Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book Of Food And Manners

by Lucille Recht Penner

A Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Thanksgiving, Childrens, Food, American History, Historical

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 29, 1991

About the author

Lucille Recht Penner is the author of many nonfiction books for kids, including Dinosaur Babies and Monster Bugs in Random House’s Step into Reading program. She lives in Tucson, AZ.

Reviews

[Ardyth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting insight on daily Plymouth life which is, unfortunately , marred by historical inaccuracies. The text presents several pieces of the US national myth as fact, not legend. Tonally, it targets a juvenile audience, so the question at hand is whether or not to use this nonfiction delivery of fictional content with our son...

First, the good: life in a Plymouth household is described vividly, and there is loads of new vocabulary. What's the difference between a noggin, a tankard and a blackjack? This book will tell you.

Now to my notes on issues...

p 107: 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.

I begin with the end, because this claim clashes with several other details of the Saints voyage & outpost as described within the text of this book, some of which I've noted below. It's a very patriotic American thing to say, but not accurate.

p 19: 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.

This is conscious theft. Imagine you're wandering around, see rows of corn growing, and a big mound off to the side. Hmmm... what's in there? You don't dig it up unless you expect to find treasure of some kind -- monetary or dietary. For all you know (see the above claim about lack of knowledge), it could be a house for killer beasties, right? The only possible reason to mess with an unknown mound right next to obvious farmland is that you expect to find something good... the Plymouth colonists did that, found the store of seed for next year's planting, and then they stole it.

The problem is not with recounting this event in the book, but with the tone taken around it. The book plays this as a stroke of luck, rather than an ethical dilemma: steal or starve? Given America's strong feelings about private property, the tone here is a real problem for me.

p 20: 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.

"Best of all!" Again, a tonal problem. I assume the locals had cleared this land for some purpose... what was that, I wonder? The book doesn't even try to consider what the Native perspective would be on newcomers taking over land they had been working themselves. Again -- given our passionate emotions around private property, shouldn't the ethics of this be examined, however briefly?

p 23-24: The crew of the Mayflower helped the Pilgrims drag six cannons up from the ship. It was hard work. The largest of the guns was ten feet long and weighed almost a ton. Even the ammunition was heavy. The cannons fired big iron balls.

The Pilgrims mounted the guns on their gun platform and pointed them in different directions. Now they hoped they would be able to defend themselves against the Indians.

They were becoming more and more afraid of an Indian attack."

Gosh, I can't imagine why...

Sarcasm aside, I share this passage as further rebuttal to the first quote. Think of the weight. You're going to an utterly unknown place, an apparently empty land, but you prioritize *cannons* over extra food supplies. Doesn't add up! You don't hunt with cannons, you hunt with guns. Cannons are war machines for blowing up people and horses and vehicles and towns. It's pretty obvious the colonists knew they would encounter humans, and that those humans must be eating something. They came with the intent to carve out a town at the expense of people who they knew already lived there.

p 31: 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.

I'm not going to delve into the myth of the First Thanksgiving except to say that my understanding of records is that the turkey is not actually mentioned in the colonist sources, but Wampanoag oral tradition says they contributed deer and wild turkey. A tiny detail, not a showstopper in itself but it's a another straw to the pile.

p 34: This whole page is about single room living in the Plymouth colony. It's too long to excerpt here, but again I have issues not with the facts but with how they are delivered.

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 one-room housing out like some unusual sacrifice, undertaken only by "Pilgrims"? Besides, the body heat would've helped for sleeping during those cold New England winters... way better situation than separate rooms.

p 36: Pilgrim women made rushlights. A rush is a kind of thick grass with a hollow stem.

One end of the rush was dipped into bear grease or moose fat. The other end was stuck between the bricks of the fireplace. Then the greasy end was set on fire.

Suddenly, less than a year after starvation, these cats have bricks? That doesn't seem right... a brickworks is a major undertaking. How did this happen, and when? It would be interesting to know more details about how this was achieved (local brickworks, or imported, or brought with them on the Mayflower, or what?). Another challenge with this book is that the duration of time that passes is not clear.

p 59: The Pilgrims loved spicy food. Back home in England, people sometimes used five or six spices to flavor one dish. Pepper, mace, cloves, cinnamon, cardamon [sic], and ginger were their favorites.

None of these spices come from England. Given imperial holdings of the spice islands were mostly Dutch, I suspect these personal tastes were developed during their time in Holland? But I'm not sure, and the book makes no mention of the broader [imperial] context to "Pilgrim" tastes. That's unfortunate. There was a lot going on in the world, much of which impacted these colonists' decisions, but like so many sources this book excludes that context in favor of a focus on individualism or bravery... the result is a terrible misunderstanding of US and world history.

Later, the book mentions Plymouth colonists trading with West Indies colonists for these spices as well as molasses and sugar. No mention at all about who was growing and processing these spices and sugars...

p 79: 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!

I hate this passage. I hate it! There are places in the world where eating the plate is a norm, not a sign of poverty. And isn't eating the plate the ultimate example of "Pilgrim" simplicity? (Also, when did they get prosperous enough to bake enough bread there would be leftovers?)

Because of these several issues, I can't really recommend the book for juvenile audiences... but the passages on daily life as a Plymouth colonist *are* interesting and informative. Maybe there is a newer text which has the informative without the inaccurate?

[Monica Edinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I KNOW this topic --- I developed a unit on the Pilgrims many years ago and have since written about it in books, articles, and on my blogs (both my own and the school one). The kids (fourth graders) build their knowledge bit by bit with a variety of materials. My favorites are the primary sources, but this book is a terrific one too. It nicely builds on what they already know and adds more too. Someone else here wrote that it was redundant in spots, but that is what makes it work so well for this age group --- mine think of themselves as growing experts on this topic and having the balance of knowing stuff and learning more is perfect for them.

It is engaging, at their level, and they always enjoy it.

[Cosette · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book lied to me! It tells of only ONE pilgrimage- there were 9 separate claims to the first thanksgiving-only ONE thanksgiving meal - when it was a week of celebration-

I'm shocked! Toying with my inability to remember anything I learned in 4th grade history... or was it 5th grade?

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book! Not only is it full of interesting facts that I'd never heard before, but it's written on an easy reading level, great for middle elementary on up or for older reluctant readers. After I read it, I had to go out and buy a copy for myself. This is essential reading if you're trying to recreate an authentic Pilgrim meal. Highly and enthusiastically recommended!

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting read. My kids enjoyed hearing about the Pilgrims and how they ate. It was fun to read the seemingly silly customs they had around food.

[Megan Franks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wonder what the Pilgrims ate during the long boat-ride across the Atlantic since they had no stoves available and no fresh food? Ever consider what daily life was like for them (washing clothes once a year, never bathing, sharing everything from beds to lice and fleas)? It's easy to have a glorified picture of Pilgrim life from our grade school stories, but the reality was much harsher and--let's face it--much more disgusting. Kids will love this book (who could resist the chapter, "Bugs for Dinner?") and it would make a great supplement to any teacher's lesson on colonial America or the first Thanksgiving. I recommend this book for grades 3+, though younger children could certainly understand and enjoy segments (just not the entire book in one sitting).

[Janele · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best "real" story of life at the time of the Pilgrims. A must for every family to read, not only at Thanksgiving time but any time. Children can enjoy the differences of how people really lived. I used this book in my classroom for many years as a teacher in 4-5th grades. Great for children and adults. It certainly helped me to be appreciative of what I have and also what these wonderful people did to survive. A book should be in everyone's home.

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

My edition a hardcover with the gray illustration; an impulse grab from the library.

I wish the book had focused on the promise of the title. The history told in the first few chapters is definitely problematic. Most significantly, it doesn't name "Squanto's" nation... by now I hope we all know better than to say generic 'Indian.' Even the word 'Pilgrim' isn't really accurate.

For a starting place on the history of "Squanto" please see here: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/thanks... (Nick Baumann for the huffpost, Nov 25 2015)

The rest of the book is sort of interesting. There is a bibliography. Some of the illustrations are worthwhile.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 10 yo and I read both read this. I had recently listened to an audiobook about living during the Elizabethan era, so not much information was new, but it was fairly well-written and interesting.

One fault I will note is that it repeatedly mentions how much the Pilgrims liked their beer and gave it to their children, but then didn't give any context or additional information. Kind of odd in a kid's book, since giving alcohol to minors is frowned upon in modern times. Context and historical explanations would have been helpful.

Overall, interesting, though. I hadn't thought about wolves and other varmints wanting to dig up the corn fields to get to the stinky & tasty dead herrings planted as fertilizer.

[Bo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book, telling about many of the customs of the Pilgrims, including ones that developed over time. She also gave some recipes at the back, which although not necessarily easy, they were do-able. Of course, cooking wasn't an easy task back during that time period. The book reminded me of how much perseverance the Pilgrims had, the hardships they endured to obtain a better life, and how we can easily take for granted all the conveniences of life today.

I did think that the author's definition of Pilgrim was simplistic and inaccurate. There was also quite a bit of reference to beer in the earlier part of the book. I'd have to do more research to verify the accuracy of that. But overall, an informative and interesting book.

[Shanae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some things about this book are fantastic. Details about food and how they ate and what they ate written at an elementary level are awesome.

Unfortunately it was written in the 90s and is not currently politically correct at all. As other reviewers said, it focuses only on the Mayflower. It does mention Indians (not Native Americans) and breifly addresses them teaching the Pilgrims how to grow food and survive here and talks about trading for deer meet and mentions squanto and a treaty, but it is absolutely written from a white perspective.

I love the food details. Need to edit a bit about social interactions and find another book to talk about culture.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a nice little book. I have enjoyed recommending it to other people, even though our copy does not have as appealing a cover as pictured. Some of my mid-grade patrons have been looking for a Thanksgiving book that isn't as long as the history books nor as short as the picture books to read for the season.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this when it was new in 1991. I remember the style being informal. I remember a lack of citations. I remember things being left out of context. I remember noticing inconsistencies between the information contained in it and another book I was using for a report I was writing for history class. Still it was useful.

[Sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

if I could give if 3 and a half stars i would, because it was good, but it wasn't worthy of 4 stars.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good little book. Much better for my kids than me, however.

[Mellanie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an extremely interesting look at Pilgrim life.

[Scott Fox]

A nice way to kill time at my Airbnb lol

[Kimberly Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting book with tidbits we didn’t know about prior. It has some recipes in the back. A valuable part of a unit study on American Thanksgiving.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author covers a lot of history here and not just the manners and food. In fact, my kids kept yelling, "Where are the manners? We know all this." It was redundant so if you want to use this book you might want to skip another Pilgrim book (although they didn't really cover why they came to America).

It was fun to hear about how they ate and what they ate. It could probably have been condensed to a smaller book. I will probably go back and take notes on the interesting items to use next time around, instead of reading the whole book.

At the end of the book, we made some of the recipes for our Pilgrim dinner. We had fresh corn soup, succotash, bread, bannock cakes (which didn't work at all), a roast chicken (which we pretended was a turkey) and Indian pudding. The soup, succatash and bannock cakes came from this book. We loved the soup and the kids want to eat succotash again. Bannock cakes flopped horribly. I found an alternate recipe for Indian pudding because the one listed here looked very hard.

This would be a nice supplement, but not necessary. I will use it again, but in a shortened form.

[Austen to Zafón · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice book for kids about Pilgrim food and manners. Their relationship with Native Americans is only covered in terms of the trading they did for food. It doesn't get into the politics or make judgements. From the limited and sometimes maggoty foods they ate while sailing across the Atlantic to the limited palates of the pilgrims once settled (they didn't like fruits or vegetables, although hunger forced the issue) to the cooking methods used, this book covers in the subject in an entertaining, easily understood way. I think any 7-10 year old would find it interesting. There is a glossary and recipes to make a Pilgrim menu, including:

Fresh Corn Soup
Red Pickled Eggs (that's how my mom always made them!)
Hot Indian Pudding
Succotash Stew
Spicy Cucumber Catsup (yes, there were many catsups besides tomato. I've made a mushroom one)
Bannock Cakes
Whole Baked Pumpkin Stuffed with Apples
Bearberry Jelly (aka cranberries)
Swizzle
Hot Nuts

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific book about the Pilgrims, focusing on the food they ate, what they drank, what food they brought with them on the Mayflower, how they grew it once they got to America, how they cooked it and where and how they ate it. Because it was such a focused book, it didn't get overwhelming with facts. While trade with the Native Americans was discussed, for example, the focus was more on food traded and not the tenuous relationship with the various local tribes. Lots of unusual and interesting facts are presented and chapter ten offers a menu of pilgrim dishes that are modified for modern cooking methods. It is a long book, so we usually read just one or two chapters at a time. We really enjoyed this little history lesson and would like to try making some of these foods ourselves!

[Barbara Radisavljevic · Rating 3 out of 5]

It seems the Pilgrims thought about food most of the time because they were forced to. They couldn't just go to the store and buy food, for there were no stores. Hunting, gathering, growing, and cooking were full-time jobs. This book is devoting to answering questions about what and how the Pilgrims ate and where their food came from. And, yes, they did sometimes eat their plates -- if they were made of stale bread. For ages 7-11. Illustrated with art reproductions and other black/white pictures. Many recipes are included. At the end are a glossary, bibliography, and index.

[Heather Edrington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for introducing children to the difficulty the Pilgrims had while traveling to their new world and the years following. My students always enjoy reading it and are amazed by some of what they read. The pictures are hand drawn and not the best quality but I think that adds to the book.

[Greg Kerestan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this through a Scholastic book fair in maybe fourth or fifth grade, simply because it promised "gross facts." The gross facts were delivered, I'm sure, but what made me stick around was the recipes. My family loved the succotash stew in particular, and it stayed in our rotation for years. Who would have guessed that beef, beans, corn and CINNAMON would blend so well?

[Gabby · Rating 2 out of 5]

My teacher was reading this book 2 us in class It is not the best book in the world its OK:O

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those rare history books that is full of interesting information and written on an easy, engaging level. It's the best I've found (so far) at really bringing the Pilgrims to life.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book to use when teaching colonial history. Has recipes that kids could sample to get a taste of living during that time. Could be used as a read aloud.

[Jen Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun and informative book. We enjoyed it.

[Dulci · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, easy read. Not so much a story as a good description of Pilgrim life.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My children and I really enjoyed this book! Loved the " Pilgrim" recipes in the back of the book as well!