A actually called Scum and 136 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: Villainy that is a Star Wars kind of Cantina themed bar, 137 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:38,800 Speaker 1: and they use pop rocks and and as as like 138 00:09:38,840 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: a thing to put on the rim of some of 139 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,120 Speaker 1: their cocktails. And it just adds a delightful little carbonated 140 00:09:44,600 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: uh pop that to whatever you know you put it in. Also, 141 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 1: aren't there like urban legends about combining pop rocks with 142 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:54,120 Speaker 1: something else and I'll like kill you or something. Yeah, 143 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: I think it's it's been debunked, but it's definitely of 144 00:09:56,800 --> 00:09:59,920 Speaker 1: of of urban food lore. Yeah, that's one of the 145 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: um That's another one that gets thrown around a lot. 146 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:07,640 Speaker 1: That's where it became part of modern myth and folklore. 147 00:10:07,800 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: Has it has been debunked. But he also stumbled on 148 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: this one sort of by accident. It's nineteen. He wants 149 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:19,600 Speaker 1: to create self carbonating soda and what he ends up 150 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:23,960 Speaker 1: with is instead the candy pop rocks. And you know, 151 00:10:24,000 --> 00:10:27,800 Speaker 1: everybody knows how pop rocks work, right there. These they're 152 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:32,280 Speaker 1: these little bits of candy, hard candy that have carbon 153 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:37,080 Speaker 1: dioxide trapped in bubbles inside the candy, and so when 154 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:40,760 Speaker 1: you put it in your mouth that your saliva dissolves 155 00:10:40,800 --> 00:10:44,280 Speaker 1: through the candy and then you get those fizzy, effervescent 156 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:49,600 Speaker 1: pops of the carbon dioxide releasing. If you're not expecting it, 157 00:10:49,600 --> 00:10:52,800 Speaker 1: it's weird, but if you're a kid looking for a neat, 158 00:10:52,840 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 1: novelty candy, then it's kind of awesome. You know. You 159 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,320 Speaker 1: can also open your mouth and people can actually hear 160 00:10:58,400 --> 00:11:00,679 Speaker 1: the popping if they get close snuff. So make sure 161 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:04,839 Speaker 1: you have good breath exactly exactly, and they come in 162 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 1: you know, you could call them flavors. I guess, uh. 163 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:11,599 Speaker 1: You know, results may vary in terms of does it 164 00:11:11,679 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 1: actually taste like blueberry or whatever. Food sciences is somewhat 165 00:11:15,200 --> 00:11:18,400 Speaker 1: of an imprecise science at times, you know, in candy 166 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 1: and cereal, like do the various colors of tricks cereal 167 00:11:22,040 --> 00:11:25,040 Speaker 1: actually tastes like the fruits they're intended to or does 168 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:26,880 Speaker 1: it pair with like the shape of it to to 169 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,400 Speaker 1: lead to the suggestion of the taste of a fruit. 170 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: A little more mental gymnastics involved in that. Yeah. And 171 00:11:33,480 --> 00:11:36,559 Speaker 1: he talks about this himself in in later interviews. We're 172 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: getting a lot of this from mash dot com and 173 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:41,400 Speaker 1: an excellent article in The Atlantic. He says, we would 174 00:11:41,400 --> 00:11:44,679 Speaker 1: try to make a carbonated beverage powder that would taste good. 175 00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:47,600 Speaker 1: That's the hardest part of food science, that and making 176 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: it safe to eat. Uh. And he said, I was 177 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:53,200 Speaker 1: working on this drink powder. My idea was when you 178 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:55,600 Speaker 1: mix it with water, it would transform into a fizzy 179 00:11:55,800 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: carbonated drink. Drink mixes were already a thing, for sure. 180 00:12:00,080 --> 00:12:03,280 Speaker 1: He wanted to take it to the next step, and 181 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: he wasn't able to that's a big reason why there's 182 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Speaker 1: not powdered coca cola or pepsi today. He tasted a 183 00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:14,040 Speaker 1: bit of this stuff when he was trying it in 184 00:12:14,080 --> 00:12:17,720 Speaker 1: the lab, in the food lab layer, in the food station, 185 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:21,840 Speaker 1: and then he said, hang on, this is a crap 186 00:12:22,440 --> 00:12:25,440 Speaker 1: soda that I've made, But I like these little chunks 187 00:12:25,480 --> 00:12:27,680 Speaker 1: they pop in my mouth. You know, this is Willy 188 00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: Wonka moment. And people from all over the company heard 189 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 1: about this, and they started showing up at his lab 190 00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:39,120 Speaker 1: and saying out to out try I'll pop your rocks, 191 00:12:39,320 --> 00:12:42,679 Speaker 1: which was not as unpleasant and euphemism as it might sound. 192 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:45,959 Speaker 1: And uh, and then he says it became a game. 193 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: Co workers would show up and try to swallow the 194 00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:52,440 Speaker 1: biggest chunk of pop rock. Oh maybe this is where 195 00:12:52,480 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: the myth about. Maybe one of them swallowed too big 196 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:58,679 Speaker 1: a chunk in there and their head exploded. Yeah. Maybe. 197 00:12:58,920 --> 00:13:01,640 Speaker 1: And and it was just just like in the thing, right, 198 00:13:01,920 --> 00:13:05,400 Speaker 1: the thing is based on the invention of pop rocks. 199 00:13:05,520 --> 00:13:07,560 Speaker 1: There's a lot more to the story. And then you 200 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: can put it in things right. You can put it 201 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:12,200 Speaker 1: in bubblegum, for example. And it created I love I 202 00:13:12,240 --> 00:13:14,680 Speaker 1: love this era of of food and treats. You have 203 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:17,920 Speaker 1: such funny, like futuristic at the time sounding names like 204 00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:23,440 Speaker 1: incredibubble popping gum. And there's an incredible bubble add that 205 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: you can hear right about here. Watch people try amazing 206 00:13:29,120 --> 00:13:35,319 Speaker 1: incredibubble theilings crackling bubblegum. This bubblegums strange than I am. 207 00:13:35,400 --> 00:13:39,480 Speaker 1: That's a Dracula character. Yeah, looks like f Murray Abraham 208 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: fantastic clucking bubblegum that's loaded with long, laughing labor puppet, 209 00:13:54,880 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: say from Charms. What so so this pop Yeah, So, 210 00:14:01,280 --> 00:14:04,760 Speaker 1: our our buddy research associate Zach sent us a version 211 00:14:04,800 --> 00:14:09,360 Speaker 1: of this commercial, and it really is of the time. 212 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 1: For some reason, there is a Draculasque vampire there. He's 213 00:14:12,760 --> 00:14:19,160 Speaker 1: also nuts about incredibubble popping gum. He's insane. He's insane, exactly. 214 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,760 Speaker 1: He's like, I've been drinking blood this whole time. They 215 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 1: caught that part. Uh. So you see that this, this 216 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:31,400 Speaker 1: is a new sensation, and that the very same popularity 217 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:36,320 Speaker 1: of this new material science for food leads to these 218 00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:40,920 Speaker 1: disturbing urban legends that we've been teasing. Correct what we 219 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: tease earlier was and I had it a little bit wrong. Um, 220 00:14:44,520 --> 00:14:46,600 Speaker 1: let's let's just correct the record here. I didn't have 221 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: it wrong. I just couldn't remember what the other ingredient was. 222 00:14:48,640 --> 00:14:51,680 Speaker 1: But it's too much carbonation, you know, like right, so 223 00:14:51,720 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: you combine pop rocks with an actual carbonated soda, it's 224 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:59,360 Speaker 1: extreme uh and potentially uh. The idea of of this 225 00:14:59,520 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: almost like satanic panic thing began to circulate, the idea 226 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:07,200 Speaker 1: in the seventies that the kids were doing these like 227 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,320 Speaker 1: you know what you might look at on TikTok today, 228 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:13,200 Speaker 1: these bizarre challenges that kids are doing. You know that 229 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:15,440 Speaker 1: that the kids are doing um and it was causing 230 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:20,040 Speaker 1: them to die, you know, um in mass quantities. Yeah, 231 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: there was this. There was this rumor that a popular 232 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:30,200 Speaker 1: kid from advertisements of the era died because he ate 233 00:15:30,240 --> 00:15:32,640 Speaker 1: pop rocks and he washed it down with soda. Too 234 00:15:32,760 --> 00:15:38,160 Speaker 1: much carbon dioxide, too fast, too soon, too young. In ye, 235 00:15:38,440 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: Quaker Oats makes this commercial for Life Cereal and it 236 00:15:42,680 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 1: has it's all about winning over kids, right, because kids 237 00:15:46,080 --> 00:15:48,920 Speaker 1: want candy for breakfast, not something healthy, and they're like, 238 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:52,800 Speaker 1: this cereal looks too healthy. So in the commercial they 239 00:15:52,840 --> 00:15:57,320 Speaker 1: tested on a character named Little Mikey. Little Mikey, Hey, 240 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,960 Speaker 1: it's everything but life Cereal. He tries it and he 241 00:16:02,040 --> 00:16:04,960 Speaker 1: loves it. And then there's this catchphrase that's like Mikey 242 00:16:05,040 --> 00:16:09,000 Speaker 1: likes it. See even Mikey, who's a real pill likes 243 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:12,680 Speaker 1: life Cereal. And then this rumor starts and it says 244 00:16:12,800 --> 00:16:16,480 Speaker 1: that remember that kid who played Mikey, he died because 245 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,200 Speaker 1: pop rocks and soda exactly. And of course this is, 246 00:16:21,240 --> 00:16:24,280 Speaker 1: you know, not the truth, but it is typically the 247 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: way of these things. You know, it starts with word 248 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:29,440 Speaker 1: of mouth and then it just starts to spread and 249 00:16:29,480 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: the rumor becomes more interesting than the truth. And this 250 00:16:31,560 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: is also of course in the days before the Internet, 251 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:36,800 Speaker 1: where it was a lot harder to verify independently these 252 00:16:36,880 --> 00:16:42,000 Speaker 1: kinds of things. So we had a backlash more or less, 253 00:16:42,120 --> 00:16:45,200 Speaker 1: and William A. Mitchell actually had to do some damage 254 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:49,520 Speaker 1: control and speak to the science of pop rocks. He 255 00:16:49,600 --> 00:16:52,840 Speaker 1: spoke to People magazine where he said, quote, there is 256 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,280 Speaker 1: no danger. The worst thing the rocks can do is 257 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: make you burp. The amount of gas in pop rocks 258 00:16:58,440 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: is less than one tenth the amount in a can 259 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,600 Speaker 1: of soda. Pop Yeah, exactly. He's just he's doing the 260 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:11,000 Speaker 1: basic math and MythBusters later incorporated this idea into their show. 261 00:17:11,560 --> 00:17:15,880 Speaker 1: They disproved the claim that you could combine pop rocks 262 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:18,960 Speaker 1: and soda to make somebody's stomach burst. They did it 263 00:17:19,640 --> 00:17:22,480 Speaker 1: using a pig stomach, which is close enough to a 264 00:17:22,600 --> 00:17:27,720 Speaker 1: humans stomach for this purpose. The host ultimately concluded Mitchell's 265 00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:31,520 Speaker 1: claim about burping and he said, Okay, that checks out, 266 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:34,960 Speaker 1: And they said the pop rocks soda combo all together 267 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:40,040 Speaker 1: just cannot produce enough gas to actually explode a human stomach. 268 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 1: So that's debunked. But like a lot of other urban 269 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,840 Speaker 1: legends that get debunked, it stays around because it's a fun, 270 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:51,479 Speaker 1: scary story to tell. Uh. And still that damage control 271 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,639 Speaker 1: wasn't enough, right, People still were alleging a conspiracy, right, 272 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:59,439 Speaker 1: maybe a cover up, and this led General Foods to 273 00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: take out ads in forty five pretty significant magazines and 274 00:18:04,080 --> 00:18:07,960 Speaker 1: newspapers and also going to letter writing campaign. They sent 275 00:18:08,280 --> 00:18:12,639 Speaker 1: fifty thousand letters to school principles across the United States 276 00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: saying yeah, no fooling pop rocks really definitely will not 277 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:22,560 Speaker 1: kill you. And you can learn all about this on 278 00:18:22,800 --> 00:18:27,399 Speaker 1: the actual pop rocks site pop dash rocks dot com. Well, 279 00:18:27,440 --> 00:18:29,040 Speaker 1: the Fay thing about it too, is it's like, it's 280 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:31,760 Speaker 1: probably not the carbon dioxide content they should be worrying about, 281 00:18:31,800 --> 00:18:36,320 Speaker 1: it's the sugar content. This stuff is is is teeth 282 00:18:36,440 --> 00:18:41,920 Speaker 1: rot city. Yeah, And because of the popularity of this legend, 283 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:45,760 Speaker 1: the damage control campaign doesn't work. So for a time, 284 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,840 Speaker 1: pop Rocks are pulled from the market. They later get 285 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:53,639 Speaker 1: bought by another company and reintroduced to the public and 286 00:18:53,720 --> 00:18:58,760 Speaker 1: they're still around today. But this look this, these are 287 00:18:58,800 --> 00:19:02,919 Speaker 1: only two of Mitchell's inventions. First off, we have tapioca 288 00:19:02,960 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: substitute because tapioca was a big deal. Now we have 289 00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,159 Speaker 1: pop rocks, and now we're on two more. He's like 290 00:19:09,240 --> 00:19:12,240 Speaker 1: the DJ Khalid of food scientists. He's just sitting there 291 00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:18,680 Speaker 1: in the lab going another one. Well, well Mitchell, yeah, yeah, 292 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,679 Speaker 1: So we're gonna, you know, turn back the clock a 293 00:19:21,680 --> 00:19:25,200 Speaker 1: little bit to nineteen fifty seven. Uh. And a product 294 00:19:25,240 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 1: that if you haven't tried, because it's certainly fall out 295 00:19:27,760 --> 00:19:29,919 Speaker 1: of favor, a good bit you've probably heard of, usually 296 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,960 Speaker 1: as it relates to the space program. In nineteen fifty seven, 297 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: Mitchell made a big splash when he debuted a product 298 00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:42,280 Speaker 1: called Tang and Discover magazine in their reporting on this phenomenon, 299 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:44,919 Speaker 1: said that at the time it was actually intended to 300 00:19:44,960 --> 00:19:48,240 Speaker 1: be a breakfast drink, sort of an orange juice replacement 301 00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 1: because of all of the vitamins that it contained, Vitamin C, 302 00:19:51,640 --> 00:19:56,000 Speaker 1: Vitamin A, vitamin E, and lots of calcium, and it 303 00:19:56,119 --> 00:19:59,760 Speaker 1: was in a handy dandy, easy to mix powder. Again, 304 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,960 Speaker 1: outers of the time were kind of considered like futuristic. 305 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:06,159 Speaker 1: You can get all your vitamins and minerals and a 306 00:20:06,200 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: pill in pill form, you know, or in powder form. Yeah, 307 00:20:09,640 --> 00:20:13,919 Speaker 1: finally it's real retro futurism. Now it feels very Jetsons. 308 00:20:13,960 --> 00:20:18,720 Speaker 1: So this stuff was not an instant hit, but it 309 00:20:18,800 --> 00:20:25,120 Speaker 1: became popular after John Glenn drank something that looked like 310 00:20:25,240 --> 00:20:30,440 Speaker 1: tank on a rocket ship in nineteen sixty two. This 311 00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: became a space age success. You know, it's kind of 312 00:20:33,359 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: the reason powdered ice cream or dehydrated ice cream excuse me, 313 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,520 Speaker 1: still has that novelty appeal, and it's sold at all 314 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: the gift shops associated with space And you know what, 315 00:20:44,640 --> 00:20:47,400 Speaker 1: if you haven't tried it, give it a go, give it, 316 00:20:47,440 --> 00:20:50,240 Speaker 1: like I think it's all right, yeah, and I don't 317 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 1: have that much of a sweet tooth, but I do 318 00:20:52,480 --> 00:20:55,840 Speaker 1: like space, and I'm gullible. They got me there, so 319 00:20:55,920 --> 00:20:58,240 Speaker 1: I gotta I gotta have my dried ice cream, my 320 00:20:58,240 --> 00:21:01,840 Speaker 1: space creams. It's a way of feeling like you're participating, 321 00:21:01,920 --> 00:21:04,199 Speaker 1: you know, in some way. Or it's like I'm like 322 00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,399 Speaker 1: an astronaut because I'm eating this like gummy powdered brick 323 00:21:08,680 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: of like sugar. You know. I have so many dumb 324 00:21:11,640 --> 00:21:17,880 Speaker 1: like space food themed things in my pantry, like astronaut rice. 325 00:21:19,119 --> 00:21:21,960 Speaker 1: I keep the ice cream around in case, just in case. 326 00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:23,879 Speaker 1: I don't know, guys, I might be turned into a 327 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,080 Speaker 1: food hoarder. But you ever had you ever had moon cheese, 328 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:32,160 Speaker 1: the most unappetizing named sash. It's the same day. Yeah, 329 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,919 Speaker 1: it's dehydrated cheese product chips, you know, good crunch. But 330 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:40,160 Speaker 1: they sell it's very similar consistency to astronaut ice cream. 331 00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:42,040 Speaker 1: But it's funny. I was in Seattle a couple of 332 00:21:42,080 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 1: years ago and at the Space Needle gift shop. Because 333 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: again the space need nothing to do with space whatsoever, 334 00:21:47,840 --> 00:21:52,040 Speaker 1: more of correct, more of just sort of like a 335 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:56,280 Speaker 1: retrofuturist kind of thing. They sell astronaut ice cream at 336 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,479 Speaker 1: the Space Needle gift Shop. Yeah, and Uh. The thing 337 00:21:59,520 --> 00:22:02,919 Speaker 1: about she's it's not a thing because it is tasty. 338 00:22:02,960 --> 00:22:05,040 Speaker 1: It's a nice crunch. I find it leaves a little 339 00:22:05,040 --> 00:22:07,879 Speaker 1: bit of a film boy does it all the stuff 340 00:22:07,920 --> 00:22:10,879 Speaker 1: does all all these like powdered things kind of do. 341 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:12,800 Speaker 1: And also what I've done is too I'm a big 342 00:22:12,840 --> 00:22:15,439 Speaker 1: fan of crystal light. Uh. It is a you know, 343 00:22:15,680 --> 00:22:19,359 Speaker 1: very low calorie kind of juice mix powder, um, and 344 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:21,840 Speaker 1: when you put the powder in the in the picture, 345 00:22:22,640 --> 00:22:25,040 Speaker 1: it like gets in the air and you kind of 346 00:22:25,040 --> 00:22:27,280 Speaker 1: start inhale it a little bit. It's like a little 347 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:30,040 Speaker 1: weird like to think about it, you know what it 348 00:22:30,119 --> 00:22:32,600 Speaker 1: is in terms of the chemical ness of it all. 349 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:35,440 Speaker 1: But hey, it tastes delicious and it's a it's locale, 350 00:22:35,800 --> 00:22:38,040 Speaker 1: and I like to mix it with soda water. Here's 351 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: and here's why. Here's why tang gets associated with the 352 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:47,639 Speaker 1: space flight. When John glenn is on the Mercury space flight, 353 00:22:48,359 --> 00:22:52,440 Speaker 1: tang is used to mask the metallic flavor of the 354 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,680 Speaker 1: water stored on board, so just to make it taste 355 00:22:56,040 --> 00:23:00,720 Speaker 1: a little bit less elementy, you know, And and this 356 00:23:00,760 --> 00:23:04,840 Speaker 1: works right, and then later it's aboard other space flights. 357 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:08,240 Speaker 1: By the time the Apollo eight mission is televised in 358 00:23:10,119 --> 00:23:15,640 Speaker 1: Tang is a major sponsor of the ABC Space Launch broadcast. Uh, 359 00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:19,160 Speaker 1: there's this is going back to excellent article by Loriel Dove. 360 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: There's a little bit of a little bit of a 361 00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:27,160 Speaker 1: level set later when astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who also drank Tang, 362 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: goes on to say in an interview, Tang sucks. He 363 00:23:32,960 --> 00:23:36,879 Speaker 1: apparently didn't have a lot of nostalgia for it. Uh, 364 00:23:38,760 --> 00:23:44,199 Speaker 1: he didn't sucks. Yeah, he said it is. He's mounting. 365 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:50,359 Speaker 1: He's quoted in the Seattle Times saying this. So even 366 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:53,240 Speaker 1: as it gets more and more popular and all these 367 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,479 Speaker 1: all these kids want it because it makes them. You know. 368 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,480 Speaker 1: It's like how kids would eat wheaties to try to 369 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,840 Speaker 1: be like the athlete on the on the cover of 370 00:24:03,880 --> 00:24:06,360 Speaker 1: the box, right or on the Yeah, be like Mike. 371 00:24:06,840 --> 00:24:09,639 Speaker 1: This implies the sort of purpose to Tang, right. The 372 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:13,400 Speaker 1: makers were completely happy letting people think Tang have been 373 00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: invented specifically for astronauts. But really, if you look at 374 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:24,400 Speaker 1: the history, Mitchell is just this Wonka esque character. He's 375 00:24:24,440 --> 00:24:27,520 Speaker 1: just the zany inventor. He likes food to be fun, 376 00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:29,679 Speaker 1: and I think we need more people like that in 377 00:24:29,720 --> 00:24:32,320 Speaker 1: the world. He didn't give up. He didn't rest on 378 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:36,000 Speaker 1: his laurels. After these three inventions. He wanted to make 379 00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:40,280 Speaker 1: stuff better, faster, stronger for home cooks, and so in 380 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,439 Speaker 1: sixty seven he makes a new kind of jello. You 381 00:24:43,440 --> 00:24:46,240 Speaker 1: can make it with cold water instead of hot, so 382 00:24:46,280 --> 00:24:49,800 Speaker 1: it's that much faster to make jello at home. He 383 00:24:49,840 --> 00:24:54,680 Speaker 1: didn't original stuff, certainly jellatson I think especially. I think 384 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:57,040 Speaker 1: there's like a vegetable based gelatin. And I know some 385 00:24:57,080 --> 00:24:58,920 Speaker 1: of the stuff just form watching Great British Bake Off. 386 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: But sometimes in those technical challenges, or they don't give 387 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 1: you instructions, they they'll throw you a curveball and there 388 00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:06,720 Speaker 1: is this one. Or they used a certain type of 389 00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: gelatine that had to be dissolved in hot boiling water, 390 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:13,879 Speaker 1: and if you just mix it into the cold water 391 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: and then got it up the temperature, it wouldn't set. 392 00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:19,400 Speaker 1: So this was again part of the process. And what's 393 00:25:19,400 --> 00:25:21,440 Speaker 1: interesting too about all of these things we're talking about 394 00:25:21,480 --> 00:25:24,439 Speaker 1: is you have to remember that food scientists are just that, 395 00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,760 Speaker 1: they're scientists. They're not marketers. So there's this whole other 396 00:25:28,359 --> 00:25:31,840 Speaker 1: wing of selling these things. And sometimes it'll be a 397 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:34,520 Speaker 1: use that wasn't really the intended use, and then because 398 00:25:34,560 --> 00:25:37,480 Speaker 1: of these associations with things like the Space Program, the 399 00:25:37,520 --> 00:25:39,879 Speaker 1: marketing wing will just their eyes will light up and 400 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:42,320 Speaker 1: with dollar signs, and they'll just let go Ham on 401 00:25:42,400 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 1: that association, even though it wasn't necessarily what the creator 402 00:25:45,960 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: had in mind at all. Yeah, and I want to 403 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:51,080 Speaker 1: say something neat that I realized about the British Baking Show, 404 00:25:51,119 --> 00:25:53,399 Speaker 1: which is a great show. It's wholesome and you should 405 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 1: check it out if you're feeling stressed. It really is 406 00:25:56,960 --> 00:26:01,359 Speaker 1: true that peanut butter is in the West, at least, 407 00:26:01,400 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: it's such an American thing, and like a pp J, 408 00:26:05,359 --> 00:26:08,600 Speaker 1: a peanut butter jelly sandwich is not super familiar, at 409 00:26:08,680 --> 00:26:11,639 Speaker 1: least the way I've seen it treated on the British 410 00:26:11,680 --> 00:26:15,520 Speaker 1: Baking Show. The judges are like, you combined a peanut 411 00:26:15,600 --> 00:26:19,840 Speaker 1: favor with that of a very how absurd and strange 412 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:24,399 Speaker 1: yet delectable. That's very It's got a real novelty to 413 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:25,919 Speaker 1: it over there, and they do the same thing like 414 00:26:25,920 --> 00:26:28,480 Speaker 1: there was an episode recently where they had the contestants 415 00:26:28,560 --> 00:26:32,160 Speaker 1: make quote unquote s'mores and there was this backlash because 416 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:35,760 Speaker 1: they used what are called digestive biscuits, which are not 417 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:38,760 Speaker 1: Graham crackers. They are like these kind of little tea 418 00:26:39,119 --> 00:26:41,840 Speaker 1: cracker or tea cookies, you know that they call them 419 00:26:41,840 --> 00:26:44,359 Speaker 1: biscuits over there. But there was this whole like, what 420 00:26:45,240 --> 00:26:47,399 Speaker 1: it's an abomination what they've done with the with the 421 00:26:47,480 --> 00:26:50,720 Speaker 1: humble s'more and uh, they also had a real kind 422 00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:53,080 Speaker 1: of wonky one where they did Mexican Week and they 423 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,360 Speaker 1: made tacos. You know, people clearly had they don't get 424 00:26:57,400 --> 00:27:00,520 Speaker 1: good Mexican over there, I think, and in across the pond, 425 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 1: and so there was some definitely opportunities for mockery there. Yeah. 426 00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: And and look, you know the bakers on Great British 427 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:13,399 Speaker 1: Bakeoff are they're doing their best to innovate, and in 428 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:22,600 Speaker 1: that way there are a lot like Mitchell. Mitchell is 429 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:25,560 Speaker 1: on a roll post hang. Just a few months after this, 430 00:27:25,920 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: he comes up with cool whip. Uh, this is the 431 00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,560 Speaker 1: very first frozen, non dairy whipped cream. That's a lot 432 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:34,960 Speaker 1: of caveats, but you know what we're talking about. You've 433 00:27:34,960 --> 00:27:38,399 Speaker 1: seen it in grocery stores throughout the land. This is 434 00:27:38,440 --> 00:27:42,639 Speaker 1: a huge success for the company General Foods because you 435 00:27:42,720 --> 00:27:45,919 Speaker 1: can freeze cool whip, which makes it easier to ship. 436 00:27:46,280 --> 00:27:49,320 Speaker 1: You also make it easier for people to use whipped 437 00:27:49,320 --> 00:27:56,240 Speaker 1: cream in recipes. Nowadays, they've tinkered with Mitchell's original invention 438 00:27:56,280 --> 00:28:00,960 Speaker 1: a bit. Cool Whip does have some milk and cream, 439 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:05,359 Speaker 1: mainly because a lot of American consumers said, I don't 440 00:28:05,359 --> 00:28:08,959 Speaker 1: want it to be entirely artificial, you know, I feel 441 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:12,119 Speaker 1: like I've seen something on the news about that. So 442 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,800 Speaker 1: they put in a little milk. But but honestly, if 443 00:28:15,800 --> 00:28:19,199 Speaker 1: you're getting cool Whip, you don't expect it to be 444 00:28:19,440 --> 00:28:23,480 Speaker 1: straight from some Cool Whip branded cow. You know, it's 445 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,240 Speaker 1: clearly artificial, and they wanted to save the convenience. It 446 00:28:26,280 --> 00:28:29,399 Speaker 1: reminds me of Betty Crocker cake mix. Do you know 447 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,120 Speaker 1: what saved that cake mix? It's the idea of adding 448 00:28:32,119 --> 00:28:35,320 Speaker 1: an egg. You totally don't need to. They just wanted 449 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:37,320 Speaker 1: people to feel like they were cooking a little more. 450 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:41,560 Speaker 1: Exactly now, that's exactly right. And you know, all of 451 00:28:41,600 --> 00:28:46,800 Speaker 1: his work um that was popularized by General Foods kind 452 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:51,720 Speaker 1: of gave way to another phase in his career involving 453 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: his daughter, Cheryl Mitchell, who wanted to be a bit 454 00:28:55,280 --> 00:28:58,400 Speaker 1: more health conscious than some of these packaged, you know, 455 00:28:58,720 --> 00:29:02,080 Speaker 1: mass produced foods that that that General foods company was 456 00:29:02,120 --> 00:29:07,880 Speaker 1: putting out using Mitchell's innovations. Yeah. Yeah, So they stumble 457 00:29:08,000 --> 00:29:12,480 Speaker 1: on something that they start calling du copa. And they 458 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: do this because Cheryl Mitchell and her spouse grows some 459 00:29:16,440 --> 00:29:21,160 Speaker 1: dahlias on their property and her dad comes along and says, oh, 460 00:29:21,240 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 1: we should roast the tubers of these dahlias. They end 461 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:28,240 Speaker 1: up with this brown substance that kind of tastes like coffee, 462 00:29:28,680 --> 00:29:31,040 Speaker 1: and so they start selling it as this stuff they 463 00:29:31,120 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: called dacopa, a coffee substitute that is supposed to have 464 00:29:35,000 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: some health benefits. It doesn't work. It doesn't catch on. 465 00:29:38,840 --> 00:29:42,360 Speaker 1: Most people stick with regular coffee or god forbid decalf. 466 00:29:43,040 --> 00:29:48,160 Speaker 1: Mitchell does make a miscalculation. He says, look, we're going 467 00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:52,160 Speaker 1: toward an age of convenience foods. He didn't predict that 468 00:29:52,240 --> 00:29:55,440 Speaker 1: coffee would go the other way and become more specialized, 469 00:29:55,920 --> 00:29:59,560 Speaker 1: would have ritualistic processes. You know, you just don't get 470 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:02,440 Speaker 1: a cup Joe at a lot of places. Now you 471 00:30:02,480 --> 00:30:06,120 Speaker 1: wait and then there are you know, making it is 472 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:08,560 Speaker 1: an art form for the barista in the fancy places. 473 00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:11,320 Speaker 1: That's more of a modern thing though, right, I mean, 474 00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:13,560 Speaker 1: like the idea of you know, coffee used to be 475 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: all about the Maxwell house or the taster's choice or 476 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: the freeze dried coffee and all that that you could 477 00:30:18,880 --> 00:30:21,120 Speaker 1: just it was about quickness and convenience because it was 478 00:30:21,360 --> 00:30:24,280 Speaker 1: such a part of people's routine that it was all about, 479 00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:26,480 Speaker 1: you know, how quickly can I get this, you know, 480 00:30:26,680 --> 00:30:32,400 Speaker 1: from can to cup? Yeah, exactly and this look. But 481 00:30:32,480 --> 00:30:34,920 Speaker 1: we're talking about one of the great food scientists. It's 482 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,400 Speaker 1: kind of like talking about the Shakespeare of sweets, right. 483 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:42,240 Speaker 1: Not everything he made was a hit. We remember the successes, 484 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:46,640 Speaker 1: but we should also remember that he, like any other scientists, 485 00:30:46,840 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 1: had a lot of trails that went cold, you know, 486 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 1: a lot of gelatin of innovation that just would not set. 487 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,360 Speaker 1: And one example of this is his nineteen sixty nine 488 00:30:56,360 --> 00:31:00,520 Speaker 1: patent four Dessert on a Stick. It's a dessert powder 489 00:31:00,520 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: that was so thick it could may be made into 490 00:31:03,040 --> 00:31:06,120 Speaker 1: popsicle like treats at room temperature. You didn't have to 491 00:31:06,160 --> 00:31:09,160 Speaker 1: freeze it. It wasn't a hit through our research, associate 492 00:31:09,240 --> 00:31:13,600 Speaker 1: Doctor's Act says he definitely would try it so for 493 00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:17,000 Speaker 1: Christmas bro dessert. Anything on a stick becomes you know, 494 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:21,320 Speaker 1: in the whole fair food phenomenon FFP, everything on a 495 00:31:21,320 --> 00:31:23,920 Speaker 1: stick just seems more fun. You know, you've got like 496 00:31:24,200 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 1: now you've got kind of throwback companies like a hot 497 00:31:26,920 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: dog on a stick. Just having on a stick in 498 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:32,880 Speaker 1: the name hearkens back to like a time where everything 499 00:31:33,040 --> 00:31:35,720 Speaker 1: should should come on a stick. But yeah, it really 500 00:31:35,800 --> 00:31:40,000 Speaker 1: was kind of again one of these about portability, about 501 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,880 Speaker 1: you know, kind of self contained nests one stop shop ory. Oh, 502 00:31:44,960 --> 00:31:47,800 Speaker 1: and let me correct something here while I while I 503 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,720 Speaker 1: remember it. He was not three when he passed away. 504 00:31:50,760 --> 00:31:54,320 Speaker 1: He was ninety two. He passed away in July four. 505 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 1: And he also made carbonated ice. He had a patent 506 00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:01,440 Speaker 1: for that. Over the course of his life he would 507 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:07,040 Speaker 1: receive seventy patents and he retired in nineteen seventy. Different 508 00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: weird ideas for food. This guy had. His daughter went 509 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:14,280 Speaker 1: on to become a food scientist, and she's more of 510 00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:17,120 Speaker 1: a again, like we mentioned, she's more of a health 511 00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:21,080 Speaker 1: conscious or health focused inventor. She does stuff like vegan milk, 512 00:32:21,520 --> 00:32:26,080 Speaker 1: trying to create dairy taste from non dairy sources for sure. 513 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:30,600 Speaker 1: Um and great article on on all of this stuff 514 00:32:30,640 --> 00:32:35,480 Speaker 1: from Smithsonian by Emily Matcher. Um hipped us to the 515 00:32:35,840 --> 00:32:39,640 Speaker 1: book about Mitchell called Pop Rocks The Inside Story of 516 00:32:39,680 --> 00:32:44,200 Speaker 1: America's Revolutionary Candy uh And there's a quote from the 517 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:48,320 Speaker 1: author Marv Rudolph saying that Mitchell was a true inventor, 518 00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:51,840 Speaker 1: a person who looks at problems differently and can find elegant, 519 00:32:51,920 --> 00:32:55,080 Speaker 1: sometimes simple solutions that no one else considered. If you 520 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:58,880 Speaker 1: generate enough intellectual property in the laboratory to issue a patent, 521 00:32:59,040 --> 00:33:02,560 Speaker 1: on the average every ten months of your career, you 522 00:33:02,600 --> 00:33:06,520 Speaker 1: have joined a very exclusive club. And this was a 523 00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:09,200 Speaker 1: club that that Mitchell was was very much front and 524 00:33:09,240 --> 00:33:12,360 Speaker 1: center in Yeah, I mean in the world of food. 525 00:33:12,520 --> 00:33:14,800 Speaker 1: He might be a club of one. He might be 526 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:18,400 Speaker 1: a slow club. Here you see the lay of the land, folks. 527 00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: Some of his foods, his innovations remain very popular today 528 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,840 Speaker 1: because they have become attached to some part of the 529 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:31,160 Speaker 1: American zeitgeist. Right. You associate cool whip with certain desserts, 530 00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: and you associate those desserts, in turn, often with certain 531 00:33:35,400 --> 00:33:41,040 Speaker 1: seasonal celebrations. Right, pop rocks you associate with childhood, with 532 00:33:41,080 --> 00:33:45,120 Speaker 1: that ugly, ugly urban legend that sort of dares you 533 00:33:45,200 --> 00:33:48,120 Speaker 1: to try it yourself and see. But a lot of 534 00:33:48,120 --> 00:33:53,680 Speaker 1: his other stuff fell out a favor, and now the 535 00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:58,360 Speaker 1: trends of food have reversed. Right in post World War two, 536 00:33:58,360 --> 00:34:01,280 Speaker 1: I was seen as very future and forward facing to 537 00:34:01,440 --> 00:34:04,880 Speaker 1: have convenience foods. Make this a powder, right, make this 538 00:34:04,960 --> 00:34:08,120 Speaker 1: a mix? Save me some time, I'll use the microwave. 539 00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:13,400 Speaker 1: But now increasingly we see movements like slow food, organic food, 540 00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,560 Speaker 1: locally grown food. And you know, we all, I think 541 00:34:17,600 --> 00:34:20,279 Speaker 1: we've all been there where someone who is a real 542 00:34:21,440 --> 00:34:23,600 Speaker 1: has a real hobby horse about one of these things, 543 00:34:24,280 --> 00:34:27,720 Speaker 1: maybe guilt you a little about enjoying stuff like cheese 544 00:34:27,719 --> 00:34:31,640 Speaker 1: whiz not a Mitchell invention, or some processed food that 545 00:34:31,680 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 1: you really like, like to Rito's or something to each 546 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:39,680 Speaker 1: their own. But no matter what those folks do, they're 547 00:34:39,680 --> 00:34:42,879 Speaker 1: probably not going to get rid of cool whip. It's 548 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:47,799 Speaker 1: just so convenient. That's what Mitchell was all about, and 549 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:50,960 Speaker 1: that was his legacy. We do want to add he 550 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:57,640 Speaker 1: had a normal funeral ceremony. It was not like shoot 551 00:34:57,680 --> 00:35:00,319 Speaker 1: him into a cannon at a cannon made a full 552 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:03,560 Speaker 1: of op It's not a pop rock style Viking funeral. 553 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:07,920 Speaker 1: They put them in a jar of cool whip. They 554 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:11,839 Speaker 1: did not that one not. Can we also say too 555 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,440 Speaker 1: that the cool whip has also done wonders for like 556 00:35:14,800 --> 00:35:18,040 Speaker 1: supplementing people's tupperware collections. Let's just say I didn't know, 557 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: you know, growing up, I don't remember cool whip. I 558 00:35:21,719 --> 00:35:25,759 Speaker 1: just remember the containers. I hear rumors that those containers 559 00:35:25,800 --> 00:35:28,160 Speaker 1: have had cool whip in the midtimes, but I've never 560 00:35:28,200 --> 00:35:31,880 Speaker 1: seen that discovery firsthand. You know, Yeah, what do people use? 561 00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:33,920 Speaker 1: I guess cool whip is kind of used for topping, 562 00:35:34,000 --> 00:35:37,560 Speaker 1: for like those kind of you know, jello type deals. Um, 563 00:35:37,880 --> 00:35:40,040 Speaker 1: you might use it maybe in a trifle or something 564 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,760 Speaker 1: like that. I actually like to make a strawberry trifle, 565 00:35:42,840 --> 00:35:46,200 Speaker 1: but you know, I I will make my own whipped cream. Um. 566 00:35:46,239 --> 00:35:49,040 Speaker 1: But there is different about the mouth feel of of 567 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:51,920 Speaker 1: cool whip, and you can also eat it frozen, and 568 00:35:51,960 --> 00:35:54,439 Speaker 1: it's almost like can be treated like a super low count. 569 00:35:54,480 --> 00:35:57,920 Speaker 1: Let's also remember it is lower calorie than heavy whipped 570 00:35:58,080 --> 00:36:01,359 Speaker 1: heavy whipping gray, which isn't hard. That's a that's not 571 00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,840 Speaker 1: very high bar. But but also, you know, I associated 572 00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:08,480 Speaker 1: a lot with pies, right, You see it on top 573 00:36:08,520 --> 00:36:11,719 Speaker 1: of different types of pies. You can see it in cupcakes. 574 00:36:12,680 --> 00:36:17,120 Speaker 1: Uh yeah, it's it's basically you could just eat it straight. 575 00:36:17,239 --> 00:36:19,040 Speaker 1: You know what I'm saying, I mean, I've got no shame, 576 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:21,319 Speaker 1: I've done it. It's it's delicious and a pinch. It 577 00:36:21,440 --> 00:36:25,560 Speaker 1: is the poor man's ice cream. There we go, cut friends, 578 00:36:26,080 --> 00:36:30,960 Speaker 1: and this is where I think we end our episode today. 579 00:36:31,200 --> 00:36:32,799 Speaker 1: One of the other questions I can get to his 580 00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:36,600 Speaker 1: powdered egg whites. He made some innovations there, but out 581 00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:38,839 Speaker 1: what about powdered milk? Is that that Lee? He didn't 582 00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:40,520 Speaker 1: have to do with that, but that was sort of 583 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:44,760 Speaker 1: one of the early powdered things. Yeah, powdered milk also 584 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,440 Speaker 1: a also a thing. Uh in This really tells us 585 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:52,960 Speaker 1: a lot about like, if you want to learn about 586 00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:56,720 Speaker 1: a culture in an interesting way, learn about its food. 587 00:36:57,080 --> 00:37:00,000 Speaker 1: Learn about the foods they like, which are considered aspiration, 588 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:05,440 Speaker 1: which are tied to specific events, which are considered you know, 589 00:37:05,680 --> 00:37:09,120 Speaker 1: on the lower end. That's how you learn that. Like, 590 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,600 Speaker 1: that's one of the most amazing ways to learn about 591 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:15,200 Speaker 1: people and place. Anthony Bourdain was correct, and you was 592 00:37:15,239 --> 00:37:18,560 Speaker 1: certainly not the first. Can I just say, Ben, as 593 00:37:18,600 --> 00:37:21,640 Speaker 1: it relates to food, the term aspirational makes me think 594 00:37:21,680 --> 00:37:23,840 Speaker 1: it's like foods that you're more likely to choke off. 595 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: There we go, Well, some people do choke on their aspirations. 596 00:37:28,000 --> 00:37:32,239 Speaker 1: It's true, but not William Mitchell. So hats off to you, sir. 597 00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:36,359 Speaker 1: I am not personally a cool whip guy, but I 598 00:37:36,400 --> 00:37:40,520 Speaker 1: gotta say, what a legend, What an absolute legend this 599 00:37:40,560 --> 00:37:43,920 Speaker 1: man is. Uh and thanks to everybody for tuning in. 600 00:37:44,080 --> 00:37:48,360 Speaker 1: You know what, here's how popular his inventions are. Statistically speaking, 601 00:37:49,040 --> 00:37:53,400 Speaker 1: someone listening to this episode is eating cool whip or 602 00:37:53,440 --> 00:37:56,640 Speaker 1: pop rocks right now, maybe drinking tang I don't know, 603 00:37:57,160 --> 00:38:02,239 Speaker 1: maybe drinking tang that hasp rox and it topped with 604 00:38:02,280 --> 00:38:06,399 Speaker 1: cool whip. Yeah yeah, great, great, And and and substitutrious 605 00:38:06,440 --> 00:38:10,319 Speaker 1: of tapioca, all mixed with the copa. Oh boy da 606 00:38:10,400 --> 00:38:16,560 Speaker 1: copa the last word in coffee substitute. Can we also 607 00:38:16,640 --> 00:38:18,839 Speaker 1: just add just as a as a last little bit 608 00:38:18,840 --> 00:38:22,480 Speaker 1: of trivia that um you know Mitchell did actually earlier 609 00:38:22,520 --> 00:38:26,560 Speaker 1: in his career also contribute to the photographic arts. He 610 00:38:26,680 --> 00:38:30,880 Speaker 1: was responsible for some chemical processes that helped develop the 611 00:38:30,920 --> 00:38:35,880 Speaker 1: color green better for the Eastman Kodak company. Yeah, and 612 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:40,480 Speaker 1: he apparently made a little bit of an enemy with 613 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:43,640 Speaker 1: Martha Stewart. Can't say too much of that because about that, 614 00:38:43,680 --> 00:38:47,480 Speaker 1: because she's technically our coworker now, she'll cut you. Yeah, 615 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,440 Speaker 1: she doesn't, she doesn't play. Uh. So shout out to 616 00:38:50,680 --> 00:38:59,080 Speaker 1: our good pal Dylan Fagan. It's good to do. Yeah, Dylan, 617 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:05,160 Speaker 1: Dylan killing. Yeah, it's killing. Oh yeah, do you guess 618 00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:15,960 Speaker 1: so who's here? Oh he's my friend God massive fun. Yeah, Dylan. 619 00:39:18,960 --> 00:39:21,719 Speaker 1: We should have Dylan on the show at some point. 620 00:39:21,719 --> 00:39:24,319 Speaker 1: He's such a such a breath of fresh air, that guy. 621 00:39:24,680 --> 00:39:28,160 Speaker 1: But we're lucky. You know, pretty much everybody we work 622 00:39:28,239 --> 00:39:33,200 Speaker 1: with are actually great, brilliant, curious people who will sit 623 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:36,480 Speaker 1: here and natter on with us for hours about the 624 00:39:36,480 --> 00:39:40,080 Speaker 1: most obscure, strange things. And we're so happy that you're 625 00:39:40,200 --> 00:39:43,120 Speaker 1: part of the show. Is well ridiculous historians. So thank 626 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,319 Speaker 1: you first and foremost, and then thanks also to our 627 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:50,759 Speaker 1: super producer Mr Max Williams. Big ups to Alex Williams 628 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:55,400 Speaker 1: who composed our theme. Christopher Haciotes here in spirit, Jonathan 629 00:39:55,440 --> 00:40:01,880 Speaker 1: Strickland may may or Mayor rocks always pop goods, May 630 00:40:01,920 --> 00:40:04,160 Speaker 1: they pop your bald head off. We've gotta we get 631 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:07,239 Speaker 1: well that's a little far, that's a little okay, but 632 00:40:07,320 --> 00:40:11,520 Speaker 1: we gotta we've gotta have Jonathan backed on before the 633 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:13,880 Speaker 1: end of the year. Let's do it. Let's make it official. 634 00:40:14,000 --> 00:40:16,000 Speaker 1: Let's see if we can get it. Let's do it. 635 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:25,360 Speaker 1: We'll see you next time, folks, and happy holidays. For 636 00:40:25,440 --> 00:40:27,600 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my Heart Radio, visit the I heart 637 00:40:27,680 --> 00:40:30,480 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you listen to your 638 00:40:30,520 --> 00:40:31,280 Speaker 1: favorite shows.