Eating like a Lighthouse Keeper from the 1800s 

Hey Max just came back from a trip to Scandinavia! Check out the histories for Icelandic Hákarl, minke whale, puffin, and Swedish toast Skagen, pickled herring, Swedish meatballs, and the use of ammonium chloride in swedish sweets(it was the absolute worst thing I’ve ever put in my mouth)

Fun fact 24lbs/10.8 kgs of coffee is the yearly consumption of a average Scandinavian😉

Hey if your interested in an epic story of a badass lighthouse keeper, take a look into Henry Hall. That man went through an insane event and his level of badassery through the whole ordeal should be spread around more :)

I'd like to recommend Boston Baked Beans

After thinking back on my museum days, maybe something from Panama. There's a lot of history for a tiny country and the food is influenced by many cultures. Especially during the canal's construction

You could said it never spoils ;D

Ouch 😁

😂😂😂

A true building block of the channel, firm and unbreakable.

Clack. Clack. (Slow clack)

Preach brother

If he makes you a Boston corn chowder like that, he’s a keeper. I bet Keepers also made great corn chowder.

A lighthouse keeper some might say

If a bee makes you a Boston corn chowder like that, you're a Beekeeper.

So good

The job is what keeps you alive.

I don't think the majority did it because of their kind heart, but because they needed food and shelter in order to survive.

I think it sounds fun.

@@Fulcrum205 lol watch the movie "the lighthouse" with willem dafoe and robert pattinson.

@@jeepowner2675 oh no. I wouldn't want anyone else there. The solitude is a feature not a bug

hard tack with pemican tonight!

@@ttaibe Clack Clack

@@ttaibe wash it down with switchel

Oh that would be awesome. Maybe at many of the historical sites (?). Williamsburg, also Greenfield Village in Detroit. Then location’s everywhere! I like it!

​@@ttaibeclack clack

i think it was a mixture of all the things, like the mercury, the stress, the constant light in your sleep, & etc

If I had a cent for every new parent that compares their dull routines to the harshness of a dangerous job I'd be able to buy a lighthouse.

isolation also fucks you over badly

Exactly! Getting no solid sleep, ever, would make anyone completely lose their mind.

I agree! Even when you do sleep, every little noise wakes you and you instinctively get up to check the baby. I think it was definitely the lack of quality sleep that drive them over edge. Bless their souls.

Ah, good to know. I made this the other day and was afterward wondering whether using a second pot was really necessary.

Yes, my grandfather worked on ships and helped the cook. He then made it for his family which was passed down. The milk was not scalded.

Thanks for that explanation! I knew there was a reason but couldn't remember.

Thank you for that information, I was not aware of that.

it brings up the sugar. or lactose flavor.....forgetting about that?

Glad you find the subtitles useful. Credit for subtitles and Pokemon go to Jose.

The pokemon plushie in the background is a highlight for me, love whatever lil fella he puts there

​@TastingHistory thank you José!

Was that the lighthouse at Farewell Spit? I went there a few years ago and actually really enjoyed it!

Sounds delicious! I miss the lush greenery of NZ

Cool story, so if your mom is 95 how old are you?

Thanks for sharing! I thought from the provisions list he read out that supplies were delivered to the lighthouse, had no idea you needed to be self sufficient on top of the lighthouse duties. If you don’t mind me asking, how did the employers fulfil their provisioning duties? Did they pay for the cow and its food, etc.?

Can you post the recipe?

huzzah!

Your videos are always so interesting. I come for the food because it looks amazing but I definitely stay for the history. Keep up the fantastic work

Says you"re #33 now!

Can you taste that sweet sweet victory?

Right on!👍👍💖

Not quite sure he " loved" cats. Those are the only pet animals suited for a lighthouse and poor man was alone for decades.

I'm so sad that I've been ruined for chowder forever thanks to Campbell's anything chowder or 'cream of'. My mother, good child of the 50's that she was, forced all of those down us and oh man 🤢 i wish that it had been homemade because that is an economical dish, but yeah even the memory of the texture of the potatoes makes me yak

I was pretty confused by the discarding of the potato boiling water, too. And, yes, I'd dice the salt pork and keep it in the chowder, too.

@@MyName-tb9oz hell yes keep the salt pork in! And yes I would love to have a homemade soup to replace the disgusting gluey Campbell's shit

Oh, agreed, but he was following the recipe as written, now one could change it as one likes.

@@sherrieludwig508 hell yes! Change it up as much as one would wish! The best parts of recipes is where the fuck they're changed up!

That clack clack gets me through the tough times

The hardtack clack never gets old, even if the hardtack does. 😂😂😂

Lol Never gets old I always chuckle 😂😂

I now mime the action with him! :)

What does moose soup taste like

@@andreahighsides7756moose

@@andreahighsides7756 Like a moose? ;)

@@andreahighsides7756 The typical recipe includes a thin broth, rice, and vegetables. The flavor of the moose meat takes the center stage. It tastes different from anything else. Compared to beef, it is way leaner but has more flavor.

Unfortunately for the rest of us, we can not pay $50 a box for those Sailor Boy crackers. $35 + $15 shipping on Amazon. I am not a wealthy man. However I did discover Milton crackers after a friend gave me a box that was 3 years old. Tasted like the day they were made. Milton crackers is the way to go and they do not cost $50 a box.

You and me both! Clack-clack!

@andimproud - I pavlova a good joke.

Pavlov....that's a name that rings a bell }}

Unless it's the breastmilk you were pumping at 2am - I learned you can cry then when you accidentally drop it and then have to clean it up too😢

Maybe you need to scold you milk if it's gone bad

"YOU USELESS-" Quote from B.Dylan Hollis

Why don’t you cry over the milk and then scold it? Best of both worlds.

@@kbomb234 By far one of my favorite quotes from him alongside "WHO'S MOOING NOW?" and "How am I going to survive the apocalypse if I can't survive OATS?"

can you write out the measurements you used to make this for two? l live alone & most recipes are too big for me

@@hannahlynn8028a bit late of a reply, but honestly, chuck the recipe into chat gpt and let it do the calculations for you.

I must try this. What crackers you used? I don't know much about them and differences between them.. And did you use bacon? I'm going to cook this tomorrow, I have potatoes and onions growing outside. And I do like my soup a little watery so I wonder if I should do the draining second time.. I've always dreamed about trying all kinds of historical dishes and found this channel today and it's awesome. So thank you very much for your support and donatinon! 👍🏻🙂

@@beatnik6806 I didn't use any crackers because I have celiac and can't eat wheat. I crumbled up a couple slices of gluten free bread because that's what I had on hand. I did not use bacon either, I used a little bit of olive oil for cooking and added some diced ham to the soup.

@@beatnik6806 Most of us New Englanders use oyster crackers 🙂

@@Jewelsmith oh I bet that worked as good 🤤👍🏻

@@eledatowle8767 I had to google that so I don't think I can't find those in my country but I try. Thanks for the suggestion. I still haven't made this reciepe but I've come into conglusion that any hard dry cracker works with this one 🙂

EXACTLY!! It was perfect you see it coming and brace and yay!!

I knew it just from the thumbnail. I saw those thick and big-looking crackers on the side of the bowl and said Yep, it's comin'...

However, luxuries like having the sea nearby, lots of fresh air and experiencing the elements were free...

@@ttaibe Depending on where you happen to live, that is still very much free today XD I say that as someone who's grown up and lived most of her life on the coast of northern Norway. And to be pedantic, it's only free if you just count cost as money you have to pay directly in order to experience it. It is anything *but* free if you count the cost of equipment/tools and time needed to keep things maintained... Like Max so astutely mentioned in this video; it's basically a full-time job to maintain the paint job on a FENCE by the ocean, nevermind a giant tower needing whitewashing! XD IN fact, in many older villages and settlements along the coast of northern Norway, you'll notice that the hosues often only have wooden, painted walls on three sides. The side that faces the sea, very often is just those rather ugly Eternit plated walls, because it doesn't matter how much salt water that is sprayed with (or how much salt it is blasted with, if it's windy at all, which it tends to be when it's open enough....), they remain perfectly fine. They look ugly as heck, but they are at least low maintenance! For the same reason, those walls often did not have windows.... And if you have ever been on a sea-going ferry during winter and looked at the windows...... It makes sense why.... The air is deliciously fresh, and now that I have lived more "inland" too for a while (though not inland at all, still on the coast, just... on a less exposed part of the Norwegian coast XD), I will say that... I do miss the proper WEATHER we'd get. But it is also quite nice to have a slightly more... stable weather, and not have AS horribly cold *actual* temperatures....

⁠​⁠​⁠@@ttaibeyeah the luxury of being blinded by the lighthouse and deafened by the horn while being totally screwed if you have a medical emergency of any kind.

​@@dirpyturtle69i see you always look on the bright side of life.

@@HadridarMatramen Ty for your long reply. I was thinking modern lighthouses., I didn't think about the upkeep of seaside houses. Most places I am familiar with seaside houses are just unobtainable for the common man. Either they are just passed on in the family, or bought up by investors and rented out for the holidays. Nice houses cost a fortune or two. I am Dutch. I'd love to live near the sea. Preferably within sight of it, but with a good wall so one can sit out of the wind. Not sure about Norway though. Indeed that might be a bit too cold even for me. Everything has its downsides I guess. Decades ago I was on my way to London to my then girlfriend. I was on the last catamaran ferry that went out just before a storm. I stayed on deck the whole time. Loved it! My girlfriend not so much as my hair was blasted and set in salt XD.

From what recipe book are your in-laws referencing from? That sounds hilarious

RI guy here! Thanks for your service 🫡

@quackers9276 - Yes, thank you for your service. Cape Cod also has some still-functiong light houses.

I'll try to keep that in mind.

As an ex infantry guy,what an amazing service the Coast Guard is, Port Townsend was cool in so many ways. CG is the only branch I can recommend to my military age nephews.

As a fellow RI guy, Block Island is definitely a must visit. The south east light still works, and is now a museum too.

Lol gotta love that taste of mercury

Just like Grandma used to make!

only if you want to be historically accurate. Or source your fish bad. a lot of tuna had mercury for a while, might still. Also that San Francisco fog.

When do you add the mercury and does the thermometer kind work or do I need organic

​@@mannyaguirre4856it actually tastes almondy like arsenic

Interesting. I understood the meaning from the context but I wonder how we got from "trying out" to "rendering out".

I noticed the use of that phrase and wondered about the origins of it. Thanks for posting.

@@sixstringedthing I wonder if that's the origin of the phrase. maybe 'try out' meant that first. 'try and get some oil out of that blubber' 'try out that oil' 'try and do this'

Ayuh, good eating.

My great grandmother, grandmother, and mother all made this type of chowder. My mom always gave us saltines with it, but my grandmothers liked to give us “oyster crackers” and I always thought them so fancy. 😂 Our family recipe includes cream, but it’s the same as yours, except mom always used bacon instead of fat from our pork cuts. Also, that French lighthouse keeper with the kitten in his beard is the greatest. Très Bohème!

What kind of crackers do you use? I'm not in the US and don't really have any of the options Max mentioned available

​@@sevenandthelittlestmewI feel like every New England childhood involves oyster crackers, Marshmallow fluff and some variety of frozen lemonade.

@@sevenandthelittlestmew In our family it was dad who learned it from a neighbor’s husb from Nova Scotia, Canada.

Wow, thank you!

You've found a goldmine: one of the very best channels on RU-vid!

I came here to say exactly this. I think the mistake is made when people translate the phrase "un modèle photographique phare" which instead of properly being translated as a "stand-out" or "leading" model gets translated literally as a "lighthouse model".

Thank you for the info! This community is so great for sharing this sort of stuff 😊

He wasn't just a trade unionist, he was an early syndicalist and advocated for universal unionisation.

Kitten or Raven would be nice as a beard buddy

As Shania Twain once said: "I wish that I could grow a beard!"🎶

Why...?

This recipe sounds delicious

Agreed. His face after tasting says it all. Completely and happily surprised.

My Chicagoan friend keeps urging me to visit, to walk around the Arboretum and see the museum; a lighthouse is an admirable addition to the list! Thank you, from the UK.

I wonder what happened to his wife after she left?

The Red Witch is a dope ship for a tour too.

@@SciFiFemale The couple was fairly old at the time they were appointed. Both she and her husband were born in 1808. Which means he went to war in his 50s, which is nuts. After she left, I think she resigned, she went to live with her daughter, Emma, who in addition to being on the books as an assistant keeper was a school teacher in town. And she died in 1888, about six months before turning 80. It doesn't look like she had a professional job after leaving, but she was already at an age where her daughter would be looked down on if she had to work for a living. Emma lived into the 1930s, one day before her 83rd birthday, and taught in the time when only unmarried women could legally have a teaching job (but male teachers could be married and were subject to less strict moral rules). People who love teaching will sacrifice just about anything to teach, so she never married. She retired from teaching in 1919 and moved into a retirement home.

L

I used to make those Saratoga chips too! They were the bomb

That's a great way to incorporate history in your daily living. As we know from watching Max! I wonder if your girls would enjoy historical clothing, too? There are lots of great channels on YT, th9ugh rather more dealing with European and North American history than anything else. That's a general problem, of course.

If you ever go to the racetrack in Saratoga Springs, NY you can get some there too! I’m sure your homemade ones are awesome though 😊

What book was it? I was a huge fan of the Historical Character books as a kid. They first got me invested in US history and in historical literature in general. Glad that your daughters enjoy them too!

That's so cool! I was just wondering myself what sort of food our North Carolinian lighthouse keepers would've eaten. I somewhat doubt they would have eaten chowder specifically 😅

@@ThinWhiteAxe I was wondering the same thing. I can ask my aunt Dawn. She's the most familiar with what great Granddaddy went through. Hopefully I'll have an update soon! 😃

Outer Banks/Hatteras interest here, too. Some shallow fish, crab, maybe ponies? Not to sound offensive, truly curious about Hatteras.

Same here. My wife and I wait for it and laugh

Me too.😂

I have no idea why I laugh every time. You'd think I'd be expecting it by now. And I am. But it's still funny somehow!

You know, I’m something of a lighthouse keeper myself.

Is that who's in the 0:02 clip? I can see it now. I thought it was Brian Blessed. Thanks

Bad luck to kill a seabird.

Very true but honestly so freaking funny!

Yer fond of me corn chowder, ain't ye?

Agree. Few dashes of paprika would help set that flavor off too.

You can get some of that roasted corn flavor with canned corn by dumping it into a skillet and putting that over a flame.

and thicken it with the potatoes.

Or some Old Bay! @@mosesbrown4126

I grew up in AK, and I still enjoy pilot crackers! I have had friends send them to me in the mail.

Hey, I'm from Fairbanks

Was going to post the same thing. Sailor Boy for life.

Rhode Islander here. I grew up eating corn chowder. And fish chowder too. Mmm... I miss that.

I make it very similar to you but in fall and winter about every 10 days as a permanent rotation in my menu. Easy, cheap, filling and oh so delicious ❤

As a fellow person from CT lol we r indeed as New England as it comes

Used to live in Norwich CT here. My grandfather used to take me to Friendly's for a bowl of clam chowder and then to Carvels for a cone! I miss New England...

I love corn chowder so much. Definitely the best of all the chowders in my opinion. Especially good sweet corn fresh out of the garden.

Welcome to the channel! You got 3. years of backlog to catch up on and a 2nd side channel called Ketchup With Max and Jose :)

@@TastingHistory ..T-There is a side channel? ooooooo

Welcome aboard! I like trying out some of the recipes! And Frank Cooper’s Oxford Marmalade from the Titanic Breakfast videos is my favorite thing in the world! I’m obsessed with Tasting History with Max Miller and I take it quite literally. Not gonna eat leather though.😂

His face is pleasant to look at as well ❤ New subscriber here too!

Max feels like a good friend. I get to spend a half hour or so listening to my bestie tell me about their week. Add in his Instagram account and I get to hear about his life, family, friends and cats. Not to mention Garum

Nice.

Im from Northern Michigan close to a lighthouse too. Frankfort ❤.

That's it! There's a 2nd one hidden in the back...

Please tell me it's Ampharos, lol.

How to tell if someone's from Massachusetts: They can pronounce "sitch-oo-it."

I never had corn chowder once only clam chowder but I basically have a flashback to childhood every time I eat clam chowder one bite and I’m sitting on a dock under a gray sky while there’s a light rain the wind is blowing it’s a little chilly but I got my peacoat wool hat and pack of cigarettes in my pocket to keep me warm and I can hear the seagulls and smell the ocean or perhaps the other way around

Agreed! I haven't had a good chowder (corn or clam) since leaving New England...I'll make some soon I think.😊

Same Nova Scotia and PEI provinces in Canada. Quebec had a good version too.

I'm from Texas, and I've only heard of clam chowder.

@@fireline4765 Worth a try someday if you get the chance...just make sure it's New England style (cream or milk) rather than Manhattan (tomato broth) or Rhode Island (water)! 👍

That sounds like an interesting read. I'll have to look into it. I just finished, for the hundredth time since first discovering it in high school, the posthumously named "The Lighthouse" by Edgar A. Poe. Unfinished (or, perhaps, not) it was written in 1849, the year of his death, and ends with this chilling and mysterious observation: "The basis on which the structure rests seems to me to be chalk ......" www.eapoe.org/works/tales/lightha.htm

The gift that keeps on giving, and lasts a long time to boot

​@@TastingHistorywas NOT expecting you to respond! You just made my day, kind sir!

There will never be enough mileage out of the clack clack!

That joke will outlast the hardtack, which is really saying something.

Yesss, plus Jose already chose Ampharos for the lemonade episode, but if you look closely...

Does one have to be an official ranger to have this job?

@@wmluna381 Nope. It is seasonal work (at least where I am, Alberta Canada). Some outdoor experience is helpful, reading maps etc, and an ability to be VERY independent is necessary. Nobody watching you but you are the only one on site so it is pretty isolating work.

@@chriskola3822 Thank you for taking the time to answer my question! I am in Michigan, USA and am just ending my stint as a seasonal worker in a state park. A couple of the rangers said I should consider applying to be a ranger as well, that I'd be "good at it", but some of their observed duties are not appealing to me (dealing with entry booth $ counting, being an unglorified plumber / mechanic / welder / handyman++, plus backwards and inefficient ways of doing certain things...like parking lot striping...by hand!!). But I really still do like working outdoors for the/a parks system. What you described seems like a possible option of interest if it's available here somewhere in the States. I'm a people person, but the older I get, being alone doesn't bother me all too much. Are you required to monitor things at night? Are there notable "industry" groups or online forums somewhere that would provide additional insight to the life?

oh cool! my mom was in the same job in the early 80s! :D she was a ranger already but she's always been overqualified, ahaha. she said the hardest part was that she had to carry her supplies up the tower, including her water, the heaviest of all. she's a cool lady :)

the Canadian show, 'the red green show' that also played on PBS had a forestry lookout tower guy as one of the characters. so funny and so desperately lonely and bored. the show was brilliant and I miss it so

Yeah! Hopefully 2M by end of year

They based the movie off the book Max just showed as well as some journals I think

if you turn on the subtitles, there's an angry face after "bad milk >:/ " lol

Nothing beats pilot bread with some oily king salmon strps

Pilot bread smeared thick with peanut butter was my go-to. Dries out your mouth and really makes you want a nice cold glass of milk 😂

Any particularly-good left over gravy is, by moral and ethical mandate, to be eaten with plain crackers or toasted white bread at the first appropriate moment of the snackies.

Why ruin lovely corn chowder with icky fish!

Jasper White's fish chowder is made this way. And it is amazing!

@@codename495 Haddock is not super fishy though, very mild. Great texture too.

​@@codename495She said you can use the same method. You just omit the corn and use fish instead.

Now I am imagining a history channel cooking show about what ancient aliens ate while building the pyramids.

@@crankysaint that would definitely be in keeping with their lineup the last several years.

And sexy. You for got to mention unbearably hot 🥵 lol

Man oh man, I miss the days when I could stay home sick and still learn something from the History Channel that was based in facts (at least the ones we had back then). Or from Discovery. Or from TLC.

The history channel used to be like this, but I don't think it was ever as well researched.

Thank you for the kind words!

Give the recipe a whirl!

it is very endearing isnt it

What a fantastic idea!