1 00:00:07,600 --> 00:00:09,559 Speaker 1: Hello, and i'lcome to save a protection of I heart 2 00:00:09,600 --> 00:00:12,520 Speaker 1: radio and stuff media. I'm Annies and I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,440 Speaker 1: and welcome to the New Year. Yes, welcome and welcome 4 00:00:16,480 --> 00:00:18,680 Speaker 1: to the show. Today we're talking about black eyed peas, 5 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: not the band. Not the band too much, probably obviously 6 00:00:22,680 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: not well. But in case anyone thought we made some 7 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: weird New Year's resolution, sharp turn, No, I like that. 8 00:00:30,320 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 1: We're entering the new decade with black eyed peas. Me too. 9 00:00:36,800 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: It's a it's a Southern tradition to eat black eyed 10 00:00:40,800 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: peas on New Year's Day. Yes, a while back, we 11 00:00:43,320 --> 00:00:46,559 Speaker 1: did an episode around the traditional Southern New Year's meal, 12 00:00:46,640 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 1: which is generally some type of pork, green's, black eyed peas, 13 00:00:51,760 --> 00:00:55,560 Speaker 1: and corn bread. And these all represent basically lucking money 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,400 Speaker 1: coming year. And there's a chance I'm eating this right 15 00:00:59,480 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: now as you listening. I've already got it all ready 16 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:06,240 Speaker 1: to go. I just have to cook it. I love 17 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,880 Speaker 1: black eyed peas, but this is literally the only time 18 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:10,440 Speaker 1: of year I eat them, really, and it kind of 19 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: bumps me out. I don't know. I should eat them more. 20 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,000 Speaker 1: You should eat the more they're available. I know they're 21 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: not available like fresh. It's times of year. I've actually 22 00:01:18,760 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 1: only cooked them fresh once in my life. Term, Yeah, 23 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: how did you feel about it? It was good. I'm 24 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:30,360 Speaker 1: somebody who scoff sets soaking things, and you're a soak soakoff. 25 00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: I'm a soak scoffer that I didn't want to do it. 26 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:36,160 Speaker 1: I'm lazy, essentially, so the cans are easier. But they 27 00:01:36,200 --> 00:01:40,280 Speaker 1: were really good. I just didn't like the soaking. Uh well, 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: brings back memories of the butter beans, and I don't 29 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,480 Speaker 1: like thinking about that. If anyone doesn't know about my 30 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:51,400 Speaker 1: butter bean jama, that's okay, but I got some built 31 00:01:51,480 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 1: up memories. It's all that blanching. It's hard. It's hard, 32 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: and it hurts. It hurt. I probably just wasn't doing 33 00:01:58,200 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: it correctly, but that's okay, But okay. The black eyed 34 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:05,720 Speaker 1: peas in this Southern traditional New Year's meal is supposed 35 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:08,919 Speaker 1: to represent luck, or that's what it was in my family. 36 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: I hear most other people think it's like coins coins, Yeah, 37 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:18,160 Speaker 1: because it's got the little right coin shape. I suppose. 38 00:02:18,560 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: I don't think that beans are in any way shaped 39 00:02:21,880 --> 00:02:24,320 Speaker 1: like coins, but that's that's what you have to be 40 00:02:24,360 --> 00:02:27,000 Speaker 1: squinting pretty hard. I feel like I've played at least 41 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,120 Speaker 1: one video game where you pay with for things coins 42 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 1: with coins with beans with beans. Uh yeah, I know. 43 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:37,919 Speaker 1: Apparently the saying is piece for pennies, greens for dollars, 44 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:42,839 Speaker 1: and corn bread for gold. Yes. Um, and we bought 45 00:02:42,919 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: into it when we were children. This is how my 46 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: mom I was all about it. But my my brothers 47 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:50,359 Speaker 1: don't like either collars, which is what we normally had, 48 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,920 Speaker 1: or black eyed peas, but they ate them because they 49 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: believed in the luck, or at least they didn't want 50 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,760 Speaker 1: to risk it. It wasn't true, But okay, I guess 51 00:02:59,800 --> 00:03:07,519 Speaker 1: that brings us to our question black eyed peas. What 52 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: are they? It turns out they go buy a lot 53 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:15,919 Speaker 1: of different names for one, mixing it up all. I'm 54 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: coming in with some angry response because as we were 55 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,799 Speaker 1: doing the research for this, I saw cow peas, cowder peas, 56 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,040 Speaker 1: southern peas, field peas, or long beans asparagus beans or 57 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:33,240 Speaker 1: yard long peas. Too many names. Pick a lame. Uh yeah, well, 58 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:37,280 Speaker 1: no matter what you call them, black eyed peas are, 59 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:42,200 Speaker 1: they're not peace exactly. They do share the same family, 60 00:03:42,280 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: the lagoon family, but black eyed peas are a species 61 00:03:45,960 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: of bean, and I have it here and I couldn't 62 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: find a pronunciation. I'm gonna try vigna and gueulata. Yeah, sure, 63 00:03:56,160 --> 00:03:59,640 Speaker 1: let's call it that. Let's do it. Um. Yeah, that's that. 64 00:04:00,080 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 1: That is the exact species, And to be even more exact, 65 00:04:02,640 --> 00:04:05,760 Speaker 1: they are a subspecies that has particular markings. Um. When 66 00:04:05,840 --> 00:04:08,960 Speaker 1: mature and dried, this bean is is a small white 67 00:04:09,040 --> 00:04:11,760 Speaker 1: to cream colored thing with a inky, black, brown or 68 00:04:11,840 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: purple ring, seemingly just stamped right at the top or 69 00:04:15,360 --> 00:04:16,880 Speaker 1: like if you think of a bean, is sort of 70 00:04:16,960 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 1: like a blunt heart shape sort of thing. Yeah, it's 71 00:04:19,480 --> 00:04:23,080 Speaker 1: like right at the apex of the heart. Oh yeah, 72 00:04:24,800 --> 00:04:30,400 Speaker 1: so much nicer than saying kidney shape, it is, right, yeah. Um. 73 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: Related beans can come in other colors, red to brown, 74 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:36,840 Speaker 1: to black, to speckled, multicolored to just cream without the 75 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: spot um, and are sometimes called bybe some of those 76 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:44,440 Speaker 1: same names. Too many humans get it together. Come on. 77 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,480 Speaker 1: The beans grow in these long, skinny, lumpy pods, and 78 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:51,000 Speaker 1: in some places the pods are eaten while they're still green, 79 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:54,120 Speaker 1: and the beans are immature, like like snap beans. Yeah. Um. 80 00:04:54,520 --> 00:04:57,120 Speaker 1: Sometimes the mature but still tender beans are shelled and 81 00:04:57,160 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: cooked up fresh and sometimes the beans are dried, which 82 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:03,200 Speaker 1: me they need to be soaked to rehydrate before cooking. 83 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:10,040 Speaker 1: It's gonna be okay. The leaves are also edible, uh, 84 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,320 Speaker 1: similar to spinach. Really yeah. And that dark ring is 85 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:18,480 Speaker 1: um around the area. That's that's like the bean's belly button. 86 00:05:18,520 --> 00:05:20,520 Speaker 1: It marks where it was attached to the inside of 87 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:25,000 Speaker 1: the pod. Oh huh. Apparently in France they were originally 88 00:05:25,080 --> 00:05:28,080 Speaker 1: called magette, the French word for none, because the black 89 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:32,280 Speaker 1: spot reminded some of how Nun's dressed. I don't really 90 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: see it, but okay, yeah, maybe like the hat, like 91 00:05:35,279 --> 00:05:40,039 Speaker 1: the little headwear wimple combo. Maybe, I'm not sure. Anyway, 92 00:05:40,200 --> 00:05:43,520 Speaker 1: I like it. The beans will dry out naturally on 93 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:46,520 Speaker 1: the vine. They are self preserving. Um. Once dried, they 94 00:05:46,560 --> 00:05:49,159 Speaker 1: are really sturdy. They can last at least two hundred 95 00:05:49,279 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 1: years in the state and still be planted and sprouted afterward. 96 00:05:53,240 --> 00:05:57,359 Speaker 1: Two hundred years. I know at least research is ongoing. 97 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: They're just waiting it out. I'm not sure. Oh wow, um, 98 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: but yeah, this was evolutionarily useful because if the weather 99 00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,200 Speaker 1: is too dry for new plants to grow, the beans, 100 00:06:08,240 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: which are you know, like the fruit seed combo of 101 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:13,440 Speaker 1: the plant could just hang out and wait until rain 102 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:18,200 Speaker 1: came again. Day. Yeah, it's impressive. The cow pea family 103 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,360 Speaker 1: is a warm climate crop grown mostly in tropical to 104 00:06:21,480 --> 00:06:25,160 Speaker 1: subtropical regions because it will not tolerate frost. Um, but 105 00:06:25,240 --> 00:06:28,200 Speaker 1: it is really hardy. It's a resistant to drought and pests. 106 00:06:28,520 --> 00:06:31,119 Speaker 1: They're also good to plant alongside other crops. Their shade 107 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:34,919 Speaker 1: resistant and can crowd out weeds crowder Yeah. Um. They 108 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:37,039 Speaker 1: only take about two to two and a half months 109 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:39,280 Speaker 1: to reach maturity, so if you are in a warm climate, 110 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:41,440 Speaker 1: you can get a good crop pretty late in the year. 111 00:06:41,920 --> 00:06:47,000 Speaker 1: Oh nice, perhaps harvesting them somewhere in December. Strange um. 112 00:06:47,160 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: And although commercial operations may harvest them mechanically, they're pretty 113 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,080 Speaker 1: easy to shell by hand. They're just all around like 114 00:06:53,120 --> 00:06:56,160 Speaker 1: a really agreeable plant. I like it. Yeah, me too. 115 00:06:57,279 --> 00:06:59,719 Speaker 1: And beans in general are a valuable crop because they 116 00:07:00,040 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: they a have like a lot of protein for vegetation 117 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:07,599 Speaker 1: um and be grow with symbiotic bacteria in their roots, 118 00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: so like the plant in, bacteria team up to pull 119 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: nitrogen from the air. The plant takes in the air 120 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,720 Speaker 1: that has the nitrogen that it it can't use. Um. 121 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,600 Speaker 1: But Uh, but the bacteria will fix it in the 122 00:07:18,680 --> 00:07:21,200 Speaker 1: soil where the plants can soak it up through their roots. 123 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:26,600 Speaker 1: Oh it's a whole process, um, and most plants can't 124 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:28,960 Speaker 1: do this so um. So anything the beans don't get 125 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:30,880 Speaker 1: to use gets left in the soil after the crop 126 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: is harvested and can be used by the next crop 127 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:37,640 Speaker 1: it gets planted. There. Oh wow, yeah, very impressive. Uh huh. 128 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: What about the nutrition. Yeah, yeah, that protein thing. Um, 129 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:44,400 Speaker 1: they're up to protein by weight. They're low and fat, 130 00:07:44,520 --> 00:07:47,240 Speaker 1: high in fiber, have a punch of carbs, and contain 131 00:07:47,480 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: just an absolute heck ton of minerals a smattering of 132 00:07:50,920 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: vitamins like thiamon and folate. They will definitely fill you 133 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 1: up and keep you going pretty well, especially if you 134 00:07:57,440 --> 00:07:59,080 Speaker 1: pair them with a little bit more fat and vege. 135 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:06,160 Speaker 1: Well the traditional New Year exactly. Oh and a side 136 00:08:06,200 --> 00:08:09,760 Speaker 1: note about why beans are in fact the musical fruit. Finally, 137 00:08:10,600 --> 00:08:13,679 Speaker 1: get to the bottom of this, I've been wondering since 138 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:17,560 Speaker 1: its elementary school. Alright, So, some of those cards that 139 00:08:17,600 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: they contain are our sugars that we humans, like all 140 00:08:21,320 --> 00:08:24,200 Speaker 1: other mammals, do not have the enzymes to break down 141 00:08:24,360 --> 00:08:27,760 Speaker 1: in our digestive system. But the bacteria in our guts, 142 00:08:27,800 --> 00:08:30,760 Speaker 1: sure do you have those enzymes? So the sugars pass 143 00:08:30,800 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: into our guts, the bacteria there eat them and excrete, 144 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,880 Speaker 1: carbon dioxide, methane and a few other gases, and we 145 00:08:37,280 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: pass those gasses. So the moral of the story is 146 00:08:41,320 --> 00:08:45,640 Speaker 1: a everybody farts um and be uh discard the slime 147 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: around canned beans um, and the soaking water for dried beans, 148 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,240 Speaker 1: and maybe like the cooking water for dried beans too, 149 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,319 Speaker 1: if you want to be like super careful because the 150 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:59,080 Speaker 1: sugars will wash out if you discard the soaking water. Yeah. Uh, 151 00:09:00,200 --> 00:09:04,800 Speaker 1: you never know what you're gonna learn podcasting just in 152 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 1: time too. Yep, you're welcome, thank you, thank you. Well, 153 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: let's look at some numbers. Nigeria is the world stop 154 00:09:13,000 --> 00:09:15,360 Speaker 1: producer of black eyed peas. They are also the world's 155 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:18,760 Speaker 1: top consumer and importer of the crop. In twenty six, 156 00:09:19,040 --> 00:09:22,360 Speaker 1: United States Agency for International Development found that the average 157 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:26,360 Speaker 1: Nigeria consumes eighteen kilograms of black eyed peas, the average 158 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,079 Speaker 1: Gaudian nine kilograms and one kilograms per person. In quote 159 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,720 Speaker 1: du Bois of the annual five point for million tons 160 00:09:33,760 --> 00:09:37,600 Speaker 1: of black eyed peas produced come from Africa, with Nigeria 161 00:09:37,720 --> 00:09:43,719 Speaker 1: making up of that number, and globally, Yeah, black eyed 162 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: peas are popular dishes in Africa, particularly West Africa, India, 163 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:50,720 Speaker 1: mem Are, Brazil, the Caribbean, and the Southern United States. 164 00:09:51,160 --> 00:09:54,040 Speaker 1: They feature prominently in things like hop and John more 165 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:56,880 Speaker 1: on that later. And in Brazil, peeled and mashed black 166 00:09:56,920 --> 00:09:59,840 Speaker 1: eyed peas than ferminded, overnight and fried and palm oil 167 00:09:59,880 --> 00:10:03,319 Speaker 1: are popular street food. Nigeria is pretty much the same thing. 168 00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,800 Speaker 1: In Africa, they are part of the daily diets of 169 00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:09,599 Speaker 1: millions of people. They might be boiled and eat with 170 00:10:09,760 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 1: rice and or fried tomatoes and onions and contains. Sometimes 171 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 1: they are ground up into flour later made into porridge. 172 00:10:16,080 --> 00:10:19,080 Speaker 1: Some places in Sub Saharan Africa labeled this crop miracle 173 00:10:19,160 --> 00:10:22,280 Speaker 1: peas or poor man's meat due to their ability to 174 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: weather tough conditions and their nutritional profile. Yeah, I've read 175 00:10:26,960 --> 00:10:29,319 Speaker 1: that in Sub Saharan Africa as a whole, they are 176 00:10:29,480 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: the primary source of protein in people's diets. Wow. Because 177 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:35,319 Speaker 1: of its significance in the diets of so many of 178 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture is experimenting with varieties 179 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,000 Speaker 1: of black eyed peas that produce higher yields or are 180 00:10:42,080 --> 00:10:45,000 Speaker 1: resistant to pest. As of now, I I t a 181 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:48,080 Speaker 1: boast the world's largest and most diverse bank of black 182 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:52,920 Speaker 1: eyed peas fifteen thousand unique examples from eighty eight countries. Ah, 183 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: that's so cool, I love it. Yeah. UM England's Royal 184 00:10:56,960 --> 00:11:00,199 Speaker 1: Botanical Gardens Q has a science arm that also on 185 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:02,640 Speaker 1: seed collection, and the black eyed pea is one of 186 00:11:02,679 --> 00:11:05,360 Speaker 1: twenty nine crops that they have deemed a potential savior 187 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:08,319 Speaker 1: of a future food security. They thus also have a 188 00:11:08,360 --> 00:11:11,200 Speaker 1: collection of not just cultivated varietals of black eyed peas, 189 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 1: but also their cousins that grow in the wild. See 190 00:11:13,920 --> 00:11:16,760 Speaker 1: you didn't think that the black eyed pea was going 191 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: to be a good start to the decade, but look 192 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,599 Speaker 1: at this. It is. It is when it comes to 193 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:25,160 Speaker 1: their place as a representation of luck in the Southern 194 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:28,800 Speaker 1: New Year's or coins, what have you. Most food historians 195 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: thing has to do with humility, as one saying goes 196 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:34,040 Speaker 1: eat poor on New Year's and eat fat the rest 197 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,360 Speaker 1: of the year. Or it could be as simple as 198 00:11:36,360 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 1: they kind of look like coins. Like we said, that's 199 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:42,000 Speaker 1: what I always assume personally, And I guess having money 200 00:11:42,120 --> 00:11:46,439 Speaker 1: is lucky. It's fortunate for sure. Um sort of related. 201 00:11:46,559 --> 00:11:48,719 Speaker 1: Some think it's because when cooked, the volume of black 202 00:11:48,760 --> 00:11:53,160 Speaker 1: eyed peas substantially increases, making it hopefully a representation of 203 00:11:53,240 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: wealth and abundance increasing. One of one of my favorite 204 00:11:56,920 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: food blogs, Botanist in the Kitchen, wrote about black eyed 205 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:02,719 Speaker 1: peas quote, just like optimism, beans are cheap enough that 206 00:12:02,760 --> 00:12:07,640 Speaker 1: anyone can have them. I love that. As we mentioned 207 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,480 Speaker 1: in our New Year's Traditions episode, there are even more 208 00:12:10,559 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: specific traditions around black eyed peas. One goes that you 209 00:12:14,200 --> 00:12:16,640 Speaker 1: have to eat them before noon on New Year's Day 210 00:12:17,080 --> 00:12:21,319 Speaker 1: to benefit from the look o one. It's like, it's 211 00:12:21,320 --> 00:12:25,040 Speaker 1: like Gremlins. I can't eat an afternoon. That's probably where 212 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:27,679 Speaker 1: the plot of Gremlins came from, now I think about it. 213 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:30,760 Speaker 1: Another goes that you have to count out three d 214 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: and sixty five three hundred sixty six of black eyed peas, 215 00:12:34,160 --> 00:12:36,800 Speaker 1: one for each day of the coming year. No, thank you. 216 00:12:37,520 --> 00:12:40,199 Speaker 1: That sounds like a lot more counting than I generally 217 00:12:40,280 --> 00:12:42,680 Speaker 1: care to do. I did used to really like counting 218 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:45,360 Speaker 1: when I was a kid. I like to count, and 219 00:12:45,520 --> 00:12:49,719 Speaker 1: I want a lot of contests that way, like like 220 00:12:49,920 --> 00:12:53,040 Speaker 1: guess how many Oh I'm really good at those? Maybe 221 00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:57,760 Speaker 1: I should count. Okay, maybe I will. I've I've seen 222 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,000 Speaker 1: black eyed peas referred to as poor Man's caviare in 223 00:13:01,040 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 1: the South or Texas caviare and thinking about it too. 224 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 1: Most of these lucky Southern foods are ones that do 225 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: grow during tough winter months a k. Around New Year's 226 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:14,400 Speaker 1: and as we've said before, pre refrigeration, people frequently slaughtered 227 00:13:14,400 --> 00:13:16,679 Speaker 1: their pigs before winter and salted the pork to make 228 00:13:16,679 --> 00:13:20,559 Speaker 1: it to the season. So it kind of just makes sense. Yes, 229 00:13:20,800 --> 00:13:24,040 Speaker 1: delicious sense, delicious delicious sense. And there's a pun there, 230 00:13:24,600 --> 00:13:28,520 Speaker 1: there's a pun. But anyway, let's move on from bad 231 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:31,200 Speaker 1: puns and talk about some history. Yes, but first let's 232 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:32,920 Speaker 1: take a quick break for a word for our sponsor, 233 00:13:42,720 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: and we're back. Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you. Black 234 00:13:45,160 --> 00:13:49,760 Speaker 1: eyed peas most likely originated in Africa or possibly Asia, 235 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:54,640 Speaker 1: probably Africa. Probably it's still debated because their taxonomic names 236 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:57,360 Speaker 1: suggests they are from Asia, but records seem to indicate 237 00:13:57,400 --> 00:13:59,319 Speaker 1: they were growing in the wild and Africa prior to 238 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:02,160 Speaker 1: their existing in Asia. As always, we know that the 239 00:14:02,280 --> 00:14:06,400 Speaker 1: names of things can't always be trusted. Absolutely, yes, but yeah, 240 00:14:06,480 --> 00:14:11,920 Speaker 1: different people at different times of thought. Asia, Africa mysteries history. 241 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 1: They were domesticated in West Africa at least five thousand 242 00:14:15,880 --> 00:14:18,800 Speaker 1: years ago, and they've been cultivated since prehistoric times and 243 00:14:18,880 --> 00:14:22,560 Speaker 1: tropical Asia and especially in what is now India. Ancient 244 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:27,760 Speaker 1: China grew them too, they are related to them. One 245 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: of our interviewees from New Orleans, Dr Jessica B. Harris, 246 00:14:31,640 --> 00:14:33,760 Speaker 1: wrote an article over at The New York Times about 247 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: the history of black eyed peas that was super helpful 248 00:14:35,720 --> 00:14:37,560 Speaker 1: for all of this. Totally go check it out if 249 00:14:37,560 --> 00:14:39,680 Speaker 1: you're interested. She also has a lot of books that 250 00:14:40,280 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: we highly recommend about all kinds of this stuff, all 251 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:47,120 Speaker 1: kinds of stuff that we're talking about. Um Ancient Greeks 252 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,360 Speaker 1: and Romans preferred the black eyed pea to the chickpe 253 00:14:49,760 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: apparently apparently interestingly, black eyed peas have been considered a 254 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:56,800 Speaker 1: lucky food to eat on New Years for a long time, 255 00:14:57,400 --> 00:15:00,400 Speaker 1: at least as far back as five CE, when the 256 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: Talmud mentioned the eating of black eyed peas for Russiashanna, 257 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:07,440 Speaker 1: the Jewish New Year. Some historians believe that Sephardic Jews 258 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:10,080 Speaker 1: brought this tradition with them when they immigrated to the 259 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: United States, and records put the first wave of Sophardic 260 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:16,400 Speaker 1: jews in Georgia by the seventeen thirties. This is around 261 00:15:16,440 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 1: the same time records of black eyed peas suggest that 262 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 1: they were plentiful in that area, enough so people started 263 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:26,080 Speaker 1: calling them field peas. The name cow peas also popped 264 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:28,920 Speaker 1: up around this time. Allegedly they got their name because 265 00:15:28,920 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: of their association as animal feed, particularly for cows. There 266 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: you go, but that's one version. These names cow pea 267 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: and field peak could have originated much earlier, with the 268 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:43,440 Speaker 1: common practice in Africa planting the peas along the border 269 00:15:43,480 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 1: of fields to help manage the weed population. Fortified soil, 270 00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:50,400 Speaker 1: and the stems and leaves gave cow something to snack on. Yeah, 271 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:52,600 Speaker 1: the leaves and pods are considered like a really good 272 00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:56,560 Speaker 1: livestock snack. Sounds good. I don't know why I have 273 00:15:56,720 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: the leaves. I love eating leaves, which is a weird 274 00:15:59,840 --> 00:16:01,760 Speaker 1: thing to say, but I love. But every time we 275 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 1: find out, oh, you can actually eat the leaves of 276 00:16:03,640 --> 00:16:09,880 Speaker 1: this yeah right, yeah, all right. Oh. And also some 277 00:16:09,960 --> 00:16:12,800 Speaker 1: accounts suggest that Egyptian pharaohs eight black eyed peas to 278 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:18,800 Speaker 1: grant them humility. Okay, so ye, who knows the black 279 00:16:18,880 --> 00:16:21,960 Speaker 1: eyed pea arrived to the New World from West Africa 280 00:16:22,040 --> 00:16:24,320 Speaker 1: as part of the slave trade, perhaps arriving to the 281 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,240 Speaker 1: West Indies first and then migrating through the Americans South. 282 00:16:27,680 --> 00:16:30,000 Speaker 1: The first written records put the black eyed pea in 283 00:16:30,040 --> 00:16:34,840 Speaker 1: the Americas by sixteen seventy four, one historian wrote, quoted 284 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 1: from Dr Harris's article, everywhere African slaves arrived in substantial numbers. 285 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:43,760 Speaker 1: Cow peas followed. Prior to the Revolutionary War, they became 286 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:48,240 Speaker 1: one of South Carolina's biggest cash crops, and while they 287 00:16:48,320 --> 00:16:51,240 Speaker 1: were at first relegated as a food for the enslaved 288 00:16:51,400 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: poor white people or as animal fee, they did start 289 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:55,800 Speaker 1: to make their way into the diets of middle and 290 00:16:55,880 --> 00:17:00,760 Speaker 1: upper class Americans. Mary Randolph's version of The Ginia Housewife 291 00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:07,000 Speaker 1: featured a recipe of fried field patties. Yeah As with 292 00:17:07,119 --> 00:17:10,439 Speaker 1: most Southern foods, several accounts of the traditional Southern New 293 00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:12,880 Speaker 1: Year's meal posit that it's spread during the Civil War 294 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: after Union soldiers plundered Confederate food supplies but left behind 295 00:17:17,400 --> 00:17:20,560 Speaker 1: the pork and the peas, believing that they were animal 296 00:17:20,680 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 1: feed um or in the case the pork salted pork. 297 00:17:23,520 --> 00:17:25,840 Speaker 1: They might not have really cared to have it. In 298 00:17:26,040 --> 00:17:29,320 Speaker 1: populary tellings of this version of events, Confederate soldiers felt 299 00:17:29,480 --> 00:17:32,639 Speaker 1: lucky to have access to these foods when provisions were scarce, 300 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 1: especially during the winter. Yet another story posits that black 301 00:17:36,400 --> 00:17:40,320 Speaker 1: eyed peas represent the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. The 302 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: first New Year's after the Civil War ended was the 303 00:17:42,800 --> 00:17:48,600 Speaker 1: date they were officially granted freedom. Some records suggest that 304 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:51,240 Speaker 1: some men even put black eyed peas in their wallets 305 00:17:51,480 --> 00:17:53,880 Speaker 1: for prosperity. Yeah, keep the money next to the money, 306 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:57,840 Speaker 1: of course, sure, Why didn't I think of that? The 307 00:17:58,000 --> 00:18:01,080 Speaker 1: Creole people added black eyed peas, rice and pickled pork 308 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 1: to make a dish called jambalaya. Oh congret congrete, meaning 309 00:18:04,920 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 1: black eyed peas. Thomas Jefferson planted the peas at Monticello. 310 00:18:09,160 --> 00:18:13,720 Speaker 1: I feel like he planted everyone. That is a question 311 00:18:13,880 --> 00:18:17,560 Speaker 1: for a future episode. When it comes to hop and 312 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,679 Speaker 1: John sometimes called Happy John specifically, and this is an 313 00:18:21,720 --> 00:18:24,159 Speaker 1: American Southern dish of black eyed peas, rice, off in 314 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,439 Speaker 1: pork or a handbone, and definitely seasoning. Although there are 315 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:29,199 Speaker 1: a lot of versions of it, a lot, a lot 316 00:18:29,240 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 1: a lot. If you aren't familiar, um historians agree that 317 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: its roots go back to West African dishes composed of 318 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,280 Speaker 1: rice and black eyed peas. Dishes similar to Hop and 319 00:18:38,359 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: John are made in parts of Africa to this day. 320 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,840 Speaker 1: Records show the dish was a staple among its slay 321 00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: people in the southern US, particularly in the Goala country 322 00:18:46,720 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: of South Carolina. Rice and black eyed peas were both 323 00:18:49,720 --> 00:18:53,000 Speaker 1: cash crops in that area. Still, others post the dish 324 00:18:53,200 --> 00:18:57,200 Speaker 1: might be Islamic in origin, since Cynegales and Nigerian Muslims 325 00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,280 Speaker 1: have a similar dish swapping out the pork for jerked beef. 326 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:03,840 Speaker 1: Recipes for the dish started appearing in early twentieth century 327 00:19:03,880 --> 00:19:08,000 Speaker 1: American cookbooks. Didn't we I want to think about it. 328 00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:10,239 Speaker 1: Didn't we have some Hop and John when we were 329 00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:14,080 Speaker 1: in Asheville. Yes, yes, it was part of the very 330 00:19:14,119 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 1: first meal that we had when we got up there 331 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:19,040 Speaker 1: at the Sierra Nevada Brewery. That's right. Yeah. And it 332 00:19:19,160 --> 00:19:21,159 Speaker 1: was a very very fancy hopp and John dish. It 333 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:24,320 Speaker 1: was the best nineteen dollars I've ever spent a Hop 334 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:27,640 Speaker 1: and John. It was good. It was really good. Huh, 335 00:19:27,720 --> 00:19:29,159 Speaker 1: Because I was about to say, I can't remember the 336 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:30,960 Speaker 1: last time I had it. But that was it all right? Cool. 337 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:36,480 Speaker 1: Speculation abounds about the origin of the name. One points 338 00:19:36,480 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: to the old expression hopping John used to invite guests 339 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:42,960 Speaker 1: over for a meal. Yet another describes the hilarious and 340 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:47,080 Speaker 1: probably not real tradition where children would hop around the 341 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,280 Speaker 1: table once before digging into this dish. Oh, that sounds 342 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:51,640 Speaker 1: like a thing I would well, I would have done. 343 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:53,880 Speaker 1: And when I was a kid, if someone had told 344 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:56,639 Speaker 1: me this is lucky do it? I would have been like, 345 00:19:56,720 --> 00:20:00,320 Speaker 1: this is an excuse to Greek some havoc in this kitchen, Okay, 346 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,800 Speaker 1: because when I read it, I thought, why, But you're right, 347 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:08,440 Speaker 1: maybe kids are kids, like any any reason to hop around, 348 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:13,680 Speaker 1: I suppose. In his book Rice and Beans, The Itinerary 349 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,200 Speaker 1: of a Recipe, John Thorne theorized that the name hopping 350 00:20:17,280 --> 00:20:21,280 Speaker 1: John was a coruption from the French poil pigeon pigeon pas. 351 00:20:21,760 --> 00:20:24,800 Speaker 1: Pigeon pas didn't really take off in the southern United States, 352 00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: but they did in the Caribbean, so the term might 353 00:20:27,359 --> 00:20:31,520 Speaker 1: have resulted from some confusion. It seems like a big leap. 354 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:36,040 Speaker 1: I don't know, I can hear the John. Sure, yeah, 355 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:42,560 Speaker 1: h who knows? If we do it? We ken mysteries, 356 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,560 Speaker 1: histories all the time. From a nineteen thirteen Chicago Tribune 357 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: article called Secret of Hopping John Out, recipe told for 358 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:53,600 Speaker 1: the Dixie dish. The secret of Hopping John is out, 359 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:55,760 Speaker 1: and they do put the g at the end. They do. 360 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:00,520 Speaker 1: The composition of this famous Southern dish, about which successive 361 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: generations of the cooks of Dixie have thrown a hill 362 00:21:03,440 --> 00:21:07,840 Speaker 1: of mystery has been disclosed by an investigation conducted by 363 00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 1: the Department of Agriculture, and is given to the World 364 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: and Farmer's bullet at number five oh nine issued today, 365 00:21:15,840 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: Not five oh nine five o nine gosh. This is 366 00:21:19,359 --> 00:21:22,680 Speaker 1: the recipe guaranteed by the government for the production of 367 00:21:22,840 --> 00:21:26,720 Speaker 1: the true hop and John. Soak one quart of dried 368 00:21:26,800 --> 00:21:29,920 Speaker 1: cowpies overnight and water enough to cover until they are tender, 369 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:32,760 Speaker 1: adding more water if necessary. Cook a pint of rice 370 00:21:32,840 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: and three parts of water. Mix the two season with 371 00:21:36,440 --> 00:21:40,440 Speaker 1: two tablespoons of butter and two teaspoonfuls of salt. A 372 00:21:40,520 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: little beaver pork maybe added to the water in which 373 00:21:43,000 --> 00:21:46,200 Speaker 1: the piece are cooked. Then the bulletin proceeds to sing 374 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:49,160 Speaker 1: the virtues of cow pies in general, which the government 375 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:52,720 Speaker 1: o Pines ought to be better. No, north of the 376 00:21:52,880 --> 00:21:59,240 Speaker 1: Mason and Dixon's line. That is. That's wonderful. It's so funny, 377 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:03,520 Speaker 1: especially because yes, they definitely call it hopping John. Yes, 378 00:22:04,119 --> 00:22:13,520 Speaker 1: this serious Southern dish. Uh. In the first few decades 379 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 1: of the twentieth century, black eyed peas and their cousins 380 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 1: were the most popular lagoon for livestock feed in the 381 00:22:19,280 --> 00:22:22,639 Speaker 1: United States. UM. That all started changing UM with the 382 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,240 Speaker 1: introduction of soybeans. And I think the flip happened in 383 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,640 Speaker 1: the nineteen thirties where soybeans took over UM and then 384 00:22:28,920 --> 00:22:32,159 Speaker 1: later with a pest that started blighting southern pea crops. 385 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:35,280 Speaker 1: This this weevil that just weeks havoc on black eyed peas. UM. 386 00:22:35,400 --> 00:22:37,719 Speaker 1: So production here in the States is much smaller now 387 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:40,200 Speaker 1: than it was UM at the beginning of the twentieth century, 388 00:22:40,359 --> 00:22:43,600 Speaker 1: and uh mostly for human consumption, and it's still troubled 389 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,440 Speaker 1: by this we evil. I read that a lot of 390 00:22:45,520 --> 00:22:48,600 Speaker 1: a lot of Georgia growers are really having problems, weavil problems. 391 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:51,840 Speaker 1: Didn't we see a giant statue of weevil? We did? 392 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,560 Speaker 1: It was real weird but kind of wonderful, but kind 393 00:22:55,560 --> 00:22:57,840 Speaker 1: of wonderful. Yeah, that that was on our field trip 394 00:22:57,920 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 1: to Dothan, Alabama. Future episode about peanuts. Yes, all right, 395 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,439 Speaker 1: but now we got to talk about a very important 396 00:23:04,480 --> 00:23:10,400 Speaker 1: of it we do in Los Angeles. In one will 397 00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: I Am apple to app or perhaps it's a P 398 00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:17,920 Speaker 1: L D E A P with thoughts in between. We're 399 00:23:18,240 --> 00:23:22,199 Speaker 1: a little behind the little, We're a little two, we are, 400 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:25,680 Speaker 1: we are. Jamie Gomez, A. K. Taboo, and Kim Hill 401 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,600 Speaker 1: formed a little group called Black Eyed Pods what Ye 402 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:33,440 Speaker 1: later renamed the Black Eyed Peas. If you're wondering why 403 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:36,639 Speaker 1: they chose that name, Will I Am once said that 404 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 1: black eyed peas are food for the soul, while also 405 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:43,399 Speaker 1: citing the red Hot Chili peppers as an influence and 406 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 1: saying he wanted to name the band after a food 407 00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:51,640 Speaker 1: like them, black eyed peas. The beans enjoyed a moment 408 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: in the sun when the EU NS of Food and 409 00:23:54,160 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: Agriculture Organization named the International Year of Pulses, which is 410 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:05,159 Speaker 1: another word for dried beans like black eyed peas. Okay, 411 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:09,080 Speaker 1: it's like I like pulses. Yeah, good, pulses are great. Yeah, 412 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:14,159 Speaker 1: and I enjoy having work, yes, wonderful. As of twenty nineteen, 413 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,440 Speaker 1: scientists that you see Riverside decoded the genome of the 414 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:20,560 Speaker 1: black eyed peas in hopes of feeding the world's growing population, 415 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:23,640 Speaker 1: especially as the effects of climate change become more apparent. 416 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: Understanding the black eyed peas toughness could help tough enough 417 00:24:27,040 --> 00:24:29,800 Speaker 1: other crops as well. It's one of only a handful 418 00:24:29,840 --> 00:24:32,879 Speaker 1: of other crops to be completely sequenced, and they contain 419 00:24:32,920 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 1: about thirty seven thousand jeans. So it's impressive work. That 420 00:24:37,359 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 1: is impressive work. And yeah, the research continues. Farmers and 421 00:24:41,280 --> 00:24:44,080 Speaker 1: scientists are looking at different varieties of black eyed peas 422 00:24:44,160 --> 00:24:47,040 Speaker 1: to find winning traits, you know, a particular resistance to drought, 423 00:24:47,200 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: or tolerance to pests, diseases and competing weeds in general. Um. 424 00:24:51,400 --> 00:24:54,480 Speaker 1: Less research of this type has been done with this 425 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:57,800 Speaker 1: bean than other sustenance crops like corn or rice or 426 00:24:57,800 --> 00:25:02,440 Speaker 1: wheat or potatoes, basically because black eyed peas are less finicky. 427 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:05,040 Speaker 1: Um But yeah, as with any crop, developing varieties that 428 00:25:05,080 --> 00:25:07,640 Speaker 1: are even hardier and more productive would help farmers out, 429 00:25:07,760 --> 00:25:12,359 Speaker 1: which helps everybody out there. You go, it's exciting stuff, 430 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,600 Speaker 1: it is. I'm feeling inspired me too. This was I 431 00:25:17,080 --> 00:25:18,639 Speaker 1: had no idea what we were in for when we 432 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:20,920 Speaker 1: started doing this research and it turned out to be 433 00:25:21,280 --> 00:25:24,840 Speaker 1: more more delightful than I thought. I feel like that 434 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: happens with everything we do, and that's one of my 435 00:25:27,920 --> 00:25:31,440 Speaker 1: favorite things at the job. Me too, there's always some 436 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:35,680 Speaker 1: weird fact about bacteria parts that I'm just like, well, 437 00:25:36,400 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: this has made it all worthwhile. Everything This is a 438 00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:43,720 Speaker 1: good way to start the year is and we hope 439 00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:46,760 Speaker 1: that some of you at the very least found this 440 00:25:46,840 --> 00:25:48,600 Speaker 1: as entertaine as we did. But maybe you're having some 441 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,200 Speaker 1: black eyed peas or maybe you're convinced to go get 442 00:25:51,240 --> 00:25:54,879 Speaker 1: them now. But we do have a little bit more 443 00:25:54,920 --> 00:25:56,719 Speaker 1: for you. We do. But first we've got one more 444 00:25:56,800 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: quick break for a word from our sponsor, and we're back. 445 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:13,440 Speaker 1: Thank you sponsored, Yes, thank you, We're back with Done Done. 446 00:26:13,480 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: Don't god. I was so into that song it first 447 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:20,879 Speaker 1: came out, but it has been a very long time. 448 00:26:21,119 --> 00:26:23,120 Speaker 1: It's been a minute, a minute or two at least, 449 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:28,160 Speaker 1: at least, Sarah wrote and the end of the Candy 450 00:26:28,200 --> 00:26:31,000 Speaker 1: Cane episode, you said you liked animal pictures, even if 451 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:32,880 Speaker 1: they were not named after food. So I thought i'd 452 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:36,680 Speaker 1: share a little pet saver serendipity with you. I have 453 00:26:36,800 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 1: a pet snake named Aja, and my sister is afraid 454 00:26:41,119 --> 00:26:43,320 Speaker 1: of him because she doesn't like snakes in general. So 455 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 1: I note we are both adults and don't live together, 456 00:26:45,440 --> 00:26:47,800 Speaker 1: but we live with an easy visiting distance. But she 457 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:51,720 Speaker 1: hasn't been to visit since I got a J. A 458 00:26:51,840 --> 00:26:53,879 Speaker 1: few weeks back, she sent me a picture she had 459 00:26:53,880 --> 00:26:57,120 Speaker 1: found online of a snake in a sweater and said 460 00:26:57,119 --> 00:26:59,080 Speaker 1: that she'd be less scared of a J if he 461 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,520 Speaker 1: was wearing us sweater. I thought the holiday season would 462 00:27:02,520 --> 00:27:04,879 Speaker 1: be a good time to nit him a Christmas sweather, 463 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:07,480 Speaker 1: so I made one with the red and white stripes 464 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,080 Speaker 1: so we'd look like a candy cane. Candy canes and 465 00:27:10,119 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: snakes are both long and thin, right, absolutely, Your episode 466 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: on candy canes came up right as I was finishing 467 00:27:15,040 --> 00:27:17,280 Speaker 1: the sweater, so I listened to the episode while coax 468 00:27:17,359 --> 00:27:20,200 Speaker 1: a J into the sweater for a photo shoot. I 469 00:27:20,240 --> 00:27:22,359 Speaker 1: don't think he liked it very much, but I've attached 470 00:27:22,440 --> 00:27:25,520 Speaker 1: some photos so you can judge for yourself. They're amazing, adorable. 471 00:27:26,720 --> 00:27:29,520 Speaker 1: That is so wonderful. That is that is the best, 472 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:32,680 Speaker 1: because snakes are so chilly and they just wanted to 473 00:27:32,800 --> 00:27:37,560 Speaker 1: be cozy and warm. Yes, and holiday, festive, holiday sweater 474 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,959 Speaker 1: attire festive holiday snakes are even better than other snakes, 475 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 1: and I really love snakes, so I did do. I 476 00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:49,560 Speaker 1: would love to know if if your sister yeah this 477 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:56,600 Speaker 1: sweater yeah update us, Hailey wrote, I'm writing from the 478 00:27:56,720 --> 00:28:00,280 Speaker 1: beer loving hippie hick, Missoula, Montana. Animal Crackers was my 479 00:28:00,359 --> 00:28:02,679 Speaker 1: most recent listen and I love the you mentioned rotary 480 00:28:02,800 --> 00:28:05,399 Speaker 1: dies and their importance to production. I work in a 481 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,440 Speaker 1: vitamin and supplement factory. We blend and mix the ingredients 482 00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 1: by the barrel, put them into tablet or capsule form. 483 00:28:11,320 --> 00:28:14,760 Speaker 1: I'm a level one tab press operator. Then package them 484 00:28:14,800 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 1: to be sent to nationwide stores and even Korea and 485 00:28:17,640 --> 00:28:21,880 Speaker 1: Taiwan on old worrying tab presses. We make a chewable 486 00:28:21,960 --> 00:28:25,479 Speaker 1: teddy bear shaped vitamin for children. They got classic Flintstones variety. 487 00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:27,920 Speaker 1: The bears look similar to gummy bears and are made 488 00:28:28,080 --> 00:28:31,840 Speaker 1: with rotary dies. These have a lot of issues. The 489 00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:34,920 Speaker 1: powder is sensitive to humidity changes and are sweets, so 490 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:37,560 Speaker 1: are more likely to caramelize when the dyes get gunk 491 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: in them. The product has picking kind of like a 492 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 1: Plato mold with lots of hardened pieces on it that 493 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:45,520 Speaker 1: produces a less detailed image. What's the first detail we lose? 494 00:28:46,000 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: The butt? When running Teddy Bears, we are constantly inspecting 495 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,440 Speaker 1: the bear booties to make sure the diyes are clean. 496 00:28:52,960 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 1: Imagine people in white hazmat suits bunny suits um asking 497 00:28:56,640 --> 00:28:59,680 Speaker 1: supervisors in lab coats to check the little tushies under 498 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:02,160 Speaker 1: a a lit up magnifying glass to ensure that no 499 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:06,880 Speaker 1: flat asked bears leave the facility. I would expect the 500 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:10,240 Speaker 1: production floor at any animal cracker company to be equally 501 00:29:10,320 --> 00:29:15,440 Speaker 1: frustrated about the oddly shaped animals. Anyway, thanks for expanding 502 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: both my knowledge and curiosity about food. I love to 503 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,040 Speaker 1: listen when I cook, and I have whispered East Pooh 504 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:25,400 Speaker 1: under my breath at many a brewery. So have we. 505 00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:30,560 Speaker 1: I love that I've never really thought about people and 506 00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:35,120 Speaker 1: has met suits having to inspect the butts of the 507 00:29:35,400 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 1: Vitam bears. Thank you for all the work you do. Yes, 508 00:29:39,440 --> 00:29:43,480 Speaker 1: thank you. Thanks to both of them for writing in. 509 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:45,400 Speaker 1: If you would like to write to us, we would 510 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:47,479 Speaker 1: love to hear from you. Our email is Hello at 511 00:29:47,520 --> 00:29:50,200 Speaker 1: savor pod dot com. We're also on social media and 512 00:29:50,280 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 1: you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at 513 00:29:53,360 --> 00:29:55,880 Speaker 1: savor pod. We do hope to hear from you. Savor 514 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,920 Speaker 1: is production of I Heart Radio and Stuff Media. If 515 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 1: you'd like to hear mo our podcast from my Heart Radio, 516 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:03,560 Speaker 1: you can visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 517 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:06,440 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. Thanks as 518 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 1: always to our super producers Dylan Fagan and Andrew Howard. 519 00:30:09,280 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 1: Thanks to you for listening, and we hope that lots 520 00:30:10,880 --> 00:30:12,160 Speaker 1: more good things are coming your way