It’s the fanciest day of the season at Brain’s On HQ! Everyone is dressed in their finest finery and eating the tastiest of foods at the Brains On Brunch Buffet! Forever Ago host Joy Dolo is trying to eat all of her delicious food but she must do it in the fanciest way possible: chronological order. That means oldest to newest. To help her out, Moment of Um Producer Anna Weggel has a game of First Things First all about brunch bites! Grab you Smarty Pass for a game that is as fun as it is fancy!
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ANNOUNCER: Now entering Brains On headquarters.
[BEEPING]
[WHIRLING]
JOY DOLO: Hello. Welcome, smarty pal. 'Tis I, Joy Dolo, host of Forever Ago, and you've made it to the fanciest day of the season. Today, everyone at Brains On is dressed in their finest finery and eating the tastiest of victuals. Welcome to the Brains On brunch buffet.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hello, Lady Joy. Are you enjoying the frivolity of the buffet?
JOY DOLO: Well, if it isn't a Moment Um producer Anna Weggel. I'm absolutely tickled at the idea of all this delicious breakfast food at this buffet. So tickled I could leap for joy!
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, why don't you then?
JOY DOLO: Because it isn't fancy enough. That's why I'm getting my butler to do it. Chatsbury!
CHATSBURY: Yes, Madam?
JOY DOLO: Do a leap for joy for me, please.
CHATSBURY: Right away. Yippee.
[CLAPS]
JOY DOLO: Now that was thoroughly fancy.
[LAUGHTER]
[CLEARS THROAT]
ANNA WEGGEL: Tell me, what did you grab from the buffet?
JOY DOLO: I have blood pudding, eggs Benedict, and avocado toast.
ANNA WEGGEL: Now that is a very fancy brunch. Do you know the fanciest way to eat a meal?
JOY DOLO: With a silver spoon?
ANNA WEGGEL: No, in chronological order of the food's invention.
JOY DOLO: Well, how do we determine the order of my food's invention?
CHATSBURY: Might I suggest a game of first things first for the lady?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CROWD: First things first!
JOY DOLO: Great idea, Chatsbury.
ANNA WEGGEL: We've got eggs Benedict, blood pudding, and avocado toast. Joy, which do you think was invented first, which popped up second, and which was created most recently? Is it the eggs Benedict, the blood pudding, or the avocado toast? Joy, what are you thinking? Walk us through.
JOY DOLO: Oh, that's a-- I guess I can talk normal. That's a good question. But I wonder, I'm thinking, OK, avocado toast seems like it's the oldest just because bread and avocado, avocado comes from the Earth. So it's like all that stuff was here before.
I'm sure someone, some caveman back in the day found an avocado and was like, oh, let me put this on my bread, hoo, ugga, ugga, or whatever they say. And then they had the avocado toast.
But then it's also interesting too because that's a close second to eggs Benedict. Because I feel like chicken, eggs, you know what I mean? And you probably took that yolk and put it, the yolk?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: I'm going to say avocado toast is the-- oh, maybe that's-- [GASP] because I also feel like maybe avocado toast might have been something that's recent for like hippies and stuff. OK, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to say, OK, this is what I'm going to say. I'm going to say avocado toast oldest, eggs Benedict.
No, stop it. Stop it. I'm going to say-- you know what I'm going to do? Listen, this is what I'm going to say. I'm going to say blood pudding is first because of kings and queens in Britain, colonialism.
I'm going to say blood pudding. And then I'm going to say eggs Benedict. Then I'm going to say avocado toast. So I went against everything that I said.
ANNA WEGGEL: All right, Joy, let's reveal which of our first things first is actually the oldest. Good thing you changed your answers at the last second because you are correct.
JOY DOLO: (SINGING) I knew it!
ANNA WEGGEL: Blood pudding, also sometimes called black pudding, has been a recognized piece of British cuisine since the 1400s! It is considered to be the oldest form of sausage. Besides the English, the French, the Spanish, and the ancient Romans all had their own version of blood pudding. And it's referenced in Homer's, "The Odyssey." have you read that one lately?
JOY DOLO: No, no, I think it's on my Kindle. But I think we should have a party with all the sausages from all the different places because maybe I'll like a different blood pudding.
ANNA WEGGEL: You said the second oldest was eggs Benedict, correct?
JOY DOLO: I did.
ANNA WEGGEL: That was right.
JOY DOLO: Yay!
ANNA WEGGEL: And there's a few origins of eggs Benedict and they primarily take place in New York City.
JOY DOLO: The Big Apple.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yes. So one of the earliest records of eggs Benedict takes place at Delmonico's Restaurant in lower Manhattan. And the story goes that in the 1860s, a Delmonico's chef invented the dish when a woman by the name of LeGrand Benedict asked for something new. I guess, she didn't like the current menu.
JOY DOLO: Maybe LeGrand wasn't so grand.
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, maybe she was because it resulted in eggs Benedict being invented. OK, so that's just one theory, but there's another one. And that is the breakfast meal was invented at the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 when after a long night of partying, a man by the name of Lemuel Benedict ordered many components of the dish which inspired the Maitre d' to put it on the menu with an English muffin and Canadian bacon.
JOY DOLO: Canadians at it again. They're always trying to infiltrate our world.
ANNA WEGGEL: And I'm here for it. That sounds good.
JOY DOLO: My husband's Canadian so I like to make jokes about it. It's all good.
ANNA WEGGEL: And then at one point, you said avocado toast, kind of hipstery, kind of modern.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: And that's what changed your mind?
JOY DOLO: Yes, 100%.
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, like all dishes, avocado toast, it's hard to originate. But the earliest found recipe was printed just a century ago, 1920, in a small town newspaper near Los Angeles.
JOY DOLO: I was going to say California. I knew it. I knew it.
ANNA WEGGEL: You were right. But the avocado toast we know was likely inspired by an Australian restaurant in 1993. The dish would then travel to New York thanks to an Aussie chef.
And then influencers took pictures and posted about it. And it's the famous avocado toast that we know today. I mean, have you opened the internet lately and not seen avocado toast in your feed?
JOY DOLO: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's always there. I think even some of it is just from my personal Instagram. Because whenever I have avocado toast, I take a picture of it.
ANNA WEGGEL: OK, well, I do follow you, so that makes sense. I have one more fun fact for you. The avocado is considered a berry. A berry!
JOY DOLO: It's a berry?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: I thought it was a-- well, a berry is a fruit, is it? Yeah, so it's a fruit. OK, so I was right on both. So I was right about the order and I was right about berry fruit. Continue.
ANNA WEGGEL: Jeez, you're good at this.
JOY DOLO: I love first things first. Now that I know the order my food came in, I can eat it the fanciest way possible.
ANNA WEGGEL: Let's dish.
BOTH: Oh, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
JOY DOLO: Nom, nom, nom, nom.
[BELCHING]
Oh, now that's fancy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was produced by--
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
ANNA WEGGEL: Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks Smarty Pass, friends.
JOY DOLO: Thank you.
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye.
[LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[BEEPING]
[WHIRLING]
JOY DOLO: Hello. Welcome, smarty pal. 'Tis I, Joy Dolo, host of Forever Ago, and you've made it to the fanciest day of the season. Today, everyone at Brains On is dressed in their finest finery and eating the tastiest of victuals. Welcome to the Brains On brunch buffet.
ANNA WEGGEL: Hello, Lady Joy. Are you enjoying the frivolity of the buffet?
JOY DOLO: Well, if it isn't a Moment Um producer Anna Weggel. I'm absolutely tickled at the idea of all this delicious breakfast food at this buffet. So tickled I could leap for joy!
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, why don't you then?
JOY DOLO: Because it isn't fancy enough. That's why I'm getting my butler to do it. Chatsbury!
CHATSBURY: Yes, Madam?
JOY DOLO: Do a leap for joy for me, please.
CHATSBURY: Right away. Yippee.
[CLAPS]
JOY DOLO: Now that was thoroughly fancy.
[LAUGHTER]
[CLEARS THROAT]
ANNA WEGGEL: Tell me, what did you grab from the buffet?
JOY DOLO: I have blood pudding, eggs Benedict, and avocado toast.
ANNA WEGGEL: Now that is a very fancy brunch. Do you know the fanciest way to eat a meal?
JOY DOLO: With a silver spoon?
ANNA WEGGEL: No, in chronological order of the food's invention.
JOY DOLO: Well, how do we determine the order of my food's invention?
CHATSBURY: Might I suggest a game of first things first for the lady?
[MUSIC PLAYING]
CROWD: First things first!
JOY DOLO: Great idea, Chatsbury.
ANNA WEGGEL: We've got eggs Benedict, blood pudding, and avocado toast. Joy, which do you think was invented first, which popped up second, and which was created most recently? Is it the eggs Benedict, the blood pudding, or the avocado toast? Joy, what are you thinking? Walk us through.
JOY DOLO: Oh, that's a-- I guess I can talk normal. That's a good question. But I wonder, I'm thinking, OK, avocado toast seems like it's the oldest just because bread and avocado, avocado comes from the Earth. So it's like all that stuff was here before.
I'm sure someone, some caveman back in the day found an avocado and was like, oh, let me put this on my bread, hoo, ugga, ugga, or whatever they say. And then they had the avocado toast.
But then it's also interesting too because that's a close second to eggs Benedict. Because I feel like chicken, eggs, you know what I mean? And you probably took that yolk and put it, the yolk?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: I'm going to say avocado toast is the-- oh, maybe that's-- [GASP] because I also feel like maybe avocado toast might have been something that's recent for like hippies and stuff. OK, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going to say, OK, this is what I'm going to say. I'm going to say avocado toast oldest, eggs Benedict.
No, stop it. Stop it. I'm going to say-- you know what I'm going to do? Listen, this is what I'm going to say. I'm going to say blood pudding is first because of kings and queens in Britain, colonialism.
I'm going to say blood pudding. And then I'm going to say eggs Benedict. Then I'm going to say avocado toast. So I went against everything that I said.
ANNA WEGGEL: All right, Joy, let's reveal which of our first things first is actually the oldest. Good thing you changed your answers at the last second because you are correct.
JOY DOLO: (SINGING) I knew it!
ANNA WEGGEL: Blood pudding, also sometimes called black pudding, has been a recognized piece of British cuisine since the 1400s! It is considered to be the oldest form of sausage. Besides the English, the French, the Spanish, and the ancient Romans all had their own version of blood pudding. And it's referenced in Homer's, "The Odyssey." have you read that one lately?
JOY DOLO: No, no, I think it's on my Kindle. But I think we should have a party with all the sausages from all the different places because maybe I'll like a different blood pudding.
ANNA WEGGEL: You said the second oldest was eggs Benedict, correct?
JOY DOLO: I did.
ANNA WEGGEL: That was right.
JOY DOLO: Yay!
ANNA WEGGEL: And there's a few origins of eggs Benedict and they primarily take place in New York City.
JOY DOLO: The Big Apple.
ANNA WEGGEL: Yes. So one of the earliest records of eggs Benedict takes place at Delmonico's Restaurant in lower Manhattan. And the story goes that in the 1860s, a Delmonico's chef invented the dish when a woman by the name of LeGrand Benedict asked for something new. I guess, she didn't like the current menu.
JOY DOLO: Maybe LeGrand wasn't so grand.
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, maybe she was because it resulted in eggs Benedict being invented. OK, so that's just one theory, but there's another one. And that is the breakfast meal was invented at the Waldorf Hotel in 1894 when after a long night of partying, a man by the name of Lemuel Benedict ordered many components of the dish which inspired the Maitre d' to put it on the menu with an English muffin and Canadian bacon.
JOY DOLO: Canadians at it again. They're always trying to infiltrate our world.
ANNA WEGGEL: And I'm here for it. That sounds good.
JOY DOLO: My husband's Canadian so I like to make jokes about it. It's all good.
ANNA WEGGEL: And then at one point, you said avocado toast, kind of hipstery, kind of modern.
JOY DOLO: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
ANNA WEGGEL: And that's what changed your mind?
JOY DOLO: Yes, 100%.
ANNA WEGGEL: Well, like all dishes, avocado toast, it's hard to originate. But the earliest found recipe was printed just a century ago, 1920, in a small town newspaper near Los Angeles.
JOY DOLO: I was going to say California. I knew it. I knew it.
ANNA WEGGEL: You were right. But the avocado toast we know was likely inspired by an Australian restaurant in 1993. The dish would then travel to New York thanks to an Aussie chef.
And then influencers took pictures and posted about it. And it's the famous avocado toast that we know today. I mean, have you opened the internet lately and not seen avocado toast in your feed?
JOY DOLO: Absolutely. Absolutely. It's always there. I think even some of it is just from my personal Instagram. Because whenever I have avocado toast, I take a picture of it.
ANNA WEGGEL: OK, well, I do follow you, so that makes sense. I have one more fun fact for you. The avocado is considered a berry. A berry!
JOY DOLO: It's a berry?
ANNA WEGGEL: Yeah.
JOY DOLO: I thought it was a-- well, a berry is a fruit, is it? Yeah, so it's a fruit. OK, so I was right on both. So I was right about the order and I was right about berry fruit. Continue.
ANNA WEGGEL: Jeez, you're good at this.
JOY DOLO: I love first things first. Now that I know the order my food came in, I can eat it the fanciest way possible.
ANNA WEGGEL: Let's dish.
BOTH: Oh, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
JOY DOLO: Nom, nom, nom, nom.
[BELCHING]
Oh, now that's fancy.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
That's it for this Smarty Pass episode. It was produced by--
[LISTING HONOR ROLL]
ANNA WEGGEL: Brains On is a non-profit public radio program. Thanks Smarty Pass, friends.
JOY DOLO: Thank you.
ANNA WEGGEL: Bye.
[LAUGHS]
[MUSIC PLAYING]
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