Nine out of ten Americans used to farm for a living. Today, fewer than two in a hundred do.

In this episode, Nick and Bridget travel through seven made-up (but historically grounded) American families to find out how that happened, from a Connecticut homestead in 1750 all the way to a GPS-guided Iowa combine today. Along the way: girdled trees, a locust swarm bigger than California, two very different Virginia farms in 1850, and the invention that made Wisconsin the Dairy State.

While chatting, we enjoyed a switchel while we chatted, a non-alcoholic cocktail that was called a "haymakers punch" for its superb flavor and hydration characteristics. It still tastes great today and you can make your own by following this recipe:

• 4 cups cold water
• 1/3 cup honey (or maple syrup or molasses)
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. ginger

This is "The Discussion" where Nick and Bridget talk about all of the fun facts Nick wrote out for this week's dispatch in a more casual and fun way.

If you want the whole story, either listen to "The Read" in this feed where Nick narrates the entire story, or read the Dispatch on our blog.

Read the full Dispatch here.

Watch on YouTube here.

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

Nine out of ten Americans used to farm for a living. Today, fewer than two in a hundred do.

In this Dispatch, we travel through seven made-up (but historically grounded) American families to find out how that happened, from a Connecticut homestead in 1750 all the way to a GPS-guided Iowa combine today. Along the way: girdled trees, a locust swarm bigger than California, two very different Virginia farms in 1850, and the invention that made Wisconsin the Dairy State.

This is "The Read" where Nick narrates the entire story to save you from reading it - but if you prefer reading, you can find the link to the blog post below!

On our companion episode, "The Discussion," Nick & co-host Bridget dive into the topic and talk about how this relates to our daily lives today!

Read the full dispatch here.

Watch on YouTube here.

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

We're celebrating America's 250th birthday with this 4th of July hot dog and hamburger episode!

This is "The Read" where Nick Nick narrates the entire story to save you from reading it - but if you prefer reading, you can find the link to the blog post below!

On our companion episode, "The Discussion," Nick & co-host Bridget dive into the topic with a bit of fun, including a hot dog contest of their own!

Now sit back and hear the whole story: the immigrant roots of the hot dog and the hamburger, why the "hot dog" name is a myth, the five-town fight over who invented the burger, and the 1906 scandal that changed American food for good.

LINKS

Read the full Dispatch

Watch on YouTube

Check Out The Whole Series

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

We're celebrating America's 250th birthday with this 4th of July hot dog and hamburger episode!

This is "The Discussion" where Nick and Bridget talk about all of the fun facts Nick wrote out for this week's dispatch in a more casual and fun way.

We get into the immigrant roots of the hot dog and the hamburger: why we call it a "hot dog" (and what's any legend without a made-up story), the five towns still fighting over who invented the burger, plus a hot dog taste test featuring the Lake Geneva Country Meats wiener, and a brand-new Japanese Wagyu dog as well.

If you want the whole story, either listen to "The Read" in this feed where Nick narrates the entire story, or read the Dispatch on our blog.

What we get into:

• The hot dog's two European hometowns, Frankfurt and Vienna, and how German immigrants carried it to America
• The real reason it's called a "hot dog"
• What actually goes into a hot dog, explained by a butcher, plus a taste test of four very different wieners
• The Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest "since 1916" story, and if it's real or not
• Hot dog numbers that don't sound real, like 150 million eaten on the Fourth alone
• The six-way bar fight over who invented the hamburger, with a Wisconsin favorite
• Whether a hot dog is a sandwich (that's your homework this week)

Drink pairing: An ice-cold Budweiser, which is exactly what we are drinking on the episode. It is the classic cookout and ballpark lager, and fittingly, Anheuser-Busch was founded by German immigrants, just like the foods we are celebrating. (Beer's own American story is a Dispatch for another day.)

LINKS

Read the full Dispatch

Watch on YouTube

Check Out The Whole Series

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

This is the read-aloud version of Dispatch #3 from A More Perfect Plate: Ham & The American Smokehouse. It's here as an audio version for those of you who'd rather listen than read.

In this episode, we talk about how pigs took over the Americas, the root of American ham making, how ham production was a huge part of frontier life for early Americans, and share the origins behind ham's pride of place at Easter, Christmas, and the lunch box.

Fun stories about Porkopolis, Broadway shoutouts, and a little bit of food science are all in this episode. You'll have so many interesting facts and tidbits to share with your friends after listening.

If you'd like to listen to a discussion-based, more casual version, you should listen to The Discussion in this same feed, where Nick and Bridget talk through this same Dispatch.

You can also watch The Discussion on our YouTube channel.

You can read the full written Dispatch and get links to our book suggestions and more at amoreperfectplate.com

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

Before refrigerators, before freezers, before the grocery store, a small windowless building behind the farmhouse was the difference between a comfortable winter and a hungry one for many Americans.

This week on A More Perfect Plate, we dig into how Americans kept meat from spoiling with nothing but salt, smoke, and an absurd number of pigs, and how that survival technology turned into the ham sandwich in your lunchbox and the glazed centerpiece on your holiday table.

We get into how pigs took over America, what really happened on hog killing day, the science of why salt and smoke work, the rise and fall of "Porkopolis," and why the Easter ham and Christmas ham origin stories you've heard mostly don't hold up.

If you'd like to watch Nick & Bridget instead of listening, visit our YouTube page.

You can read the full Dispatch on our blog or listen to 'The Read' to hear Nick read the full post.

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

This is the read-aloud version of the second written Dispatch from A More Perfect Plate: Juneteenth & Soul Food. It's here as an audio version for those of you who'd rather listen than read.

Read by Nick, this piece begins to tell the story of Juneteenth and the food that became part of the celebration, and how what we know as soul food today became a staple of American cuisine. From Galveston in 1865 to the first documented celebration in Houston, to the real histories behind the red drink, watermelon, and fried chicken, this is a warm, honest look at where some of America's most beloved cooking comes from.

Prefer the casual version with a more fun approach to learning about this history?

Check out The Discussion in this same feed, where Nick and Bridget talk through this same Dispatch (and rank ten soul food classics).

You can read the full written Dispatch and get links to our book suggestions and more at amoreperfectplate.com

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget

What would you cook for a celebration that changed your life forever?

This is "The Discussion" where Nick & Bridget talk about this week's topic

Nick and Bridget dig into the story of Juneteenth and the food that grew up around it, then work their way into the bigger story of soul food: what it actually is, where it came from, and how it became a staple of American cooking.

We rank soul food favorites, try red drink, and weave in a few other conversations along the way.

If you'd like to watch us on YouTube, you can watch here.

You can read the full Dispatch on amoreperfectplate.com

You can find our hub with the written dispatches, book suggestions, and more at: amoreperfectplate.com

Please be sure to subscribe to keep discovering interesting American stories. We appreciate your support for this project.

Thanks for listening - cheers!

Nick & Bridget