Oldest use of potatos found in

This scene brings tears to muh taters.

This scene brings tears to muh taters.

Next we'll be told that the first place to drink potatoes was in Utah!

Everybody always says SA is where they were born but go figure!

The "only the poor eat starch" thing has been around forever. I think it is a bad stereo type, a gross overgeneralization. You eat what you have available. Our lovely English Puritans were starving to death with all these "ugly creatures" crawling out of the sea all around them. Nowadays we calls dem "lobsters" and pass the butter and napkins.

This is the stupid trivia we fight over while sitting around the bar between innings!

Thanks for the food for thought!!

a reply to: punkinworks10

Odd isn't it sorry not much to say.

Second line..

originally posted by: punkinworks10


horses(noble creatures) turned their noses up at the early potato, while pigs(well, swine) loved em.

While not disagreeing with you...

What about truffles?! I thought those nasty pigs were used to find truffles I don't see any Frenchies turning their noses to black truffles.

Well, that sums up the dicotomy of the french peasant and middle class attitudes to the potato, and why the monarchy did not try very hard to help.
But, from what I understand that varietal was particularly vile, almost not fit for human consumption.
And so M.A.'s statement was truth wrapped in a slap to the face.
The potatoes so thrived in the bad weather, that there were mountains of them to be given away, but no flour was to be had.
Her statement was basically, "We've given you food, and if you dont like it make cake, Oh!, thats right, THERE IS NO FLOUR to be had. C'est La'vie
And another example of how food norms can be disasterous if not adapted to new situations, the potato famine.
The Irish had become dependant on the potato under English rule. And when the crop failed for a couple seasons in row and it got cold(Tambora), the people started to starve.
First they ate the livestock, what didnt die in the terrible winters, , not just the feed animals, but milk cows, the plow horses and ox's, goats, sheep and the fowl. Then it was the cats and dogs, rats and other vermin, birds of the field and wild fowl when you could get something since guns were forbidden, hunting was somewhat difficult.
They literally ate everything there was to eat, then starved and froze to death by the millions, all the while, didnt nary a soul look to the bounty of the sea.
While there were a few fisherman, for what ever reason, most of the Irish had so lost touch with sea or any fish or shellfish fresh or salt water for that matter.
The waters around Ireland are some of the most productive in eruope and its lakes and rivers very productive, yet Irish dont eat fish