Tabasco Sauce, Snowy Egrets, and Ned McIlhenny
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- Опубликовано: 28 май 2024
- Edward Avery McIlhenny was not necessarily someone whom you would expect to become a conservationist. But the adventurer and heir to the company that makes Tabasco sauce saved a magnificent species from extinction. The History Guy tells the story of a conservationist who proved that one person's dedication can have an enormous impact.
This is original content based on research by The History Guy. Images in the Public Domain are carefully selected and provide illustration. As very few images of the actual event are available in the Public Domain, images of similar objects and events are used for illustration.
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Script by JCG
#ushistory #thehistoryguy #Tabasco
His nephew Walter McIlhenny became a Marine Corps Brigadier General and was instrumental in including McIlhenny Tabasco sauce in Marine Corps "C" rations...
Mohammed Cohen, read in a book that they called him Tabasco Mac!
Is Franks Red Hot for America or against America?
Their Tabasco is literally in every meal for the US military. Since the days of the dark brown bag MRE’s, one small bottle of Tabasco sauce has been in every package. It has been a godsend for certain meals to make them more palatable.
@@PhantomLover007 As someone who ate nothing but MREs for 3 months in Iraq, I can agree that Tabasco sauce was a welcome addition.
@@throttlejunkie5524 brother I’ve done the same thing. Three tours in Iraq, one in Bosnia and desert storm. Best thing that was out there was the chili Mac. As long as you had cheddar cheese sauce with it. Put it all together with some hot sauce and man that was it.
The McIlhenny family hosted us for the inaugural meeting of the LA chapter of the Nature Conservancy. It was a great day. You didn’t mention Old George, the alligator that lived in the pond under the snowy racks. He was rescued after having half his jaw shot away by a hunter. George kept the snakes from making it to the rack and eating the babies. Visitors, like us, brought chicken parts to feed him. Avery island is a great place to spend a day; at least it was thirty years ago.
Many years ago I worked for a software company owned by a Cajun with the last name "Comeaux". One day he told me he came from Avery Island, Louisiana. I asked him where that was and he said, "Tony, where I come from we call people from N'Orlans (New Orleans) "Yankees". By the way, he used that Tabasco sauce on EVERYTHING.
I grew up in southern Louisiana and while I won't vouch for any of my Cajun forebears calling New Orleans yankee-land, I will tell you that people in southern La. do consider pretty much anyone north of Alexandria La. to be yankees.
I am of Cajun blood and I will say that things have greatly changed. But the Cajun world I did some of my growing up in was like another country where if you didn't have at least a passing familiarity with Cajun (Acadian) French you'd have a hard time even ordering food in a restaurant. Even if it was a burger joint and not a Cajun restaurant. And if you had a "weird" accent -- meaning one that wasn't Cajun French -- you'd be singled out for scrutiny as though you'd just come in from Finland or Uzbekistan. They'd try not to be rude about it -- Cajuns are a polite people -- but you'd still know you were the foreigner in those parts.
Whenever I hear about Tobasco Sauce, McIlhenny or New Iberia, I think of my year in Vietnam. I carried a bottle in my ruck and put in everything except the canned peaches. I still keep a bottle for daily use. Many memories still keep me awake at night, but Tobasco Sauce is one of my positive memories.
Thank you for your service and welcome home brother. I kept a bottle in my empty left ammo pouch & garlic powder (I'm from the garlic capital of the world) in my right pouch.
I think it could have worked on the peaches too. I use Tabasco salt on watermelon.
I worked construction for many years and met a guy from Louisiana. He carried a bottle of Tabasco Sauce in his lunch pail, and put it on nearly everything he ate. One day a new winch we were installing wasn't working correctly. He left the project area and returned 5 minutes later. With his bottle of Tabasco Sauce. He sprinkled a few drops on the drum and the foreman, who was irritated and clearly puzzled why the winch wasn't working, growled at him and asked what the hell he was doing.
He replied- I've been using this sauce for over 20 years. It's fixed everything my wife has ever made and put in my lunch. So if it can fix my wife's cooking, I just figured it might work in this.
We laughed at him, and the boss, who even chuckled softly over his prank.
Ned McIlhenny became a great Bamboo grower! Having made the mistake of planting some given to me by a friend, I fail to see how one could not have success growing Bamboo. It will totally take over and is impossible to kill.
Yeah, we were very careful on which variety we planted. They don't all do this. That noted, I'm amazed given modern production methods, that bamboo has not taken over much of the softwood use in "stick" construction. bamboo flooring is amazing stuff.
It's growing the right variety that's the trick and depending on the soil in your location there actually are places that bamboo will not grow very well. It's important back then was more in line with supplying the growing outdoor furniture industry. As well as cheaply manufacturing furniture that predominantly served recently freed slaves and their children as well as benefiting other financially disadvantaged groups like sharecroppers and field workers.
@@jimfeldman4035 Yes, indeed. Sturdy and hard stuff bamboo flooring. Yet I work in water remediation and restoration. If bamboo flooring gets wet, it's history. It will buckle, wave and never return to its original cut. Hardwoods will lay back down after proper drying. Be careful where you put it down. Cheers!
If only the nutria could be persuaded to eat bamboo. Or if McIlhenny had introduced pandas instead of nutria.
@@jimfeldman4035 It's simple. You can cut up a pine log and make 2x4's, If you want to make them out of bamboo you have to cut the bamboo into strips and then glue them together. That's LOT more trouble and expense... and it's not like growing pine trees is hard.
In the future your videos will be considered a part of history that will deserve to be remembered.
This is indeed history that deserves to be remembered. Whenever I pull out the Tabasco bottle, a staple in our house, I will remember the snowy egret and Ned McIlhenny.
Love Tabasco
I agree. Just another reason to love Tabasco
There is NO substitute for the original Tabasco sauce! Many times I have been in cafes with "Tabasco" bottles on the tables and by sight of the contents certain it was not "Tabasco" and confirmed that fact by taste. There are many other less expensive "Pepper Sauces" but only one true "Tabasco Sauce" and as poor of an old boy as I am, I will pay the extra for the real thing, as again... there is just no substitute?
@Roger Gertz who let the psychos out?
@@oldokieworkshop4460 as a poor person, I'll also drop the extra coin for real Tabasco sauce. It's worth it.
Speaking of salt domes. Your viewers might like a video on the salt dome under nearby Lake Peigneur and what happened 11/20/1980.
My father flew search and rescue that day. It is certainly a bit of history that will stay with me forever.
That story sounds more like star wars than reality.
I don't know if this is the place for suggestions, but I'd love to see an episode about Clara "Mother" Hale, a woman from New York who, in the 70s through 90s, helped more than 1000 drug addicted and HIV/AIDS infected babies. The drug epidemic and the infamous war on drugs are well remembered, but efforts like hers aren't. She's a historical role model for me and fits well into the theme you had at the end of this episode: Individuals can create tremendous change and do tremendous good.
Thank you for this video. As a native of south Louisiana, I took Louisiana history in school. I must say I've learned more about Avery island from this video then I did taking Louisiana history. Although I did go there as a kid. I don't remember much about it. Now I'm thinking about making a trip back
@Robert from Texas -- The website says the plant and all are closed due to Covid.
Robert from Texas, bring your significant other along to visit the Tabasco plant and spice things up a bit!😉
Being an old guy from South Louisiana, I'm very familiar with the McIlhennys. They are a true Louisiana treasure. After Ned passed, Walter led the company from 1949 until he died in the 80s. Walter had retired from the USMC as a Brigadier General. He had earned the Navy Cross and Silver Star on Guadalcanal. Semper Fi, General!
Seenya59 And to this day every MRE has a tiny bottle of Tabasco sauce included.
@@robertlandry3490 C-Rats or MCIs too. [Meals, Combat. Individual] Usually the only thing in the C-Rat box that didn't spoil. Semper Fi.
Oo-rah Semper Fi
@@robertlandry3490 I had c-rats when I was in and carried my own Tabasco but I did hear from guys that stayed in about the MREs having Tabasco.
When I went " over there " in ' 71 I had my parents mail me a bottle . I was really popular in my platoon . even my crusty old platoon sgt. liked me .
What would most people like to be able to say, honestly, upon their deathbed?
“I have snow egrets.”
dammit
This guy, right here.
it's only a hickey?!?
"Mind your windage and elevation".
Ba dum tsssss.....lol good one
This kind of content is why I love this channel.
As far as the hot sauce goes I put it on everything and even keep a bottle in my truck for emergencies.
I do the same but with Sriracha AKA "rooster sauce". Its hot but not too hot. I dont like stuff that is beyond flavor due to it being so hot that its unbearable. But sriracha is just right and has a certain vinegar and garlic flavor i like. Also Tabasco and Texas Pete are very thin sauces, where sriracha is much more viscous and thick. Sriracha will often sit on bread, and less likely to be soaked up into the bread. Its funny too because for some reason sriracha gets TONS of hate from alot of hot sauce enthusiasts. Idk if its because it doesnt originate from an America or because it cost less than Tabasco and texas pete, or what. Idk its by far my favorite. And ive gotten so much crap over the years.
"emergencies" - love it
So do I, along with a few others, with taking out breakfast these days, I choose the hot sauce as the mood dictates.!
@@the_original_Bilb_Ono Duhh, couldn't find a siracha video to comment on? I find it is not hot enuf, not garliccaly enuf and tastes too much like bad catsup. And, yeah, I keep a bottle of hot sauce handy with several at home and one in the vehicle.
@@tombombadil3185 But do you keep a small bottle in your sock? See you gotta be prepared my dude! Boom! I'll pull a bottle out my hat if you catch me on the road!
The giant bottle of Tabasco never moves from the table adjacent my recliner. I put it on everything - I'm a huge fan. But, now that I know what he did for conservation, I'm even a bigger fan. I never, for a second, thought that McIlhenny did anything more than make a dang good pepper sauce.
There are a lot of good sauces out there. Me being from the south, my wife from Guadalajara, Im kind of an appreciator of the stuff.. And I choose to cater to businesses that represent the good side versus the dark side.. my family has been using Mcillhenny’s for 7decades and will continue to use it.. if only for gratitude and support...
I went with my husband to pick up a truckload of Tabasco one day. I saw some of the information on the McIlhenny family that day but not this aspect of Ned's life. Thanks for the info!
By the way, we were there in 1993 and they had JUST released the first new Tabasco sauce, the green jalapeno one. They actually gave us a case of bottles as a gift. If it was a way to advertise it worked because we used about half of them, traded the other half with other truck drivers for items that they'd gotten at various warehouses (barter rules!), and still use Tabasco sauces frequently to this day. In fact, if I turn around from where I'm sitting, the bookshelf behind me has two different Tabasco bottles on it. Gotta keep it handy!
They could never produce enough McIlhenny Green Jalapeño Sauce to satisfy my needs. Also, it's important to know that many US Army MRE's contain a very small bottle of Tabasco sauce.
Love that stuff. The chipotle hot sauce is very good as well (smoked jalapeños)
The little bottles in MRE's were added around 1990. The coffee was also labeled Folgers.
As a side note the small bottle had just enough hot sauce to barely cover the flavor of the main meal.
Many soldiers especially those that rode on vehicles carried much larger bottles.
You can eat just about anything with enough Tabasco sauce.
We took sliced beef C's in Vietnam and dropped in the Tabasco. Beef Mongolian. Real treat.
I was stationed at Ft Lewis ,WA in the mid 80's with the 9th Infantry Division. We were the test unit of the Army for the light Infantry, testing all kinds of equipment. We were the ginney pigs for the new MRE's. There were some bigger bottles of hot sauce for us to use with them. When DOD picked up using MREs, replacing the old C rations, I was pleasantly surprise to see they had added the small bottle of Tabasco sauce some off brand from New York City.
@@pauldehart744 Yep. Everything at Ft Lewis was an experiment. The first bottles of hot sauce I saw where the real ones. Not an off brand.
The cabin he used in Barrow (now Utqiaviq) still stands, and is the home of Brower's Cafe. Great food.
Who you hidden' from? HaHa
Edmund McIlhenny was a business partner of my father many years ago. Edmund was an attorney out of New Orleans at the time, but he was raised on Avery Island. I remember some of the vivid stories he would tell about life on the island. One of his stories involved the Confederate army using the salt from the newly discovered salt dome underneath Avery Island to preserve meat during the Civil War. The Union Army caught on to what was going on and made a point to capture the island to stop the production. Lt. Gen. Richard Taylor (CSA) chronicled the military actions in the area in his book, "Destruction and Reconstruction".
As far as the snowy egrets go, I don't think you can hardly crank up a bush hog in South Louisiana and start mowing a pasture without "cow birds" showing up to feast on the insects you stir up!
Bob Johnson, your bush hog story reminds me of a time circa 1989-90 in south Florida I was operating a bulldozer. As I pushed a load the dirt would roll ahead of the blade stirring up bugs. Egrets would perch on the top of the blade and lift cylinders, looking for bugs. When they spotted a bug they would fly down and grab it. The birds had no fear of me as long as the tractor was going and I was in the operator seat. This went on for days and was fascinating.
I live near Avery Island in Louisiana........smiling.
I visited there in 1980. My sister used to live in Opelousas.
Joey Jamison You visited The Tabasco Factory? Did you get one of those extremely tiny Tabasco Sauce bottles on the tour?
@@jennymisteqq695 I didn't do the factory tour, just the grounds and gardens. I remember that there were birds all over the place.
Going down us90 from New Iberia, sinuses clear from all the pepper-scent near Avery Island
Well hi there
You've done justice to this remarkable conservation story. As a PH.D. graduate in biology from LSU, I have been to Avery island and learned about McIlhenny's incredible efforts to save Snowy Egrets from extinction. It is a marvelous story in what right-minded people can accomplish.
I do have to correct a small, but important, detail. You noted that Avery Island was on a salt dome, which is true, but it is not in the middle of a 'swamp'. It is in the middle of a coastal marsh which makes it even more dramatic when you visit the location. Miles and miles of marsh and suddenly this magnificent jewel right in the middle. It's out of the way , certainly now, but well worth the visit. It is vert beautiful, although I haven't been there since the last series of hurricanes hit the area.
Who else thinks besides me, the history guys voice is on point, big-time...
I listen to him all day. Most days I cant watch the show but his voice is perfect. Keep up the great work THG and crew!
I do.
Absolutely!!
I enjoy listening to THG and often catch up by listening for long periods, but for some reason my wife can't stand his voice. She'll walk into the room and ask, "are you listening to that guy with weird voice again"
Hell yes
I love reading the stories of McIlhenny & Roosevelt Black bear hunting in the Tensas River basin. They are quite colorful accounts of two wild adventurers. As a conservationist in Louisiana, I was privileged to work on restoring that habitat that was destroyed by agriculture, allowing the Black bear to thrive again in the State.
Having been born and raised in South Louisiana, I remember my grandmother’s stories about Avery Island and the beautiful plants and birds. (She also took me and my sister to Hodges Gardens in CENLA where she lived.) Her passion for plants and wildlife took root in our family and I have passed down that same passion for nature to my family.
My first visit to Avery island was on a field trip in elementary school. Years later I visited when my family moved to Lafayette from New Orleans. Many years after that, I had the pleasure of taking my wife and son to Avery Island and they fell in love with the place.
The Tabasco bottling plant and pepper gardens were equally as intriguing. From regular Tabasco, to green Tabasco, to garlic Tabasco, and many others, Tabasco has lived in our house for ages. As I type this, I’m looking at three bottles of Tabasco in my kitchen. Tabasco can be found in places all around the world, even in some of the most remote jungles in Brazil where I found a bottle sitting on a table in a church and parts of Slovenia where I found a bottle in a roadside restaurant at a border crossing. It blows my mind how far reaching Tabasco is and the influence that the McIlhenny family has had on this world all from a small part of South Louisiana. (P.S. GeauxTigers)
G'day HG, An outstanding story of a unique man. Through all his good works, one hopes that not all of the 'specimens' he collected were of dead animals, even though such practices were widespread, to furnish museums around the world, at the time. In spite of this he clearly did more good than harm to the animal kingdom.
Plus he and his family invented one of the most versatile hot sauces in the world. In the military we used to say that no food was so bad that it couldn't be improved by 'Tabasco'. A product I've used as a professional and domestic cook for as long as i can recall. Thanks again for this great story. Cheers, BH
I'm addicted to Tabasco Sauce, it costs me a small fortune & is my favorite thing from the USA. I think even better of Tabasco Sauce knowing that like me, its creator was a lover of nature & did so much to successfully preserve wildlife. The Norfolk Broads England, UK, released, or escaped Coypu also became an invasive pest but fortunately, they have been eradicated. Coypu was around when I was a teenager in the 70s, I learned from a local TV news show BBC Look East, that Coypu are good to eat, & as I spent a lot of time on the Broads, I knew a guy that trap them in bated cages, so I managed to get a few to home to cook. I can confirm they are very good to eat. I didn't know about Tabasco sauce then, but I'd love to eat Coypu with Tabasco now.
That family has a long history of service to their country.
His brother was a Rough Rider. His nephew was a Marine General and hero in WWII.
And the business even today is kept in the family.
An interesting footnote: During the Cold War with Russia, the only American made product that was used by every Reatuarant and Eatery in Russia was McIlheney Tabasco Sauce!
As I recall it was included in Army rations for quite some time
@@michaeldufresne9428 still is included in some MRE packs, I think one of the airlines handed out little bottles with meal
or was it counterfeit? CCCP didnt observe US patents, trademarks and copywrites
But I think you could buy coca cola or Pepsi there, after krushev tried it at the urging of Nixon after an argument about the merits of capitalism vs. Communism
This is a notice about hand washing is Taped up near our hand washing area at work. "Corona Prevention- Wash your hands like you just finished slicing jalapeños for a batch of nachos and you need to take your contacts out".
He put his wealth to good use, God bless him. One person can make a tremendous difference. Much easier if you're rich.
Carnegie used his wealth to begin the public library program and built many of the early buildings.
The most amazing thing to me about the McIlhenny Co is they buy a brand new warehouse forklift every two years. This is done out of necessity because the air in the warehouse is so acidic, after a while the lift becomes so rusty it’s unusable
Hope workers wear respirators.
I saw a documentary about them. They have one older Black man that is the "official keeper" of the sauce and his nose can tell exactly when the barrel has reached the correct heat and taste. Sure hope he has an understudy with his capabilities.
Also, the corrosion probably has a lot to do with the copious amounts of salt that are piled on top of each wooden aging barrel of Tabasco sauce mash to form a salt seal and keep it air tight.
@@bobjohnson1710 Not to mention vinegar from the pepper mash also extremely corrosive when in contact with metal.
Mark White it isn’t at a level where it harms people. But a lift spending every moment in the warehouse corrodes
The bamboo was grown and still used--to make nesting racks for the egrets and others. Great loop road of a wonderful natural area on Avery Island.
McIlhenny would later be remembered by Frank Sinatra....
"Egrets.... I've had a few...."
AAAAAahhhhhhrrRrRRoooOOOOoooOOOoooooooo!!!!
I’ve had a few? Eaten?
@@michaelottesen6143 ruclips.net/video/qQzdAsjWGPg/видео.html
Egrets stands for regrets,
That song is for the birds!
And Edith Piaf. "Je n'ygrette rien!"
One of our most recall of our long hair Chihuahua herding a flock of half a dozen Snowy Egrets around the back 40 and as he got close the flock would just fly 30' and land. He ran them around the property (small farm) several years. Building projects next door cut the Egrets from this yard, but Martins, Red Wings and many others come through in their flights South. Cardinals often winter here - several pairs - and catch up with the flock on the way to Indiana and elsewhere. It is a Ying-Yang form of life as we also get droppings of weed from all over the country. Our fields and flower beds have their seed in the form of plants. Snowy Egrets are beautiful birds as they walk around a heard of cattle. Some call them cattle Egrets but they are the Snowy species, cattle is their vocation. Martin
Avery Island really is a must for anyone visiting southern Louisiana.
BTW. The lava lamp behind you dates you.
As a student in BatonRouge back in the 70s we made an amazing fieldtrip to Avery Island..Always an amazing memory and returned as an adult 25 years later..Still amazing!
I thoroughly enjoyed this segment!!! I’m very grateful to Neds efforts so that today I can enjoy the beauty of snowy egrets and all the other bird species we can still enjoy today. I must admit I got a little teary eyes being reminded of some of the beauty that is still with us. Gives me hope
Spent many a happy hour on Avery Island as a child. Went there on school trips, family outings, bird watching. Love that place. And a Cajun just isn't complete withput his bottle of Tobasco sauce.
I love these videos... Thanks for helping others remember history that deserves to be. :)
Now, you should check out the Pear Blossom Parade, and How Spock lost his shirt!
Hello professor,
everyone is usually concerned with the mutiny on the bounty, but they forget why Fletcher
Christian did what he did. He is one of my ...well, "very" great uncles, and it would be interesting to learn about him more. You might have a reason to not cover this but...then again...all good stories have pirates ;)
Anybody else notice the TOS-era type-2 phaser on the shelf? That is definitely part of history that deserves to be remembered.
Avery Island is a beautiful and serene place. The bottling plant we visited was interesting, in that the pungent pepper sauce's smell seemed to come right through the brick walls. The snowy egrets are Mr. McIlhenny's gift to all of us.
A very interesting topic. I especially noted the Lava lamp, old school Original Series Phaser, C3P0, Turquoise Thunderbird, ECTO1, and other assorted trinkets on the shelfs behind you. Very nice. Thank you THG. You made me smile.
I live in Louisiana so this is history that strikes close. Avery Island is somewhat popular with "local" tourists as people do like weekend trips. Thank you. 😎
Thank you for producing this episode. I live about an hour east of Avery Island and frequently visit it for the bird population. There is also a 300 year old oak tree with a 23' circumference. It's called the Cleveland Oak after a visit to Avery Island by Grover Cleveland . The gardens are beautiful and during spring there are literally thousands of egrets raising their young. Thank you.
Thank you for using the word "devastated" instead of "decimated." [4:18]
Yes! But THG has done plenty of videos on the Romans, I would expect him to know what decimated really means/
@@angelachouinard4581 Unlike the current occupant of the White House.
But decimated would have been appropriate as well. Even the Oxford dictionary defines the word as "Kill, destroy, or remove a large proportion of". Like many words, it's definition has changed over time.
Can you elaborate?
John Mat Roman decimation usually happens when it a legion is punished for things like poor behavior or abandoning their duty.
A tenth of the entire legion or legions are put to death as a severe example of consequences to the remaining soldiers.
I saw an Our Gang short not long ago and there was a Tabasco gag in it. That bottle was exactly the same as it is today. That made me smile.
Henry Plumer McIlhenny, a relative of his owned Glenveagh Castle in Ireland. It is a beautiful tourist site that still has its original 1950s s decor. Henry disappeared one day when he went fishing. No body was ever found. Also a family member created the common staple remover that looks like a vampire mouth. I visited Glenveagh in 1997. Beautiful.
One huge reason for erosion of southern Louisiana werlands is the hundreds of canals dug to accommodate the oil industry. However, the introduction of the coypu (aka nutria rat) greatly exasperated the problem with their insatiable burrowing for homes and roots along aquatic banks.
It's a delicious irony that McIlhenny is best known for saving eggs in two different ways. One way was to bring some home after a trip so the species could continue, the other way was to produce a tasty sauce to eat them with.
I work in South Louisiana and snowy egrets are a common sight. I had no idea they had come so close to extinction. Thank you for the video, and Ned for his work.
Leroy, any bird species with pretty feathers, or that tastes good, has always been at risk. Maribou storks are another waterbird that nearly were killed off because of the demand for their feathers. Billions of passenger pigeons once literally darkened the skies ---- until humans ate them into extinction. And then there is the dodo....
When I was in my early 20s I had in college taken history as an elective. My course work was Audio Visual Technology. I took that as a course intended to give me grounding in modern mass media to advance my goals as a film making artist. The elective was all I had to finish to get my Associates. I was supposed to write an essay determining whether it was the Great Man Theory of History that was correct, or that times made the man. Later I determined that it was the Great Man Theory and that they had the most effect upon human history, but it was too late for my degree. Look now around you to see where Great Men are missing.
Walter McIlhenny is a man that deserves to be remembered!
Always cool to hear alternate versions of popular stories. One of the more enduring is how the "Tabasco sauce rat" got loose. The popular story is that a hurricane hit Avery Island, wrecking the cages the nutria were being kept in. Turning the troublesome rodents loose does sound more likely, if not as good a tale. There is a suggestion that the population explosion of the nutria is fueling a population explosion of the alligators.
@Ronald McReynolds , would alligators that eat a lot of nutria taste better, or worse, for it?
Mr. History Guy, I adore learning about all of these varied snippets of valuable history. I began reading history books as soon as I was able to read. I was 6. I remember coming across a book about how Queen Elisabeth brushed her teeth. I think it was some kind of powder placed upon a square of velvet. Could you do a history piece about how people used to care for their dental needs & the toothbrush?
Next time I pick up a bottle of Tabasco sauce I'll remember this history and relay it to all present. Thank you Mr HG!
The history guy will never run out of history topics
Making me very proud & a bit homesick for my home state. Louisiana is such a unique place. Visit if you can & go hungry! The food is amazing! 😊
Love the lava lamp and the phaser. Did not know you were a Star Trek fan. I lived in Louisiana back in the 80’s, and there were Egrets everywhere, hard to believe they were almost driven to extinction.
Love the Lava lamp mixed in with all the other treasure's!
Hey Brother, this is Spooky this has got to be at least the 12th time as I began your video with whatever the topic in hand. I just splashed a bunch on my eggs. What great way to start the day. Food to nourish the body,giving grace to nourish the Soul and History Guy to nourish the mind!💯. All while we have to bare 112° over the weekend!
It is true, even today, often over looked and intentionally neglected as a subject species loss and endangerment hardly become a subject of discussion. My daughter visited the land of Tobacco Sauce, my personal favorite, A special sample from there barrel of long-standing cured holding which I cherish and keep. It’s nice to know that he has traditions long-standing
Thank you for making the point "that you can make great change." You made me think of Margaret Mead's quote, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world, indeed it's the only thing that ever has." We all can do good things to make the world a better place, even if they seem like small efforts to us, they may make a huge difference to someone/something else. Thank you for highlighting this history and the importance of conservation.
Not sure why you thought McIlhenny's interest in conservation was surprising. Considering his interests it makes total sense.
Tabasco sauce and the rats remind me of the story when during the Cold War spies for the US would place microfilm in a dead rat in a alley for "the drop." To prevent cats or other animals from taking the dead rat, the spy would sprinkle Tabasco sauce on the rat. Soviet spies did the same for their "drops."
Spring 1967, from Shreveport, our 7th grade tour of LA included Avery Island and tour of the Tabasco Sauce plant. I remember the smell and our encounter with a fake gator that then said, "Ehhh," and twitched its tail in warning. I and my companions made a hasty retreat! No fake!
I've never regretted watching a single episode of this. Thanks for the great work!
Visited Avery Island a few years back while in the area on business... I planned to simply visit the Tabasco plant there, but it turned out the Jungle Gardens and Bird City were unexpected gems after a quick tour of the factory.
Thank you! I greatly enjoyed this one. My Father maintained habitats on the west coast flyway for most of his life. You got me tripping down memory lane. He killed a whole heap of nutria in his time as well.
Avery Island is a very nice place to visit. The Buda sits in a glass pagoda overlooking a lagoon. A few miles north of Avery Island a Texaco drilling rig punched a hole in a salt dome and Lake Peigneur drained into the Diamond salt mine. It sucked up a tug boat, a bunch of barges and part of Rip Van Winkle Gardens. It left a couple of guys who were fishing in a little boat high and dry.
11:09 "We often think that one person's efforts cannot effect enormous change, but Ned McIlhenny is proof that you can make great changes...." Inheriting a large family plantation, co-owning a major family business, and a vast fortune from your parents helps a lot though. Overall still a fascinating story, and even if it was only possible with the resources available to him, what he did was impressive and very impactful even in present day. That he understood and recognized the need for conservation, which most didn't at the time, is laudable. I could even imagine his contemporaries in business saw him as throwing money away, saw his dreams as foolish, looked down on his nature-related hobbies that were unconventional for the wealthy of the era. As for Tabasco sauce, I can't handle any spicy food so I can't use the stuff.
Ooooo lava lamp. Ok, well done. Once again I thank you.
Great history ! During of just after , the civil war , they suffered a bottle shortage . Many a perfume bottle from New Orleans were reused for bottling . They also chose Avery for the salt deposits . A much needed ingredient in the fermentation process . Thanks ! My family first came to New Orleans in 1720 .
The book 'Salt: a world history' by Mark Kurlansky details the history of Avery Island.
The salt part that is
I read that book. It gives amazing detail about the salt mines and Tabasco sauce, but if it mentions egrets and conservation, I missed it. Good read!
@@davidhunt7519 , Kurlansky's companion book "Cod" is another great read.
Great book. Really fascinating history connections.
I take a shot of Tabasco sauce every morning.
Tastes good, wakes me up, and curbs appetite.
I also put it on a lot of foods.
I love it.
Use a big bottle a week.
😁
"We don’t inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children."
--Native American proverb
didn't quite understood,but ok
It means everyone of us has a responsibility to the future to leave what has been given us better than we got it. It is our gift forward to our children... and we have, in just about everything, majorly eff’ed that up.
I've heard that saying before, but attributing it to Native Americans is only slightly more likely than attributing it to Yogi Berra.
Ah yes, the Native Americans, who (for the most part) had no concept of land ownership, definitely said this quote about "inheriting" the land.
There's no good reason to misattribute this quote to *The Native Americans™* besides casual "woke" racism.
TissuePaper: where did you get that little trademark symbol from? I need to know.
Fascinating! Thank you. Stay safe🐾🙏😷
I hope this is the beginning of an entire series on hot sauce history.
“The one who plants trees, Knowing that they will never sit in their shade, Has at least started to understand the meaning of life”
Rabindranath Tagore.
Nice quote.
The French planted poplars to shade the Nazi's marching infantry in France. Their Foreign Legion did the same in North Africa.
Ned McIllhenny was in a position similar to George Vanderbilt: they both had the means to affect change in a singular way, and used it to do so. Both helped with conservation efforts that have had a lasting positive impact. I'm happy to help continue these efforts by purchasing their products, as I'm sure they're ongoing. I believe a McIllhenny descendent still owns the company and personally chooses which barrels of pepper mash have aged to readiness. Vanderbilt's family still occupies the Biltmore, and if you've never been there, you should go.
Thank you for another wonderful video.
*McIlhenny. Too many "L"s lol
I’m very happy you did the story! I’ve been to that island and had one of the most wonderful experiences I ever did with a herd of deer. It was quite unintentional as I didn’t even know I was on an island at the time. When I cross over onto the island over this little bridge I thought it was weird that a sign said that I was entering the island. Because it’s not an island as you would picture in the traditional sense. But it was quite wonderful the experience I had and it’s something I will never forget. And it happened at his tobacco company
Thank you for telling this story. You told it well - as you usually do. Avery Island is well worth the visit.
What can I say......Another wonderful post. Thank you.
Coypu/Nutria we’re also a big problem in the UK, and it was estimated that there were 100,000+, mostly in East Anglia. It took a lot of effort to eradicate them, but that was finally achieved by about 1990. We do have Egrets too, other most common being the Little Egret. These were more or less wiped out for the hat trade in the 19th century, but are making a comeback. I had never seen one until about two years ago, living on the SW edge of London, but I have seen two or three by the lake at Painshill Landscape Garden, where I volunteer. Incidentally, Painshill has a good collection of North American plant species, collected in the period up to 1772. Never tried Tabasco sauce, but will certainly give it a go.
Great Job! Loved the piece. I will never look at Tabasco the same way. Life changing!
What a fantastic story and presentation!.. thank you!
I loved the story !
a great episode, history guy! i have visited Avery Island, got permission to harvest a piece of bamboo from there, which i made into a flute.
did you remove the original post of this video just to correct the spelling of "tabasco"? (If so, you are a kindred spirit and I salute you sir!)
I believe he did
Yup. Sorry for the error.
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel
Ah yes, I see it - “Tobasco” instead of Tabasco. Unforgivable error 🥵
@@TheHistoryGuyChannel Those darn vowels! They get me every time. Did you do a video on the great vowel shift? Even more to confuse people.
@Ronald McReynolds . Modern news publications be they electronic or print : " What's proof reading? "
Tip my hat to Ned...And that wonderful McIIhenny Green Pepper sauce! I love that stuff!!
Love the pistol Phaser on the shelf!
Tony & Susan here , Love the history guy, on your way to 1M. By the end of the year I presume.
Love Tabasco!!! Thanks for sharing
When Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005 Avery Island was hit hard and there was a panic when it was announced that there was only a six month worldwide supply of Tabasco Sauce.
Looking forward to visiting Avery Island
Love Tabasco Sauce
Nice looking Phaser on your shelf
Love Long and Prosper History Guy !
@Ronald McReynolds , phaser-hunting egrets is great for quickly roasting them, but if you want them for their feathers, well....
I LOVE chilled tomato juice - but it needs a spurt of Worcestershire sauce and a big slug of McIlhenny's Tabasco sauce!!
Steve, I love Worcestershire sauce, when I'm using it to cook with I'll take a swig right out of the bottle!
Add some vodka and it’s a Bloody Mary
LOVE Tabasco
I live right next to Avery island and it’s a major tourist attraction
As the story goes one of the Mcllhenney brothers was a brigadier general in the Marine Corps Reserve when I was in Vietnam and their company provided us little bottles of tabasco sauce to spice up our C rations for free.
Great story and a great sauce!! Thank you History Guy!!