1 00:00:12,320 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 1: Ye on prussic acid. We break our fast, we lunch 2 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: on a morphine stew. We dine with a match head, 3 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: consume and drink carbolic acid brew. That is an excerpt 4 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:38,400 Speaker 1: from uh song that will become increasingly relevant over the 5 00:00:38,440 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 1: course of this episode. Hi, I'm Ben. I want to 6 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:47,280 Speaker 1: kiss you about your lips are fool love borrax? I 7 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:50,000 Speaker 1: mean your food. My name is Noel and this is 8 00:00:50,120 --> 00:00:53,840 Speaker 1: ridiculous history. And we're talking about poison food today. Yes, yes, 9 00:00:53,880 --> 00:00:57,360 Speaker 1: we're talking about poison food. But don't worry, folks, this 10 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:02,480 Speaker 1: will not be a downer of an episode. Actually pretty inspiring. 11 00:01:02,520 --> 00:01:05,200 Speaker 1: As always, We'd like to introduce you to our super producer, 12 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram. He's not suffering anymore apparently. No, no, he's 13 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:14,160 Speaker 1: not suffering anymore. He has been through the fire. So 14 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:18,240 Speaker 1: let's hop in the time machine. No, what do you say? 15 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:21,440 Speaker 1: I am down for some time travel, Casey, can we 16 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:29,160 Speaker 1: get our time travel sound cue? Perfect? Alright, No, here 17 00:01:29,200 --> 00:01:34,520 Speaker 1: we are. We're in the eighteen hundreds, the late eighteen hundreds. 18 00:01:34,560 --> 00:01:36,240 Speaker 1: Is that what we put into the time machine dial? 19 00:01:36,319 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 1: We just typed in general late eighteen hundreds. Yeah, it's 20 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:42,759 Speaker 1: a preset button. Okay, cool, it's right next to popcorn. 21 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,959 Speaker 1: Just trying to make sure I understand the intricacies of 22 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:50,600 Speaker 1: this device. Right. Well, it's a good thing that they 23 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:53,160 Speaker 1: had that button preset because it helped us get here 24 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:56,680 Speaker 1: for today's episode. In the late eighteen hundreds, you see, 25 00:01:57,400 --> 00:02:00,920 Speaker 1: food in the US was banana in a slang way. 26 00:02:00,920 --> 00:02:04,360 Speaker 1: It wasn't all bananas, that's right. There was no way 27 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: to really tell what was in your food. We take 28 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: for granted that today we can take down a packet 29 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:14,480 Speaker 1: of crisps off of the shelf in our local grocery 30 00:02:14,600 --> 00:02:18,760 Speaker 1: and we can see, you know, listed sequentially, what poisonous 31 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: materials are in it that will clog our arteries and 32 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: slowly kill us. Back then, it was a mystery, right exactly. 33 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:29,000 Speaker 1: It is true that more people in the United States 34 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: at least tended to grow their own food, right or 35 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: the chicken they consumed, for instance, would be chicken raised 36 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: on their property. But you are absolutely right about the 37 00:02:40,280 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: grocery store, especially processed food, something made in a factory 38 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:48,400 Speaker 1: with little to know oversight, something maybe roughly along the 39 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 1: lines of hay trying not to put any fingers in 40 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 1: the beef stew. And you know, pig parts take your 41 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:58,920 Speaker 1: take your pick, right, and things were adulterated. Right, they 42 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: could be polluted per bisflee uh to save cost sure right. 43 00:03:04,520 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: They could also be accidentally contaminated because there weren't very 44 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: high health standards at the time. Absolutely not. I mean, 45 00:03:12,840 --> 00:03:15,079 Speaker 1: we know how important it is to wash our hands 46 00:03:15,080 --> 00:03:18,400 Speaker 1: when handling raw chicken because Gordon Ramsey told us so. 47 00:03:18,760 --> 00:03:21,399 Speaker 1: But in our home there's no oversight as to whether 48 00:03:21,480 --> 00:03:23,120 Speaker 1: or not we did that. So if we get a 49 00:03:23,160 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 1: food born illness, it is on our heads. But at 50 00:03:26,440 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: least today we can hopefully depend that the people working 51 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:33,160 Speaker 1: in chicken processing plants or any food processing plants are 52 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:37,600 Speaker 1: operating under safety guidelines that keep us from getting contaminants 53 00:03:37,600 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 1: in our food, and they're tested to make sure said 54 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,880 Speaker 1: contaminants do not make it through the process. And today, 55 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,480 Speaker 1: where we are because we're in the late eighteen hundreds, 56 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,920 Speaker 1: not the case. No, do you happen to see that 57 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:56,240 Speaker 1: hot headed man looking increasingly aggravated and perturbed here on 58 00:03:56,320 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: our random late eighteen hundred street. I think he has gout. 59 00:04:01,120 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 1: I don't doubt he has gout. I just said that 60 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,600 Speaker 1: because it rhymed. I'm all about the lack of doubt 61 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: that he has gout. Give me a shout if you 62 00:04:09,480 --> 00:04:13,280 Speaker 1: can finish the stanza for us. But who were we 63 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:17,120 Speaker 1: talking about? I'm so glad we posed this question. Uh. 64 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,719 Speaker 1: The fellow we see they're getting increasingly irritated is a 65 00:04:20,720 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: guy named Harvey Washington Wildie. So he doesn't have gout. 66 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:27,280 Speaker 1: He's a very health conscious guy. No, no, yeah, yeah, 67 00:04:27,320 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: he's he's talking about the angry guy next to him. Yeah, 68 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:32,120 Speaker 1: there's a line of angry people here, but Harvey was 69 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 1: angry for a pretty specific reason. Right then, Yes, absolutely, 70 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: He looked around at the state of food and said, 71 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,240 Speaker 1: looks you mean he's doing it right now? Sure? Sure, absolutely. 72 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:46,880 Speaker 1: He looks around and he says, what on earth is 73 00:04:47,000 --> 00:04:51,720 Speaker 1: going on here? What is actually going into people's food? 74 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:56,039 Speaker 1: While you see is a man on a mission. He 75 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,840 Speaker 1: is a Civil War vet who, after fighting for the 76 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,720 Speaker 1: Union side, returned to the Academy capital A to continue 77 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: his studies. After he graduated, he started teaching in a 78 00:05:11,839 --> 00:05:16,000 Speaker 1: public school, and then he became He went back and 79 00:05:16,040 --> 00:05:19,120 Speaker 1: became a doctor. He he has his bona fides, is 80 00:05:19,120 --> 00:05:21,320 Speaker 1: what I'm saying here, that's right. Then he got his 81 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:25,240 Speaker 1: undergrad in eighteen sixty seven from Hanover College and then 82 00:05:25,279 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 1: proceeded to get an m d from Indiana Medical College 83 00:05:29,040 --> 00:05:32,760 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy one. He also studied for a year 84 00:05:32,839 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 1: at the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University, and afterwards 85 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,160 Speaker 1: he became a professor. This is all backstory for this 86 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:44,559 Speaker 1: guy next to the guy with gout, for everyone who's 87 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:47,920 Speaker 1: keeping track of our time travel. In eighteen seventy four, 88 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:51,000 Speaker 1: he took a position as a professor of chemistry at 89 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:54,440 Speaker 1: Purdue University, and you will find we found in the 90 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 1: course of our research that he did leave perdue. But 91 00:05:59,040 --> 00:06:01,120 Speaker 1: I heard an interesting the anecdote about him that I 92 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:04,320 Speaker 1: thought you might enjoy. Apparently he left with a bit 93 00:06:04,320 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: of a scandal. Scandal, it's it's a very different time, 94 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: dish Okay. So apparently he left because he was riding 95 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: a bicycle around campus, and this was seen as unbecoming 96 00:06:17,160 --> 00:06:20,480 Speaker 1: of a professor. Yeah, what is he some kind of 97 00:06:20,720 --> 00:06:26,760 Speaker 1: common riff raff riding a bicycle two wheels? Absurd malarkey, 98 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:28,440 Speaker 1: one would say, what was he doing at per do 99 00:06:28,680 --> 00:06:32,800 Speaker 1: He was studying sugar and sorghum cultures, and throughout this 100 00:06:32,839 --> 00:06:36,520 Speaker 1: process he started discover that the sugar that was available, 101 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:39,120 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, is available in the time that we're still 102 00:06:39,160 --> 00:06:42,640 Speaker 1: occupying in our travels. Was adulter rated. It had extra 103 00:06:42,680 --> 00:06:45,480 Speaker 1: stuff in it that did not belong in there, like filler. 104 00:06:45,640 --> 00:06:50,080 Speaker 1: Right then, right, And his fascination with uh, the dark 105 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:53,320 Speaker 1: side of sweet things didn't stop there. He published his 106 00:06:53,360 --> 00:06:57,279 Speaker 1: first paper on food adulteration, UH, connected to the use 107 00:06:57,320 --> 00:07:01,240 Speaker 1: of glucose, specifically in honey. Was his mission What are 108 00:07:01,279 --> 00:07:03,400 Speaker 1: you eating? He keeps saying to people, is that when 109 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:06,839 Speaker 1: a food cheats on its spouse. Well, I guess it 110 00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:09,679 Speaker 1: depends on the relationship the food has with the spouse. 111 00:07:09,840 --> 00:07:12,920 Speaker 1: Do you think foods have to only like foods can commune? 112 00:07:13,080 --> 00:07:16,560 Speaker 1: Or could could have banana commune, you know, with a 113 00:07:16,560 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: piece of bread. I don't know. This is a conversation 114 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:21,120 Speaker 1: for another time. Let's leave it. But he found this stuff, 115 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:23,640 Speaker 1: this filler in the sugar, in the honey, and it 116 00:07:23,760 --> 00:07:27,000 Speaker 1: made him go, Huh, maybe I haven't reached the bottom 117 00:07:27,000 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: of this problem yet. Right, How deep does this culinary 118 00:07:31,400 --> 00:07:37,200 Speaker 1: rabbit hole go? So his interest began to expand beyond 119 00:07:37,960 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: UH the academy right beginning in eighteen eighty. Oh, look, 120 00:07:42,920 --> 00:07:45,200 Speaker 1: now we're back in present tense. Now we're done with 121 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,800 Speaker 1: his back story. Here's what's happening to him, right. He 122 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: is protesting against the practice of adulteration in food and infertilizers, 123 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,880 Speaker 1: but primarily narrowing his focus to food as time goes on. 124 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,920 Speaker 1: In eight one, was appointed State Chemist of Indiana to 125 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:06,680 Speaker 1: analyze the contents of this. So his passion became his job. Yeah, 126 00:08:06,680 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: and he was even elected to something called the German 127 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: Chemical Society, which sounds very fancy. Um. And he worked 128 00:08:13,200 --> 00:08:17,040 Speaker 1: in Germany at at a lab called the Imperial Food Laboratory, 129 00:08:17,120 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: which was in Bismarck. And it was at this time 130 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:24,239 Speaker 1: that he started getting really comfy with a new fangled 131 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:28,240 Speaker 1: device called the polariscope that allowed him to do that 132 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 1: deep research of food stuffs and off air. We were 133 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 1: talking about this. No you mentioned that he didn't just 134 00:08:36,040 --> 00:08:39,080 Speaker 1: stay with India and Germany. Eventually he goes federal. Correct. 135 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,400 Speaker 1: He did, in fact get a job was appointed indeed 136 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:48,360 Speaker 1: at the U. S Department of Agriculture in their Chemical division. 137 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 1: This was in eighteen three. And this is where he 138 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,840 Speaker 1: goes big time, Noel, because now he has a budget 139 00:08:57,320 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: and he has the wherewithal the lab to to the 140 00:09:00,640 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 1: agency to figure out how to tackle what he sees 141 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:08,920 Speaker 1: as the systemic contamination of food in the United States. 142 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:11,600 Speaker 1: I think his budget was in the neighborhood of five k. 143 00:09:12,440 --> 00:09:16,400 Speaker 1: You want to plug that into your handy dandy inflation calculator. Yes, 144 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:21,120 Speaker 1: five grands five large in eighteen eighty three is equal 145 00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:26,320 Speaker 1: to about a hundred and fifteen thousand, seven hundred dollars 146 00:09:26,320 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: in today's today's cash. So not a blockbuster budget, but 147 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:35,000 Speaker 1: not exactly meager either. But most importantly he had that budget, 148 00:09:35,200 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: he also got himself some test subjects, Yes, twelve eager 149 00:09:40,240 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: young men in their twenties who were described as clerks 150 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:47,880 Speaker 1: that had passed the Civil Service exam and had insatiable appetites. 151 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,160 Speaker 1: There's actually a letter from one of them to Harvey 152 00:09:51,760 --> 00:09:54,560 Speaker 1: Um asking to be a part of this study. Um 153 00:09:54,600 --> 00:09:58,400 Speaker 1: that really relied on the ability to have kind of 154 00:09:58,400 --> 00:10:01,559 Speaker 1: an iron gut, and the fellow really thought he fit 155 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: the bill. He says, dear sir, I read in the 156 00:10:04,320 --> 00:10:07,840 Speaker 1: paper of your experiments on diet. I have a stomach 157 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: can stand anything. I have a stomach that will surprise you. 158 00:10:11,559 --> 00:10:14,240 Speaker 1: I am afflicted with seven and then he spells out 159 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: seven diseases. Never went to a doctor for fifteen years. 160 00:10:19,760 --> 00:10:21,880 Speaker 1: They told me fifteen years ago that I could not 161 00:10:21,960 --> 00:10:25,120 Speaker 1: live eight months. What do you think of it? My 162 00:10:25,200 --> 00:10:28,600 Speaker 1: stomach can hold anything. That's the kind of guy that 163 00:10:28,720 --> 00:10:33,240 Speaker 1: Harvey is looking forward, because you see he is planning 164 00:10:33,280 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 1: to poison these twelve hungry men, and he's you know, 165 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:41,880 Speaker 1: he's played to poison them with their consent. I think 166 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: that's important to note some kind of fetish thing. What 167 00:10:44,400 --> 00:10:47,800 Speaker 1: are we talking about here. It's sort of like in 168 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:50,200 Speaker 1: the Middle Ages they would have the trope of the 169 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:54,520 Speaker 1: royal taste tester, who would who would check food for 170 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:57,880 Speaker 1: the aristocracy to make sure, you know, they're jellied eels 171 00:10:57,920 --> 00:11:00,640 Speaker 1: weren't poison You think that guy volunteer, though, I feel 172 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:02,840 Speaker 1: like he was just some schmuck that just sort of 173 00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:05,679 Speaker 1: got stuck with that job. Yeah, I don't know. I 174 00:11:05,679 --> 00:11:07,440 Speaker 1: bet it's one of those jobs that you sort of 175 00:11:07,440 --> 00:11:09,640 Speaker 1: fall into. It doesn't seem like you go to school 176 00:11:09,679 --> 00:11:11,280 Speaker 1: for that. You're just in the right place at the 177 00:11:11,360 --> 00:11:13,240 Speaker 1: right time or the wrong place at the wrong time. 178 00:11:14,120 --> 00:11:17,840 Speaker 1: But this is in many ways a modern analog. He 179 00:11:17,920 --> 00:11:22,319 Speaker 1: was turning these test subjects into sort of the taste 180 00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:27,360 Speaker 1: testers for the United States. What he did was to 181 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 1: first have them consent and sign a waiver, essentially removing 182 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:34,439 Speaker 1: all liability from him or the U. S d A. 183 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 1: And then they would agree to eat all of their 184 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:43,400 Speaker 1: meals three meals a day from his test kitchen. Yeah. 185 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: Not not like America's test kitchen. This was a much 186 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:49,959 Speaker 1: more disturbing version of that. And it had the very 187 00:11:50,120 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: tidy name of Hygienic Table Trials. But the Washington Post 188 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:57,719 Speaker 1: gave it a much sexier name, didn't they. Yes, they 189 00:11:57,760 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: called it Casey. We might need some dramatic music for this. 190 00:12:04,040 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 1: The Poison Squad. Yeah, I mean that's that's a great 191 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,760 Speaker 1: name for almost anything. The Poison Squad rolls deep. My 192 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:14,920 Speaker 1: friend off Air Ben and I were talking about how 193 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 1: our new hip hop duo would maybe be called the 194 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:21,480 Speaker 1: Poison Squad. It's either that or start a fan group 195 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 1: for the rock band Poison, which I think we went 196 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: the right direction with hip hop feeling it. So here's 197 00:12:28,640 --> 00:12:30,480 Speaker 1: here's what he did. Here's the kind of stuff you 198 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:36,280 Speaker 1: put in these poor guys food, borax, copper sulfate, salasilic acid, 199 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 1: and U formaldehyde even and they would they would just 200 00:12:41,120 --> 00:12:43,400 Speaker 1: eat this food. Now, he didn't tell them this is important. 201 00:12:43,400 --> 00:12:46,640 Speaker 1: He didn't tell them what item would have been poison. 202 00:12:46,720 --> 00:12:50,560 Speaker 1: The whole meal wouldn't necessarily have some kind of contaminant 203 00:12:50,640 --> 00:12:56,280 Speaker 1: in it. But the early trials gave him some I guess, 204 00:12:56,400 --> 00:13:00,800 Speaker 1: added insight into human behavior. Because imagine you have, let's say, 205 00:13:01,280 --> 00:13:05,200 Speaker 1: just for example, roast chicken, potatoes, the cole slaw. What 206 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 1: else you got like four or five maybe some asparagus 207 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,000 Speaker 1: there we go, a nice side, perhaps some mac and cheese. 208 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: I don't know, I editorializing here. I think that's a 209 00:13:13,520 --> 00:13:17,079 Speaker 1: delicious meal, and they probably did too. But what wild 210 00:13:17,120 --> 00:13:21,079 Speaker 1: he found is that when someone was eating something, they 211 00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:24,840 Speaker 1: could detect a contaminant in the food and they would just, 212 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:27,280 Speaker 1: you know, stop eating that mac and cheese dish, or 213 00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:30,960 Speaker 1: stop eating those potatoes. So he realized he would have 214 00:13:31,080 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: to change his testing method, and he started putting the 215 00:13:36,080 --> 00:13:39,840 Speaker 1: cantaminants in these gelatin capsules. Yeah, because they were complaining 216 00:13:39,840 --> 00:13:41,360 Speaker 1: about they could actually taste it in the food. They 217 00:13:41,400 --> 00:13:44,160 Speaker 1: say the milk tastes metallic, or that the soup tastes 218 00:13:44,200 --> 00:13:47,120 Speaker 1: like it's gone bad. But Ben, was it really important 219 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,000 Speaker 1: that it maintained that sense of they didn't know which 220 00:13:50,000 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: one they were eat I guess it didn't really matter 221 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: because when they're eating the capsules, then why did they 222 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: even have to eat the meal? Why? I whyted to just 223 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:56,679 Speaker 1: just eat the capsules? What? What? What? What was the 224 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,600 Speaker 1: food even play into the research anymore at that point? Right? 225 00:13:59,640 --> 00:14:03,280 Speaker 1: Part of it is to replicate the experience of the 226 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:08,040 Speaker 1: American household eating, right, like how much how much borax 227 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: do you have to have in potatoes before you get tasted? Right? 228 00:14:17,360 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: Just to backtrack slightly, these guys, and they had to 229 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:26,600 Speaker 1: be guys because whiley was a well renowned misogynists. Um, 230 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: he said that women were quote savages and that they 231 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:36,880 Speaker 1: um were bereft of the brain capacity that men were 232 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: blessed with. Um. So kind of a jerk. Yeah, not 233 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,880 Speaker 1: not not necessarily a good guy. Um. We did do 234 00:14:42,960 --> 00:14:45,440 Speaker 1: some good work here. But you know, it's that same 235 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:47,720 Speaker 1: discussion I guess about separating the art from the artist 236 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: or the research from the researcher. But there was a 237 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,240 Speaker 1: lot that went into this process. There were a lot 238 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: of measurements that had to be taken. These subjects had 239 00:14:57,920 --> 00:15:00,920 Speaker 1: to be weighed, They had to have their poop checked, 240 00:15:00,960 --> 00:15:03,320 Speaker 1: and their urine and their hair and and all kinds 241 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:06,600 Speaker 1: of bodily fluids collected and he tested, you know, the 242 00:15:06,640 --> 00:15:08,920 Speaker 1: prevalence of these materials that would come out, and he 243 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: would check them before and after and then compare the results, 244 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:18,760 Speaker 1: right and building on. While he's terrible opinions of women, 245 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:23,600 Speaker 1: he did have subjectivity when he came to selecting these, uh, 246 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:26,280 Speaker 1: these young men. He wanted them to have what he 247 00:15:26,400 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: described as high moral character, which is not really something 248 00:15:30,600 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: you can effectively measure. It kind of boils down to 249 00:15:34,160 --> 00:15:37,440 Speaker 1: do I like them. And so so when he was 250 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:40,720 Speaker 1: meticulously measuring these folks, or him and his team, I 251 00:15:40,760 --> 00:15:44,200 Speaker 1: should say, you were absolutely right. They were getting there 252 00:15:44,960 --> 00:15:48,080 Speaker 1: urine and their feces analyzed, being way their hair was 253 00:15:48,160 --> 00:15:53,680 Speaker 1: being checked. They were also getting sick. This this did happen. 254 00:15:53,760 --> 00:15:59,520 Speaker 1: It wasn't something that they just stopped. They continued and 255 00:15:59,760 --> 00:16:02,880 Speaker 1: as a result, these test subjects got sick. They learned 256 00:16:02,920 --> 00:16:06,200 Speaker 1: the hard way how much borax or a formaldehyde is 257 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 1: you know, too much? And as part of their qualifications, 258 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,040 Speaker 1: they had these iron guts because it just made them 259 00:16:13,080 --> 00:16:15,600 Speaker 1: willing to do the thing, I guess more than anything, 260 00:16:15,640 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: to willingly be poisoned. I'm not sure if it was 261 00:16:18,240 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: were they getting paid. I guess they had to have 262 00:16:20,080 --> 00:16:22,840 Speaker 1: been getting paid something, right, surely a stipend, I would hope. 263 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: So oh no, man, I'm sorry, I just found uh 264 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 1: they weren't paid. Their pay was there's three squares a day. 265 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:33,280 Speaker 1: Oh wow. And it was kind of like prison rules, 266 00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 1: different time indeed. But they also one could argue we're 267 00:16:37,680 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 1: paid in public renown because this project was a water 268 00:16:43,760 --> 00:16:47,400 Speaker 1: shed moment for food regulation in the United States, and 269 00:16:47,960 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: this Poison Squad was lionized by the press, not just 270 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:56,320 Speaker 1: the Washington Post, but people were writing songs about them. 271 00:16:56,320 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: They were writing to their legislators and demanding food regulation. 272 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: And because they were getting stomach aches, they were vomiting, 273 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,280 Speaker 1: they had nausea, and the public was aware of this. 274 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,960 Speaker 1: The song we opened the show with, or the excerpt 275 00:17:09,000 --> 00:17:11,119 Speaker 1: we opened the show with, is from a song called 276 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:14,840 Speaker 1: the Song of the Poison Squad by S. W. Gilliland. 277 00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,760 Speaker 1: These were these were like public figures. So I think, 278 00:17:18,160 --> 00:17:21,240 Speaker 1: you know, the question is what, uh what price could 279 00:17:21,280 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 1: you put on fame? Would you exchange some stomach aches 280 00:17:24,160 --> 00:17:28,560 Speaker 1: and vomiting to, you know, be a national food hero. 281 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 1: We we should also mention all that Harvey Wiley, I 282 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: know we're making him sound like a little bit of 283 00:17:34,520 --> 00:17:39,240 Speaker 1: a mad scientist. But in his defense, he did also 284 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,960 Speaker 1: eat some of these meals with his poison squad boys. 285 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:45,679 Speaker 1: Maybe that was, you know, as a result of his 286 00:17:45,720 --> 00:17:47,840 Speaker 1: war experience. He felt like if he was gonna ask 287 00:17:47,880 --> 00:17:49,840 Speaker 1: these boys to take a bullet, he had to be 288 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: willing to take one too, which is, you know, a 289 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,600 Speaker 1: great point to make this guy is U is increasingly complex. 290 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,640 Speaker 1: He is quite complex, but again a total work when 291 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:04,639 Speaker 1: it came to his treatment of women. As it turns out, 292 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:07,359 Speaker 1: in addition to the slurs that I mentioned that he 293 00:18:07,440 --> 00:18:11,639 Speaker 1: said earlier, Um, the program had a chef by the 294 00:18:11,680 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 1: name of Chef Perry Um and it's at one point, 295 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: according to an article from Esquire called The Poison Squad 296 00:18:18,359 --> 00:18:23,359 Speaker 1: An Incredible History by Bruce Watson, Chef Perry was replaced 297 00:18:23,800 --> 00:18:28,320 Speaker 1: by a female and you know, his poison squad. While 298 00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:30,840 Speaker 1: he's poison squad, they were kind of his bros. And 299 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: I guess maybe one of the weir qualifications might have 300 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:35,920 Speaker 1: been misogyny as well, because one of them was quoted 301 00:18:35,960 --> 00:18:38,960 Speaker 1: as saying, a woman a tut tut Why the very 302 00:18:39,040 --> 00:18:42,919 Speaker 1: idea a woman can potter around a domestic hearth but 303 00:18:42,960 --> 00:18:45,720 Speaker 1: when it comes to frying eggs in a scientific mode 304 00:18:45,720 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 1: and putting from malde hyde in the soup, never, that 305 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:53,600 Speaker 1: was kind of my like the doctor, the professor from Futurama, 306 00:18:53,680 --> 00:18:55,680 Speaker 1: kind of came out of nowhere, this sort of a 307 00:18:55,760 --> 00:19:02,520 Speaker 1: professor Farnsworth, that's the guy. And despite this rampant cartoonist, 308 00:19:02,560 --> 00:19:07,800 Speaker 1: supervillain level misogyny, this guy was lauded in the UH, 309 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:11,200 Speaker 1: in the public sphere, in magazines like Good Housekeeping, which 310 00:19:11,240 --> 00:19:15,760 Speaker 1: called him the watch dog of the kitchen. According to 311 00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: an article by the Science History Institute, he was garnering 312 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:25,320 Speaker 1: public support. Who's garnering governmental support, and in this specific case, 313 00:19:25,640 --> 00:19:29,840 Speaker 1: public support from the same people that he thought so 314 00:19:29,960 --> 00:19:35,760 Speaker 1: little of was instrumental enforcing large businesses and food manufacturers 315 00:19:36,040 --> 00:19:40,639 Speaker 1: to actually, you know, stop putting from malde hyde and 316 00:19:40,720 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 1: sodium Ben's await and stuff. But there was another supervillain 317 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:48,080 Speaker 1: in this story, wasn't there. The food lobby, the dreaded 318 00:19:48,119 --> 00:19:52,560 Speaker 1: food lobby, who looked at Wiley as persona non grata, 319 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:55,920 Speaker 1: and they fought him and his findings tooth and nail 320 00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:58,679 Speaker 1: and did everything in their power to discredit him. But 321 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:03,280 Speaker 1: despite that adverse city, he managed to continue to turn 322 00:20:03,359 --> 00:20:06,879 Speaker 1: public opinion to the point where a law passed that 323 00:20:07,000 --> 00:20:10,880 Speaker 1: led to the foundation of a pretty important organization. Yes, 324 00:20:11,560 --> 00:20:15,399 Speaker 1: at last, at last, nineteen o six, the Pure Food 325 00:20:15,520 --> 00:20:20,040 Speaker 1: and Drugs Act passes. And this is at this point 326 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: in Wiley's life he has been an unceasing advocate of 327 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:29,080 Speaker 1: some sort of regulation. He also, we should mention, expanded 328 00:20:29,200 --> 00:20:33,359 Speaker 1: later into the field of contamination in drugs. But the 329 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: Pure Food and Drugs Act of nineteen o six a 330 00:20:36,359 --> 00:20:38,840 Speaker 1: k A. One of the biggest reasons you're not going 331 00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: to vomit when you eat a bag of chips, hopefully 332 00:20:41,480 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 1: in theory. Crisps, Yes, crisp chips uh. Freeze dried asparagus, uh. 333 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:52,760 Speaker 1: Cashew milk pretty much any any nut milk really, he 334 00:20:52,960 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 1: nut milk really. Uh. This Act passes with a backing 335 00:20:57,160 --> 00:21:02,880 Speaker 1: of President Theodore Roosevelt, and it specifically prohibits adulteration and 336 00:21:03,160 --> 00:21:06,240 Speaker 1: misbranding of food and drugs. At this point, it was 337 00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:10,159 Speaker 1: the most comprehensive legislation of its kind in the United States. 338 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:14,040 Speaker 1: It paved the way for the f d A, the 339 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:17,480 Speaker 1: Food and Drug Administration, And to make a long story short, 340 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:20,719 Speaker 1: the foundation of the Food and Drug Administration led to 341 00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: the nutrition and ingredient labels that we see today in 342 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: our local hold foods, and this this is something that 343 00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:32,960 Speaker 1: continues in the modern day. We are back in the present, right, 344 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,240 Speaker 1: but we've taken the long way around. It was a slog. 345 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,040 Speaker 1: It was this log we should have just hop back 346 00:21:38,040 --> 00:21:42,399 Speaker 1: in the time machine spoiler earlier. There's well, you know, 347 00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,680 Speaker 1: it's figurative. I guess. I mean, we're all time travelers, aren't. 348 00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:49,360 Speaker 1: We were just moving at a rate of one second. 349 00:21:49,880 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: It's all about imagination. There we go, there we go. 350 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:57,680 Speaker 1: And when you and I were looking into this, I 351 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:00,359 Speaker 1: don't know about you know, but I was surprised to 352 00:22:00,560 --> 00:22:05,280 Speaker 1: find that some food legislation was far more recent than 353 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 1: one would have supposed. I am surprised to hear that. 354 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,600 Speaker 1: Ben tell me more. I'm so glad. I'm so glad 355 00:22:11,600 --> 00:22:15,679 Speaker 1: you're into this. Uh. In nine, the Nutrition Labeling and 356 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:20,040 Speaker 1: Education Act passes. This requires all packaged food to bear 357 00:22:20,119 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: nutrition labeling and all health claims for food to be 358 00:22:22,840 --> 00:22:28,040 Speaker 1: consistent with current regulations. There's a really interesting and strange 359 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:34,280 Speaker 1: ongoing conflict between food advertisers and the US government and 360 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,760 Speaker 1: probably the government in which you live. If it's not 361 00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:41,000 Speaker 1: the us like, well, have you ever gone grocery shopping 362 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 1: and you see a cereal that says maybe it's all 363 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:48,040 Speaker 1: natural or wholesome. How do you define wholesome? Yeah, that's 364 00:22:48,040 --> 00:22:51,520 Speaker 1: sort of vague. Language is a thing all across manufacturing, 365 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:53,159 Speaker 1: and like I guess a good example is like a 366 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:55,520 Speaker 1: bottle of water where it as it contains up to 367 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:02,159 Speaker 1: recycled material and that up to mean zero, Yeah, it 368 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,360 Speaker 1: could be up to zer rosie rosie rosie rosiero one 369 00:23:05,400 --> 00:23:08,400 Speaker 1: percent yea. And you see that with food packaging. Of course, 370 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:12,639 Speaker 1: these regulations are hugely important. But with any regulation, you're 371 00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:16,120 Speaker 1: gonna find a loophole, right, and manufacturers are doing that 372 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:20,280 Speaker 1: all over the place. And we found in the course 373 00:23:20,359 --> 00:23:23,600 Speaker 1: of of poking around in in this this food war 374 00:23:23,680 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: between advertisers in the government, uh, we found that contamination 375 00:23:28,040 --> 00:23:33,080 Speaker 1: of foods or counterfeiting of foods still occurs today. And 376 00:23:33,240 --> 00:23:35,760 Speaker 1: this this is kind of surprising. M. One of the 377 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: anecdotes that that I heard unconfirmed was that there was 378 00:23:39,760 --> 00:23:43,040 Speaker 1: a Calamari counterfeiting problem. That the lees is made of 379 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:47,600 Speaker 1: pig butt holes. Yes, yeah, chiplands, chilands fried with some 380 00:23:47,680 --> 00:23:51,040 Speaker 1: sort of adulterants who make them taste more seafood? Is 381 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,119 Speaker 1: this true? This is true? I always heard that was 382 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:56,000 Speaker 1: urban myth. Is it really true? Ben? I don't want 383 00:23:56,000 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 1: to ruin this for everyone, so I I will say 384 00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:03,200 Speaker 1: that I have not seen hardor like wide reaching study 385 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: on this. But there's a pretty interesting piece that ran 386 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:12,360 Speaker 1: on This American Life about what's marketed as imitation calamari. 387 00:24:12,800 --> 00:24:17,680 Speaker 1: So it's not illegal to sell something as imitation, right, 388 00:24:18,119 --> 00:24:21,640 Speaker 1: like imitation crab meat or one of our mutual favorites 389 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,200 Speaker 1: cheese food flavored product. Yeah, or even back to our 390 00:24:25,280 --> 00:24:28,520 Speaker 1: Margarine versus Butter episode where the reason that margarine was 391 00:24:28,600 --> 00:24:31,959 Speaker 1: so uh maligned by the butter industry is because it 392 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:37,480 Speaker 1: was looked at as potentially being sold as a faux butter. 393 00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,479 Speaker 1: But that all powerful butter lobby made damn sure that 394 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:44,919 Speaker 1: the margarine folks couldn't even color the stuff yellow. And 395 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:46,560 Speaker 1: we got a great email that I think we'll read 396 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: about die packs in margarine, that people could die their 397 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: own margarine so they could make a yellow at home. 398 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,280 Speaker 1: That one comes with pictures and we're going to post 399 00:24:55,359 --> 00:24:59,200 Speaker 1: those on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter where you can find 400 00:24:59,320 --> 00:25:03,240 Speaker 1: us as Niculous History or some variation thereof. So while 401 00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,439 Speaker 1: we're in the modern day to sew it up. Another 402 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:10,720 Speaker 1: thing that is often reported as counterfeit would be sushi. Uh. 403 00:25:10,920 --> 00:25:17,840 Speaker 1: Study by nonprofit group Oceana Around cited that of restaurants 404 00:25:17,880 --> 00:25:22,720 Speaker 1: surveyed in New York City are serving fraudulent fish, a 405 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: phrase that I am oddly fond of. It's it's it's 406 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,360 Speaker 1: like a good insult. You could call someone a fraudulent fish, 407 00:25:29,480 --> 00:25:37,440 Speaker 1: a faux fish. And according to these reports, what's happening 408 00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:42,879 Speaker 1: is that restaurants or maybe even wholesalers are selling a 409 00:25:42,960 --> 00:25:46,919 Speaker 1: cheaper alternative to a certain type of fish grade. Maybe right, 410 00:25:47,200 --> 00:25:50,439 Speaker 1: you got sushi grade tuna, but maybe they're selling a 411 00:25:50,480 --> 00:25:53,560 Speaker 1: slightly cheaper cut and calling it bad. Is that? What 412 00:25:53,640 --> 00:25:55,600 Speaker 1: is that what you're saying? Yeah, that's one. That's one 413 00:25:55,680 --> 00:26:00,080 Speaker 1: aspect of it, for sure. But here's here's one of 414 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:04,280 Speaker 1: the really dirty ones. Since we're talking about tuna, some 415 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:07,159 Speaker 1: of the fraudulent fish that would be substitute for tuna 416 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,800 Speaker 1: is something called escolar, commonly referred to in the seafood 417 00:26:10,800 --> 00:26:14,479 Speaker 1: industry as X lax fish. Does it do what I 418 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:17,160 Speaker 1: think it does? Yes, it is not an ironic name. 419 00:26:17,240 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: This is not a little job in situation got it. 420 00:26:20,200 --> 00:26:25,360 Speaker 1: So the problems continue today, but luckily they were mitigated 421 00:26:25,480 --> 00:26:29,920 Speaker 1: to a great and amazing degree by one man who 422 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:32,640 Speaker 1: was not perfect, who made it his mission to clean 423 00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:34,720 Speaker 1: up the grocery store. Yeah, and today, I think a 424 00:26:34,760 --> 00:26:37,080 Speaker 1: big thing that we're still having to deal with, UM 425 00:26:37,280 --> 00:26:42,440 Speaker 1: is concern about pesticides being in our food and hormones 426 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:45,880 Speaker 1: being injected into livestock, and it kind of leaching into 427 00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:48,680 Speaker 1: milk and eggs because you know, back in the day 428 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: and the early days we were talking about livestock was 429 00:26:51,119 --> 00:26:55,640 Speaker 1: largely being raised by individual families on family farms. UM. 430 00:26:55,680 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: Today you know the meat packing industry as a whole, 431 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,919 Speaker 1: ginormous conglomerates, and you know, there is concern about that. 432 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:06,439 Speaker 1: So hopefully the FDA continues to fulfill its mission. But 433 00:27:06,520 --> 00:27:08,359 Speaker 1: you can never be sure, right because I mean, it 434 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:11,760 Speaker 1: is only one organization, and there's so many new food 435 00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,880 Speaker 1: products coming out all the time. Even recently, the Sargento 436 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:20,960 Speaker 1: Company recalled a huge batch of their ultra thin sliced 437 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: longhorn colby six point four ounce products, and with this 438 00:27:25,359 --> 00:27:29,880 Speaker 1: recall comes the UPC code and all of that because UM, 439 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,880 Speaker 1: some adulterants made it through the process so even with 440 00:27:33,960 --> 00:27:37,760 Speaker 1: this organization and the work of our misogynist friend, stuff 441 00:27:37,800 --> 00:27:40,280 Speaker 1: still does make it through. That might even give the 442 00:27:40,320 --> 00:27:43,119 Speaker 1: most iron gutted of us a run for our money, 443 00:27:43,200 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: no matter how many pre existing diseases you have or 444 00:27:46,640 --> 00:27:50,000 Speaker 1: the runs for our money. There we go spot on 445 00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:54,000 Speaker 1: and we want to hear from you. What are your 446 00:27:54,320 --> 00:28:00,320 Speaker 1: encounters with contaminated or adulterated food? What what do you 447 00:28:00,480 --> 00:28:03,760 Speaker 1: think about the f d A. And also, just out 448 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,159 Speaker 1: of curiosity, what's the weirdest thing you ever ate? Was 449 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:09,480 Speaker 1: it good? Let us know? You know, this makes me 450 00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,520 Speaker 1: think of there's a Tim and Eric sketch those songs 451 00:28:12,560 --> 00:28:15,560 Speaker 1: called all the Food Is Poison. Um, it's just like 452 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:21,439 Speaker 1: tacos poison, hot dogs, it's poison. It's like just rattling 453 00:28:21,440 --> 00:28:25,280 Speaker 1: off food and all the food is poison. That's just 454 00:28:25,760 --> 00:28:26,920 Speaker 1: that's gonna be in my head for the rest of 455 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:28,560 Speaker 1: the day. Now you haven't seen that, check it out. 456 00:28:28,600 --> 00:28:32,720 Speaker 1: It's it's upsetting. And speaking of you friends and neighbors, 457 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:35,840 Speaker 1: follow food fans where food feeds alike. It's time for 458 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: listener mail. Our first listener mail comes from Gordon in Ontario, Canada. 459 00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:48,240 Speaker 1: He says, gents, I thoroughly enjoyed last week's Marjarine episode. 460 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,080 Speaker 1: Of all things, it brought back childhood memories of small 461 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:54,800 Speaker 1: town Ontario and the packaging innovation shown below. We mentioned 462 00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,280 Speaker 1: this a little while ago. Ontario consumers were restricted by 463 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,280 Speaker 1: law from buying yellow margarine and got really tired of 464 00:29:00,320 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: messing up their mixing bowls to color their lily white 465 00:29:03,680 --> 00:29:07,280 Speaker 1: edible oil. Spread, Ben, do you see the impulse there? 466 00:29:07,680 --> 00:29:10,000 Speaker 1: Why do we need to trick ourselves? We know it's 467 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:14,480 Speaker 1: not butter. It's very strange because you know again, folks, 468 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:17,040 Speaker 1: you have to see these pictures. It's so it's so weird. 469 00:29:17,560 --> 00:29:20,440 Speaker 1: I was wondering where this motivation would come from. And 470 00:29:20,520 --> 00:29:22,880 Speaker 1: I can't help but think maybe there was a cook 471 00:29:22,960 --> 00:29:26,720 Speaker 1: somewhere who was by margarine and wanted it to appear 472 00:29:26,880 --> 00:29:29,600 Speaker 1: to be butter at the home dinner table or in 473 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:33,600 Speaker 1: a restaurant. But there was a there's a weird method 474 00:29:33,640 --> 00:29:37,560 Speaker 1: to this product. Well really strengthens big butters beef with margarine, 475 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,720 Speaker 1: that this coloring was such an important factor. Um, so 476 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,120 Speaker 1: the message goes on. So folks really got tired of 477 00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 1: messing up their mixing bowls to color their lily white 478 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:49,760 Speaker 1: edible oil spread. In the early sixties, the manufacturers responded 479 00:29:49,760 --> 00:29:53,600 Speaker 1: by selling uncolored margarine and sealed plastic bags with a 480 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: tiny button of food die in the middle. I recall 481 00:29:56,640 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: being tasked by my mom with popping the dye button 482 00:30:00,160 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: and squishing the bag until the color was nice. In uniform, 483 00:30:03,760 --> 00:30:07,040 Speaker 1: it's called easy color. You sent us some amazing picks, uh, 484 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: and it shows the process of um the lily white 485 00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: oil spread in the bag. Um a pair of delightful 486 00:30:14,480 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 1: sixties kind of Frank Lloyd Wright painted fingernail woman's hands 487 00:30:18,840 --> 00:30:21,280 Speaker 1: squishing the bag. You see the little nipple in the 488 00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:24,960 Speaker 1: middle popping with color, and then more squishing hands with 489 00:30:25,040 --> 00:30:28,240 Speaker 1: a with a diamond ring and then boom it ends, 490 00:30:28,680 --> 00:30:34,640 Speaker 1: mixing bowl mess. The taste tells that's the slogan. There's 491 00:30:34,640 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 1: another spoken to. It's pinched the color berry. Need the 492 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:43,280 Speaker 1: bag for that rich, creamy flavor. Oh my gosh, thank 493 00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:45,920 Speaker 1: you so much for writing in Gordon, this this email, 494 00:30:46,680 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 1: This email made our day. And I keep staring at 495 00:30:50,280 --> 00:30:53,240 Speaker 1: these old advertisements. I think we're both fans of vintage ads. 496 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:55,160 Speaker 1: Love it so much he does in the letter with 497 00:30:55,200 --> 00:30:59,560 Speaker 1: easy Color. Truly stupid and yes, ridiculous. And our next 498 00:30:59,600 --> 00:31:02,920 Speaker 1: email comes from Holly. Holly writes in to say, one 499 00:31:02,920 --> 00:31:05,280 Speaker 1: of my favorite things about the Old Green Acres show 500 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:07,520 Speaker 1: was when they had to climb up the poll outside 501 00:31:07,560 --> 00:31:09,680 Speaker 1: the house to answer the phone or make a call. 502 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:12,160 Speaker 1: Listening to your podcast brought to mind one of the 503 00:31:12,160 --> 00:31:15,720 Speaker 1: more memorable phone related episodes. Oliver got really upset with 504 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:18,240 Speaker 1: the phone company and decided he could do better, so 505 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:21,520 Speaker 1: they gave him the keys to the switchboard. Hilarity ensues. 506 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: Holly sites this it's Oliver versus the phone Company in 507 00:31:24,720 --> 00:31:28,280 Speaker 1: nineteen seven, Holly continues. Until I listened to your show, 508 00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:30,160 Speaker 1: I assumed that this was just a way of laughing 509 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:33,600 Speaker 1: at how backwards their farming culture was still using a 510 00:31:33,680 --> 00:31:36,080 Speaker 1: system that was long gone, even in rural areas. But 511 00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:38,280 Speaker 1: it was filmed in the late sixties, and according to 512 00:31:38,320 --> 00:31:41,480 Speaker 1: your report, phone systems like that were still operational at 513 00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:44,240 Speaker 1: that time, and this was not so unbelievable as I 514 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:46,560 Speaker 1: imagined it to be. Instead of a dig at a 515 00:31:46,640 --> 00:31:49,800 Speaker 1: negative aspect of rural culture hopelessly stuck in the past, 516 00:31:50,120 --> 00:31:51,880 Speaker 1: that show was more of a negative view of the 517 00:31:51,960 --> 00:31:54,840 Speaker 1: uppercross not being able to adapt, which of course was 518 00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:57,800 Speaker 1: the theme of the entire series. Thanks for the podcast, 519 00:31:57,840 --> 00:32:00,960 Speaker 1: and thanks to Green Acres for presenting their own Ridiculous History. 520 00:32:01,240 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 1: No York, I'd rather stay I get allergic smelling. Hey, yeah, 521 00:32:08,320 --> 00:32:10,600 Speaker 1: that was them. It presented two sides in the theme. 522 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:13,200 Speaker 1: You know the dude really was he? You know? What 523 00:32:13,240 --> 00:32:19,000 Speaker 1: does he say? Fresh air at times square, at some something? 524 00:32:19,080 --> 00:32:22,440 Speaker 1: You are my wife? Goodbye city life? You know? Yeah, 525 00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: that's that's a really good point. It almost is a 526 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,000 Speaker 1: satire of the upper crust and what big babies they 527 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:31,720 Speaker 1: can be. Right, absolutely, and this concludes our listener mail, 528 00:32:31,920 --> 00:32:34,800 Speaker 1: but not our show. We hope you enjoyed this look 529 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:39,080 Speaker 1: at the strange yet profoundly important mission of Harvey Wiley 530 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,960 Speaker 1: and his Poison Squad, and we hope you tune in 531 00:32:43,120 --> 00:32:47,800 Speaker 1: for our next episode, which takes us to ancient India. Yeah, 532 00:32:47,840 --> 00:32:50,960 Speaker 1: and we're gonna get super shady and leave it at that, 533 00:32:52,720 --> 00:32:55,760 Speaker 1: so tune in as always, thinks to our super producer, 534 00:32:55,880 --> 00:33:00,480 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram, Thanks to Candice Gibson, our contributor who wrote 535 00:33:00,480 --> 00:33:03,960 Speaker 1: the article Ridiculous History, an Ambitious Chemist and a Poison Squad. 536 00:33:04,200 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 1: Thanks you Alex Williams for composing our theme, and thanks 537 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:08,960 Speaker 1: to you for tuning in. And we hope you'll join 538 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:18,560 Speaker 1: us for the next episode of Ridiculous History.