Kirsten Michelle Cills Reads a 1898 Philadelphia Newspaper on The Past Times

The Past Times Episode 161 with Kirsten Michelle Cills

• 🎙️ Comedian Kirsten Michelle Cills joins Dave and Gareth on The Past Times, a podcast where they read a random historical newspaper.
• 🗓️ The chosen newspaper is The Philadelphia Inquirer from March 17, 1898.

Victorian-Era Advice on Aging and Gender

• 📜 An article from 'The Home Doctor' discusses why men age better than women, claiming men remain 'erect, active, and bright-eyed' after 50, while women become 'corpses,' 'dried out,' and 'colorless.'
• 🍽️ The article attributes these differences to men eating 'substantial Epicurean lunches' with peers, while women eat 'toast and tea' with children.
• 🧐 The hosts find this reasoning absurd and question the author's perspective, noting the stark contrast in descriptions for men and women at different ages.

Dietary Advice and Cultural Observations

• 🥗 The newspaper offers dietary advice, suggesting plain food for women and cautioning against rich foods like lobster salad and foie gras for men seeking to retain youth.
• 🥦 It also touches on vegetarianism, suggesting it can lead to beautiful skin but can also cause scurvy if not supplemented with meat occasionally.
• 🍳 The hosts discuss modern diets, with Kirsten noting her mother's diet resembles some of the newspaper's suggestions, and Gareth revealing his daily consumption of six eggs.

American Culture and Cuisine

• 🍔 The discussion shifts to defining 'American food,' with participants listing items like burgers, French fries, southern barbecue, and cheeseburgers.
• 🍕 They debate the origins of various dishes, questioning whether American culture is primarily a result of appropriation.
• 🍟 The hosts express strong opinions on certain foods, with Dave adamantly disliking mozzarella sticks and grilled cheese sandwiches, while Kirsten has never tried mozzarella sticks or jalapeno poppers.

A Peculiar Coffin Story

• ⚰️ A story details an 86-year-old man named Evan P. Jones, a cabinet maker at a Methodist home for the aged, who dreamt he had to build his own coffin.
• 🛠️ He meticulously crafted the coffin based on his dream, but upon completion, found it was slightly too small.
• 💔 Tragically, he died of pneumonia alongside his wife, who was also ill, and due to the coffin being too small, they could not bury him in it as he had intended.

Crime and Morality in the News

• 📰 A report describes the arrest of Neville Cook, suspected of attempting to rob a newspaper dealer. Cook, who claimed to own three houses, insisted on his innocence and identity.
• 🎭 Another article discusses a pastor's denouncement of the theater and dance as immoral, linking them to 'heathenism' and 'vice.'
• 🤔 The hosts reflect on the sensationalism of such sermons and the historical perception of theater as a corrupting influence.