Ardyth’s Reviews > Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book Of Food And Manners > Status Update

"Their voyage itself was an act of amazing courage. When the Mayflower sailed for America, the Pilgrims knew less about their destination than our astronauts did when they blasted off for the moon." p 107

"Some poor people didn't have wooden trenchers. Instead, they used pieces of stale bread as plates. They put the food on top. Then, after they had eaten the food, they ate the bread plates!" P 79

"The Pilgrims loved spicy food. Back home in England, people sometimes used five or six dishes to flavor one dish. Pepper, mace, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon, and ginger were their favorites." p59

"Heart of the Home" chapter is interesting & informative.

I hate how one-room housing sounds rare in this section. Many (most?) families all over the world (including the British Isles) have lived in & slept in single-room houses for all human history. I like our multi-room apartment very much, but do we need to play this out like some unusual sacrifice? Plus the body heat would've helped for sleeping during a cold New England winter... way better than separate rooms.

"Governor Bradford sent four men out to shoot wild birds, and they returned with ducks, geese, and turkeys..."

"But Massasoit understood. He sent his best hunters into the woods. The braves brought back five deer and gave them to the Pilgrims."
See: Wampanoag oral tradition about who provided what for this meal.

"Best of all, some of the land had already been cleared by the Indians and was ready for planting. The settlers wouldn't have to waste time burning or chopping the thick forest. They would be able to plant their seeds as soon as spring came."

Again theft, again not called out.

"And they found an Indian corn field. At one side was a heap of sand. Digging there, the Pilgrims made an interesting and valuable discovery: baskets of dried, many-colored Indian corn.

The kernels would make good seeds, so the Pilgrims kept them to plant in the Spring."

Conscious theft, not called out.