I pretty much went on and on about John Adams and thought you might like more nugget sized facts. It is a holiday weekend after all and we’re supposed to be celebrating our independence! Tippling should not be interrupted with overlong posting so I offer this synopsis.

Here’s some interesting (to me) information on what the Founding Fathers ate. Oh and I do think it is your civic duty to read this. I mean they birthed a nation. Y’all know labor hurts like hell and they birthed for years.

George Washington- Of course Mr. Washington was our first president and the general that led a ragtag Colonial Army to victory over the British. Clearly Mr. Washington had lanky height on his side. I suspect he was one of those people who never seemed to gain an ounce. And of course the key to any fitness plan is discipline and well duh. This is a wonderful articleon Washington’s attitude toward dining.  Washington’s farms produced most of the food he ate and served. The gracious Washington and his wife only dined alone ONE TIME in 20 years. For all the other dinners they opened their home to guests. Here’s what one dinner guest reported after eating with George Washington at Mr. Vernon.

At dinner wine, porter and beer. After it we drank about three glasses… At dinner we had two pint globular decanters on table, after dinner large wine glasses. Port was brought in claret bottles … Menu … Leg boil[ed] pork, top; goose, bot; roast beef, round cold boil[ed] beef, mutton chops, hommony, cabbage, potatoes, pickles, fried tripe, onions ets. Table cloth wiped, mince pies, tarts, cheese; cloth of[f], port, madeira, two kinds nuts, apples, raisins.

Thomas Jefferson- The eloquent author of The Declaration of Independence and our nation’s 3rd President, Jefferson at his Monticello was the epitome of southern aristocracy. Where John Adams could be considered the ultimate Yankee, Jefferson’s gentile background was the perfect counter point.  Check out this site if you’d like to step back in time for a while and ride your horse while surveying Monticello.  Here’s a bit from the Monticello.org site that I found fascinating:

Family recipes that have survived — eight in Jefferson’s own hand — include blanc mange (almond cream) and nouilly à maccaroni (a pasta dough). Outside of France, Jefferson enjoyed delicacies such as waffles in Holland. On his return to America, many such dishes, including ice cream, were considered novelties. He also imported a variety of foods, such as Italian olive oil and French mustard.

The French influence endured at Jefferson’s table for the rest of his life: in 1824, Daniel Webster noted that dinners at Monticello were “served in half Virginian, half French style, in good taste and abundance.”

Benjamin Franklin- I thought Franklin was going to be all wine, women and song! But actually the man was a guru of self improvement before a book on the subject ever graced the Phil Donohue Show. He was not a vegetarian but actually did give up meat at many a meal because of it’s expense. (Don’t forget he’s the penny saved penny earned founder.) This article from the University of Delaware provided a wealth of information on Franklin’s diet. Benjamin Franklin had one of the best lines ever on how to handle food. One I obviously have not been able to master… yet.

“Eat to live, and not live to eat.”

Imagine what Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin would have thought of blogging! I think Jefferson and Franklin would  have created fantastic blogs. Washington seems way too reserved for it.

I hope you all have a Happy Fourth of July Weekend and remember don’t tipple and drive.