WEBVTT 00:00:02.632 --> 00:00:04.551 - Tonight on "Adam Eats the ’80s," 00:00:04.676 --> 00:00:06.845 I’m escaping from reality! 00:00:06.928 --> 00:00:08.513 Chewie, we’re home. 00:00:08.596 --> 00:00:11.307 I’m on a mission to uncover out-of-this-world treats 00:00:11.391 --> 00:00:15.061 from long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away. 00:00:15.186 --> 00:00:18.773 - "Sell by September 17th, 1983." 00:00:21.192 --> 00:00:23.737 - Plus, I put the most memorable knife set 00:00:23.862 --> 00:00:25.739 of the decade to the test. 00:00:25.822 --> 00:00:27.949 Ginsu. 00:00:28.074 --> 00:00:29.367 And I’ll return to the place 00:00:29.451 --> 00:00:32.412 where I was knighted as a boy... 00:00:32.537 --> 00:00:33.913 Medieval Times. 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.667 To get one last taste of their original ’80s feast... 00:00:37.751 --> 00:00:39.544 This smells amazing. 00:00:39.627 --> 00:00:41.588 And witness a long-lost ritual 00:00:41.713 --> 00:00:44.424 they haven’t done since the ’80s. 00:00:44.549 --> 00:00:45.508 That’s awesome. 00:00:46.634 --> 00:00:48.303 I’m on the hunt to relive 00:00:48.428 --> 00:00:50.972 an extraordinary decade 00:00:51.056 --> 00:00:52.474 for food, the 1980s! 00:00:53.808 --> 00:00:56.394 It’s an era of iconic 00:00:56.478 --> 00:00:58.229 hits and misses. 00:00:58.313 --> 00:01:00.273 Join me, Adam Richman, 00:01:00.398 --> 00:01:03.693 as we get a long-lost taste of the icons 00:01:03.777 --> 00:01:05.070 and the forgotten. 00:01:05.153 --> 00:01:07.238 Oh! Talk about smell! 00:01:07.322 --> 00:01:09.908 Because food is my time machine 00:01:09.991 --> 00:01:12.243 and I’ve been waiting my whole life... 00:01:12.327 --> 00:01:13.328 I’m literally drooling. 00:01:13.453 --> 00:01:15.288 For one more bite. 00:01:22.462 --> 00:01:26.549 In a lot of ways, the ’80s was a really challenging decade. 00:01:26.633 --> 00:01:28.384 Events like the AIDS epidemic, 00:01:28.468 --> 00:01:31.429 nuclear disaster, the Challenger explosion, 00:01:31.513 --> 00:01:32.931 weighed heavily on our minds. 00:01:33.014 --> 00:01:36.267 Thankfully, there was also no shortage of fantasy worlds 00:01:36.351 --> 00:01:37.602 that we could escape to. 00:01:37.685 --> 00:01:39.479 There was "Conan the Barbarian," 00:01:39.604 --> 00:01:41.106 "Masters of the Universe," 00:01:41.189 --> 00:01:42.690 "The NeverEnding Story," 00:01:42.816 --> 00:01:46.736 and, of course, the granddaddy of them all. 00:01:46.820 --> 00:01:50.240 "Star Wars" was a phenomenon in the late ’70s. 00:01:50.323 --> 00:01:52.158 It changed Hollywood forever 00:01:52.283 --> 00:01:55.120 and imprinted itself onto kids of all ages, 00:01:55.203 --> 00:01:57.622 many of whom are still obsessed today. 00:01:57.705 --> 00:02:00.291 But it was in the 1980s when "Star Wars" 00:02:00.375 --> 00:02:03.628 went from movie to money-making machine, 00:02:03.711 --> 00:02:06.798 from toys to costumes to lunchboxes 00:02:06.881 --> 00:02:08.967 to your pillows and blankets. 00:02:09.050 --> 00:02:12.303 And one world the movie machine attempted to conquer 00:02:12.387 --> 00:02:13.638 was the world of food, 00:02:13.721 --> 00:02:16.474 so today I’m gonna track down and taste 00:02:16.558 --> 00:02:19.769 some of these long-lost Star Wars treats. 00:02:21.896 --> 00:02:24.440 But where on earth can I find unopened edible treats 00:02:24.524 --> 00:02:26.651 from 40 years ago? 00:02:26.734 --> 00:02:30.321 Help me, Rancho Obi-Wan. You’re my only hope! 00:02:30.405 --> 00:02:32.824 It’s a 9,000 square-foot museum 00:02:32.907 --> 00:02:34.576 that holds the largest collection 00:02:34.701 --> 00:02:37.829 of Star Wars memorabilia on Earth! 00:02:37.912 --> 00:02:41.791 Oh my God. 00:02:41.875 --> 00:02:43.084 Chewie, we’re home. 00:02:43.209 --> 00:02:44.294 If you’re a kid of the ’80s, 00:02:44.377 --> 00:02:46.629 this room is a personification 00:02:46.713 --> 00:02:50.008 of everything you ever wanted, everything you ever loved. 00:02:50.091 --> 00:02:51.384 Oh my gosh. 00:02:51.509 --> 00:02:53.887 I wish I could tell my seven-year-old self 00:02:54.012 --> 00:02:56.139 that I would be standing here 40 years later. 00:02:56.222 --> 00:02:57.891 Owner Steve Sansweet 00:02:57.974 --> 00:03:01.519 has amassed about half a million intergalactic items. 00:03:01.603 --> 00:03:03.813 But what I’m really hoping for 00:03:03.897 --> 00:03:06.691 is a taste of long, long ago. 00:03:06.774 --> 00:03:09.235 - This is a binder of food packaging 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:11.654 and labels from the ’80s. 00:03:11.738 --> 00:03:14.699 So there are all these chocolate bars. 00:03:14.782 --> 00:03:15.825 - Oh, wow! 00:03:15.909 --> 00:03:17.452 - And you could cut out a Star Wars 00:03:17.577 --> 00:03:19.704 mini photo card on the back. 00:03:19.787 --> 00:03:21.039 - Whatchamacallit Bars. 00:03:21.122 --> 00:03:22.957 Those alone are ’80s throwback. 00:03:24.584 --> 00:03:26.211 The edible Star Wars universe 00:03:26.294 --> 00:03:28.546 expanded far beyond the candy aisle 00:03:28.630 --> 00:03:31.591 to include tie-ins from Coke and Pepsi, 00:03:31.674 --> 00:03:33.551 as well as mac and cheese, Campbell’s Soup, 00:03:33.635 --> 00:03:35.261 and even marmalade. 00:03:35.386 --> 00:03:38.181 And it was Burger King who used movie clips 00:03:38.264 --> 00:03:40.225 in their commercials with great effect 00:03:40.308 --> 00:03:42.227 to market their Star Wars glassware 00:03:42.310 --> 00:03:44.479 for each of the original three movies. 00:03:45.647 --> 00:03:48.024 - This is the famous C-3PO cereal. 00:03:48.107 --> 00:03:49.567 - Of course! 00:03:49.651 --> 00:03:53.112 - Came out in 1984, and were out for about a year. 00:03:53.238 --> 00:03:54.364 - They may not have lasted 00:03:54.447 --> 00:03:56.115 that long on store shelves, 00:03:56.241 --> 00:03:59.244 but C-3PO’s are one of Star Wars’ 00:03:59.327 --> 00:04:01.329 most memorable forays into food. 00:04:01.454 --> 00:04:02.580 They were released the year 00:04:02.664 --> 00:04:05.208 after "Return of the Jedi" in 1984. 00:04:05.291 --> 00:04:06.793 At the time, there were no guarantees 00:04:06.876 --> 00:04:09.045 there would ever be another Star Wars movie, 00:04:09.128 --> 00:04:11.923 so this was one way kids could immerse themselves 00:04:12.006 --> 00:04:13.633 in the fantasy a little longer. 00:04:13.758 --> 00:04:16.427 Today, an unopened box can sell for 00:04:16.511 --> 00:04:17.762 hundreds of dollars. 00:04:17.845 --> 00:04:20.890 But while these boxes are all opened and empty, 00:04:20.974 --> 00:04:22.767 Steve assures me his vast collection 00:04:22.850 --> 00:04:25.311 does include some edible Star Wars treats, 00:04:25.436 --> 00:04:29.274 and promises whatever I find, I can try. 00:04:29.357 --> 00:04:31.109 I had those bedsheets, 00:04:31.192 --> 00:04:33.736 I had that Chewbacca, 00:04:33.820 --> 00:04:36.239 and I had these trading cards. 00:04:36.322 --> 00:04:38.700 - Do you remember the taste of the gum? 00:04:38.825 --> 00:04:40.743 - I mean, I remember you had to kind of crack it. 00:04:40.827 --> 00:04:42.787 ’80s trading card collectors 00:04:42.870 --> 00:04:45.290 were among the last ones lucky enough 00:04:45.373 --> 00:04:47.917 to get bubble gum in their card packs. 00:04:48.001 --> 00:04:51.296 America’s largest baseball card company, Topps, 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.465 started pairing cards with gum in 1952, 00:04:54.549 --> 00:04:57.635 and the tradition continued all the way though the ’80s. 00:04:57.719 --> 00:05:01.597 Topps began removing the gum from their card packs in 1991 00:05:01.681 --> 00:05:03.599 after serious collectors complained 00:05:03.683 --> 00:05:05.685 it stained the cards and ruined their value. 00:05:05.768 --> 00:05:09.314 Okay, this is huge for me, to actually have the gum. 00:05:09.397 --> 00:05:10.940 Feels just like the cards. 00:05:11.024 --> 00:05:13.401 All right, let’s see if my mic picks this up. 00:05:16.195 --> 00:05:17.113 Mm-hmm. 00:05:18.698 --> 00:05:19.824 Worth it. 00:05:22.035 --> 00:05:24.871 But it’s that note of really powdered sugar, 00:05:24.954 --> 00:05:26.122 - Yup. 00:05:26.205 --> 00:05:29.208 and almost like a cotton candy-ish kind of taste. 00:05:29.292 --> 00:05:30.668 It literally dissolved. 00:05:30.752 --> 00:05:33.129 I have consumed it, so now I am one with the Force. 00:05:36.883 --> 00:05:39.385 I’m on the hunt for one more taste 00:05:39.510 --> 00:05:41.721 of authentic Star Wars goodies from the ’80s 00:05:41.846 --> 00:05:43.639 at Rancho Obi-Wan, 00:05:43.723 --> 00:05:46.142 the largest collection of Star Wars memorabilia 00:05:46.225 --> 00:05:47.894 this side of Tatooine. 00:05:47.977 --> 00:05:50.480 Jedi Master-collector Steve Sansweet 00:05:50.563 --> 00:05:53.816 says anything I find that’s edible, I can eat. 00:05:53.900 --> 00:05:56.235 Wait a minute, wait a minute! Yes! 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:57.820 Yes, we found them! 00:05:57.904 --> 00:05:58.988 No way! 00:06:01.657 --> 00:06:02.992 Oh my God! 00:06:03.076 --> 00:06:06.537 Of all the many Star Wars food tie-ins, 00:06:06.621 --> 00:06:10.083 one that was near and dear to my 10-year-old heart 00:06:10.166 --> 00:06:12.919 was Pepperidge Farm’s Star Wars Cookies. 00:06:13.002 --> 00:06:14.420 - I really shouldn’t keep these in here 00:06:14.545 --> 00:06:18.508 because it attracts all kinds of critters eventually. 00:06:18.591 --> 00:06:20.593 - TV hosts. All kinds of pests. 00:06:20.676 --> 00:06:22.929 - We should probably open these and sample them. 00:06:23.054 --> 00:06:25.765 - The boxes have held up impeccably well. 00:06:25.890 --> 00:06:28.226 If I ever wanted anything frozen in carbonite, 00:06:28.309 --> 00:06:30.603 this would be it. 00:06:30.728 --> 00:06:33.022 So the bag definitely seems to be intact. 00:06:33.106 --> 00:06:36.192 Remember, these have not been eaten, sold, 00:06:36.275 --> 00:06:38.611 or seen in four decades. 00:06:40.947 --> 00:06:43.366 They look intact. Completely intact. 00:06:43.449 --> 00:06:46.285 You can actually see that it’s Leia Organa. 00:06:46.411 --> 00:06:47.787 I am impressed. 00:06:47.870 --> 00:06:50.498 But the real question is: after all these decades, 00:06:50.623 --> 00:06:53.376 do they still taste as good as they did? 00:06:53.459 --> 00:06:55.962 Now remember, don’t try this at home. 00:07:03.261 --> 00:07:05.138 So the issue is that there’s not really a ton of taste. 00:07:05.263 --> 00:07:06.973 It’s still crunchy, as you can hear. 00:07:07.098 --> 00:07:08.516 It’s still crispy. 00:07:08.641 --> 00:07:11.477 It still has like all those, kind of, great cookie textures. 00:07:11.561 --> 00:07:15.064 It’s crumbly. It’s vaguely moist, which is strange. 00:07:15.148 --> 00:07:18.776 But I think the butter in it has turned to the Dark Side. 00:07:20.653 --> 00:07:22.363 These cookies were a way to escape 00:07:22.488 --> 00:07:24.824 to a galaxy far, far away, 00:07:24.907 --> 00:07:26.742 but they’re not the most iconic. 00:07:26.826 --> 00:07:29.912 Few could argue that the defining collaboration 00:07:29.996 --> 00:07:31.664 between Hollywood and food 00:07:31.789 --> 00:07:34.750 involved a film that actually surpassed "Star Wars" 00:07:34.834 --> 00:07:37.211 as the highest-grossing film of all time 00:07:37.336 --> 00:07:40.381 and held that title well into the ’90s. 00:07:40.506 --> 00:07:43.259 We all cried when E.T. went home, 00:07:43.342 --> 00:07:45.928 but luckily, when we went home from the movie theater, 00:07:46.012 --> 00:07:48.681 we could take a little piece of the film with us, 00:07:48.764 --> 00:07:52.518 and it helped launch an iconic candy into the stratosphere 00:07:52.643 --> 00:07:55.188 where it stays to this day. 00:07:55.313 --> 00:07:58.691 Reese’s Pieces. 00:07:58.774 --> 00:08:00.860 The Reese’s Pieces collaboration 00:08:00.985 --> 00:08:02.904 with "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" 00:08:03.029 --> 00:08:05.531 paved the way for candy to team up with Hollywood. 00:08:05.656 --> 00:08:08.034 It was the first time the Hershey Company 00:08:08.159 --> 00:08:10.036 cross-promoted with a movie, 00:08:10.161 --> 00:08:12.788 but they weren’t the filmmakers’ first choice. 00:08:12.872 --> 00:08:15.583 They had initially reached out to M&Ms, 00:08:15.708 --> 00:08:19.629 but when they refused to take part, Reese’s took advantage. 00:08:19.712 --> 00:08:22.882 Hershey spent $1 million 00:08:23.007 --> 00:08:25.468 of marketing and promotion to be a part of the film, 00:08:25.551 --> 00:08:29.847 and the investment paid off when Reese’s Pieces sales 00:08:29.931 --> 00:08:34.936 jumped roughly 65% after "E.T." came out. 00:08:35.311 --> 00:08:38.397 I myself remember my friends and I 00:08:38.523 --> 00:08:39.982 seeking out Reese’s Pieces 00:08:40.066 --> 00:08:42.485 because we loved the movie so much. 00:08:42.568 --> 00:08:46.239 To this day, I cannot think of this candy 00:08:46.322 --> 00:08:48.407 without thinking of this movie. 00:08:48.491 --> 00:08:50.243 Now, the E.T. candy experience 00:08:50.368 --> 00:08:53.913 was not just relegated to Reese’s Pieces. 00:08:53.996 --> 00:08:59.418 Topps manufactured this, a little E.T. candy-filled head. 00:09:00.253 --> 00:09:02.421 Let’s see what kinda candy is inside. 00:09:02.505 --> 00:09:04.048 Wonder if these are still good. 00:09:05.716 --> 00:09:06.509 They are not. 00:09:10.304 --> 00:09:12.598 CoIn the last decadery of the Cold War, 00:09:12.682 --> 00:09:14.225 life could get pretty heavy sometimes, 00:09:14.308 --> 00:09:16.852 and in the ’80s, an escape from everyday reality 00:09:16.936 --> 00:09:18.771 is bound to be a hot ticket. 00:09:18.896 --> 00:09:22.358 And while "Star Wars" gave fans an escape to another galaxy, 00:09:22.441 --> 00:09:24.443 other 1980s fantasy worlds 00:09:24.569 --> 00:09:27.738 like "Beastmaster" and "Conan the Barbarian" 00:09:27.822 --> 00:09:30.449 took us backwards to more ancient times. 00:09:30.575 --> 00:09:33.286 And one of the hottest tickets back to the Middle Ages 00:09:33.369 --> 00:09:35.037 was right here. 00:09:36.872 --> 00:09:39.417 This is Medieval Times! 00:09:40.543 --> 00:09:42.420 The concept of a dinner theater 00:09:42.503 --> 00:09:44.797 has been around since the Renaissance. 00:09:44.922 --> 00:09:46.966 In America, they started springing up 00:09:47.049 --> 00:09:49.468 as early as the 1950s. 00:09:50.052 --> 00:09:51.387 But by the 1980s, 00:09:51.470 --> 00:09:54.098 they seemed old-fashioned and they started dying out. 00:09:54.181 --> 00:09:55.641 As the ’80s dawned, 00:09:55.766 --> 00:09:59.228 the dinner theater format needed a drastic reinvention. 00:10:00.271 --> 00:10:02.607 Medieval Times was unlike anything 00:10:02.732 --> 00:10:05.026 ’80s Americans had ever experienced. 00:10:05.109 --> 00:10:06.611 Once you stepped through the doors, 00:10:06.736 --> 00:10:09.780 you stepped back in time and into the story. 00:10:09.864 --> 00:10:13.284 And sure, you’d get to watch knights battle it out, 00:10:13.367 --> 00:10:16.120 but you also felt like you were part of the story 00:10:16.203 --> 00:10:18.581 as you tore into big chunks of meat 00:10:18.664 --> 00:10:20.249 with your bare hands. 00:10:20.333 --> 00:10:22.084 Now, for one night only, 00:10:22.168 --> 00:10:25.713 I am getting an exclusive look at how things were 00:10:25.796 --> 00:10:29.133 when it all began over 30 years ago. 00:10:30.051 --> 00:10:31.594 Leigh. - Welcome to the castle. 00:10:31.677 --> 00:10:32.803 - Thank you so much. 00:10:32.887 --> 00:10:34.263 It’s kind of amazing, 00:10:34.347 --> 00:10:36.557 ’cause I saw Medieval Times three times in the ’80s, 00:10:36.641 --> 00:10:40.102 and this was the very first one I ever saw. 00:10:40.186 --> 00:10:41.896 And not only was it my first, 00:10:41.979 --> 00:10:46.567 it was the first Medieval Times castle, opening in 1983. 00:10:46.651 --> 00:10:49.654 I remember screaming myself hoarse. 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:51.489 It was one of the greatest memories. 00:10:52.657 --> 00:10:54.617 The influence of the Middle Ages in the ’80s 00:10:54.700 --> 00:10:57.578 didn’t stop at the exits of Medieval Times. 00:10:57.662 --> 00:10:59.830 A cartoon with clear medieval themes, 00:10:59.955 --> 00:11:02.124 "He-Man, Masters of the Universe," 00:11:02.208 --> 00:11:05.336 was without a doubt an icon of the ’80s. 00:11:05.461 --> 00:11:08.130 The toys came first and were big business, 00:11:08.214 --> 00:11:11.467 pulling in $2 billion by 1987. 00:11:11.550 --> 00:11:13.511 But the cartoon broke the mold 00:11:13.636 --> 00:11:15.638 and was the first animated series 00:11:15.721 --> 00:11:17.306 to go straight into syndication, 00:11:17.390 --> 00:11:20.142 airing on weekday afternoons. 00:11:20.226 --> 00:11:23.104 They proved an animated series could hold its own, 00:11:23.187 --> 00:11:24.980 and not just on Saturday mornings. 00:11:25.064 --> 00:11:26.816 At the height of its popularity, 00:11:26.899 --> 00:11:30.027 around nine million people, including yours truly, 00:11:30.152 --> 00:11:32.655 watched the cartoon every afternoon. 00:11:33.698 --> 00:11:34.990 - These are generation of the helmets 00:11:35.074 --> 00:11:36.158 that we used in the show. 00:11:36.242 --> 00:11:38.119 This one dates almost to the opening. 00:11:38.202 --> 00:11:39.829 It’s just leather with no padding 00:11:39.912 --> 00:11:43.541 and no safety equipment part of it. 00:11:43.666 --> 00:11:45.543 It didn’t offer a lot of protection. 00:11:45.668 --> 00:11:47.002 One of the original swords. 00:11:47.086 --> 00:11:49.672 I happened to stick it aside years ago. 00:11:49.755 --> 00:11:52.508 You can see how heavy and how unbalanced that is. 00:11:52.591 --> 00:11:55.052 - You can feel the heft of it. 00:11:55.136 --> 00:11:57.138 It’s really substantial. 00:11:57.221 --> 00:11:59.223 Wow, that is unbelievable. 00:11:59.348 --> 00:12:00.808 - Now, these are the current ones. 00:12:00.891 --> 00:12:02.351 The balance is much better. 00:12:02.435 --> 00:12:05.563 And these swords go many shows without breakage. 00:12:05.646 --> 00:12:07.064 - And you can tell, 00:12:07.148 --> 00:12:09.400 not only is it like a better grip, but it’s more ergonomic. 00:12:09.525 --> 00:12:10.651 - Yep. 00:12:10.735 --> 00:12:12.903 - But a huge part of this experience 00:12:13.028 --> 00:12:15.072 was the medieval feast, 00:12:15.156 --> 00:12:19.034 an experience ’80s kids really couldn’t find anywhere else. 00:12:19.118 --> 00:12:23.748 Feeding a crowd of 1,500 a world-class medieval-style meal 00:12:23.831 --> 00:12:27.418 was and still is a battle unto itself. 00:12:30.629 --> 00:12:31.881 - This is Henry Santos. 00:12:31.964 --> 00:12:34.091 He’s our kitchen manager here in Florida. 00:12:34.175 --> 00:12:36.260 - What was the menu back in ’83? 00:12:36.385 --> 00:12:38.637 - The main course back then was a Cornish hen, 00:12:38.763 --> 00:12:39.597 - Okay. 00:12:39.680 --> 00:12:42.266 a spare rib, and a half a potato. 00:12:42.349 --> 00:12:44.435 - Unlike the chicken served today, 00:12:44.560 --> 00:12:48.606 Cornish hens were small enough to serve whole to each guest, 00:12:48.731 --> 00:12:51.066 making them a unique personal feast 00:12:51.150 --> 00:12:53.694 fit for every king and queen. 00:12:53.778 --> 00:12:55.613 But before the hens hit the plate, 00:12:55.696 --> 00:12:58.073 they were a key part of the original show. 00:12:58.157 --> 00:13:00.284 So there is something that I was reading about 00:13:00.409 --> 00:13:03.788 involving the food, known as the blessing, 00:13:03.871 --> 00:13:05.915 that is no longer done. 00:13:05.998 --> 00:13:07.583 What is the blessing? 00:13:07.666 --> 00:13:11.128 - Servers would do a live fire flambe of the food 00:13:11.253 --> 00:13:15.549 while the holy fathers blessed the arena and the meal. 00:13:15.633 --> 00:13:17.301 - Oh, they would actually set the food alight? 00:13:17.384 --> 00:13:18.469 - Yeah, yeah. 00:13:18.552 --> 00:13:20.304 - And so you guys don’t do that anymore. 00:13:20.429 --> 00:13:21.931 - No, well, number one, 00:13:22.014 --> 00:13:24.600 a lot of fire marshals weren’t big fans of that. 00:13:24.683 --> 00:13:26.644 As we expanded and moved into different markets, 00:13:26.769 --> 00:13:28.479 there was people saying, "You can’t do that," you know, 00:13:28.604 --> 00:13:30.773 and so we just phased it out everywhere. 00:13:30.856 --> 00:13:32.441 I’ll do that for you if you want. 00:13:32.525 --> 00:13:34.151 - Oh, really? - Yeah, for you. 00:13:34.235 --> 00:13:36.487 We’ll do it for you, okay? - I’m so excited. 00:13:40.533 --> 00:13:43.118 In the ’80s, grim headlines had many Americans 00:13:43.202 --> 00:13:45.996 wanting to escape to a different time and place. 00:13:46.080 --> 00:13:48.666 And Medieval Times was happy to oblige, 00:13:48.791 --> 00:13:51.961 starting with a ceremony where the meal of Cornish hen 00:13:52.044 --> 00:13:55.005 was blessed by a monk using oil, 00:13:55.089 --> 00:13:57.675 and best of all, fire. 00:14:07.393 --> 00:14:08.644 Aw, that’s so cool. 00:14:09.478 --> 00:14:10.980 That’s awesome. 00:14:12.314 --> 00:14:15.818 It’s crazy to think that in 1983 when Medieval Times began, 00:14:15.901 --> 00:14:17.194 this was part of the ceremony 00:14:17.278 --> 00:14:20.197 and it has not been seen since. 00:14:20.322 --> 00:14:24.326 After the blessing, the feast of Cornish hen began. 00:14:24.410 --> 00:14:26.287 This smells amazing. 00:14:26.370 --> 00:14:27.371 Oh! - Dig in. 00:14:27.454 --> 00:14:28.289 - Thank you. 00:14:33.502 --> 00:14:35.129 This spice rub is on point. 00:14:35.212 --> 00:14:36.547 It is delicious. 00:14:37.631 --> 00:14:40.509 Medieval Times did include desserts with their meals, 00:14:40.593 --> 00:14:43.137 but if they wanted to stay true to their medieval roots, 00:14:43.220 --> 00:14:46.056 they could’ve tried Jell-O? 00:14:46.682 --> 00:14:48.017 That’s right! 00:14:48.100 --> 00:14:51.186 Gelatin dishes date all the way back to medieval Europe 00:14:51.270 --> 00:14:54.231 and were served as elaborate molded centerpieces 00:14:54.356 --> 00:14:55.566 for the elite. 00:14:55.691 --> 00:14:58.402 That might be a far cry from what ’80s kids 00:14:58.527 --> 00:15:00.237 might remember about Jell-O, 00:15:00.362 --> 00:15:02.865 which hit the jackpot with Pudding Pops, 00:15:02.948 --> 00:15:06.827 which hit peak popularity between 1983 and 1987, 00:15:06.911 --> 00:15:08.537 helping Jell-O to bring home 00:15:08.621 --> 00:15:12.917 about 300 million bucks a year in sales. 00:15:14.084 --> 00:15:15.711 But the love affair was short-lived, 00:15:15.794 --> 00:15:20.341 as Pudding Pops soon joined their medieval gelatin ancestors 00:15:20.424 --> 00:15:23.886 and disappeared, albeit in the 1990s. 00:15:23.969 --> 00:15:26.388 The unsung knights of the battlefield 00:15:26.472 --> 00:15:29.433 are unquestionably inside your kitchen, so bravo to them. 00:15:29.558 --> 00:15:31.602 I really just want to take another bite. 00:15:33.228 --> 00:15:35.940 In a decade where businesses created ways to escape reality, 00:15:36.065 --> 00:15:38.609 advertisers picked up on the trend as well 00:15:38.692 --> 00:15:40.069 by rolling out campaigns 00:15:40.152 --> 00:15:43.113 meant to tap into our wildest dreams. 00:15:43.238 --> 00:15:46.075 Air Jordans could make you feel like Mike, 00:15:46.158 --> 00:15:48.452 Grey Poupon could make you feel rich, 00:15:48.535 --> 00:15:52.748 and one brand cashed in by offering at-home cooks 00:15:52.831 --> 00:15:55.709 a chance to be a samurai. 00:15:55.793 --> 00:15:57.753 - That’s why we use the Ginsu. 00:15:57.836 --> 00:16:00.965 It’s a knife that no kitchen should be without. 00:16:01.048 --> 00:16:03.467 - Ginsu infomercials grabbed the attention 00:16:03.550 --> 00:16:04.635 of bleary-eyed viewers, 00:16:04.718 --> 00:16:06.887 usually by cranking the volume way up, 00:16:06.971 --> 00:16:08.931 and we bought loads of ’em. 00:16:09.014 --> 00:16:12.434 The commercials featured karate chops through wood 00:16:12.518 --> 00:16:14.478 and a Japanese-sounding name. 00:16:14.603 --> 00:16:17.064 They had nothing to do with Japan at all. 00:16:17.147 --> 00:16:19.900 They made up the name Ginsu for the knives. 00:16:19.984 --> 00:16:21.652 The company making the ad campaign 00:16:21.735 --> 00:16:24.405 hired a local exchange student from Japan 00:16:24.488 --> 00:16:26.198 to act as the chef whose 00:16:26.281 --> 00:16:28.075 karate-chopped tomato 00:16:28.158 --> 00:16:29.451 became an instant classic. 00:16:29.535 --> 00:16:31.996 And we were told that this knife 00:16:32.079 --> 00:16:33.998 could cut through almost anything, 00:16:34.081 --> 00:16:36.500 and besides, if you didn’t like the product, 00:16:36.625 --> 00:16:39.670 there was always a money-back guarantee. 00:16:39.753 --> 00:16:41.130 - You get them all, 00:16:41.213 --> 00:16:45.300 guaranteed in writing for 50 years, for only 9.95. 00:16:45.384 --> 00:16:47.803 - That means this set of Ginsu knives 00:16:47.886 --> 00:16:52.516 is under warranty until the year 2034. 00:16:52.641 --> 00:16:55.978 But did you ever wonder, like I did, 00:16:56.061 --> 00:16:59.648 if Ginsu knives really did everything that they claimed? 00:16:59.732 --> 00:17:01.900 Well, today I’m gonna 00:17:01.984 --> 00:17:04.361 find out once and for all. 00:17:04.486 --> 00:17:06.488 - Ginsu can cut a slice of bread so thin 00:17:06.572 --> 00:17:07.740 you can almost see through it. 00:17:10.743 --> 00:17:12.703 - There you go. You can kinda see through it. 00:17:12.828 --> 00:17:14.705 It looks like it passed that test. 00:17:14.830 --> 00:17:16.331 - And goes through frozen food 00:17:16.415 --> 00:17:18.000 as though it were melted butter. 00:17:19.084 --> 00:17:21.795 - Cut right through. Well done, Ginsu. 00:17:21.879 --> 00:17:22.963 - The Ginsu is so sharp, 00:17:23.047 --> 00:17:24.882 it can cut through a tin can 00:17:25.007 --> 00:17:27.718 and still slice a tomato like this. 00:17:31.013 --> 00:17:31.847 - Okay. 00:17:33.223 --> 00:17:35.225 It still cuts through the tomato. 00:17:35.350 --> 00:17:36.894 Ginsu. 00:17:37.019 --> 00:17:38.979 These knives cut themselves 00:17:39.063 --> 00:17:41.356 a $30 million piece of 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:43.358 the money pie by 1985, 00:17:43.442 --> 00:17:47.905 and that is about $80 million in today’s money. 00:17:47.988 --> 00:17:49.490 Ginsu knives are often 00:17:49.573 --> 00:17:51.033 thought of as an ’80s item 00:17:51.116 --> 00:17:52.868 because of their infomercials, 00:17:52.951 --> 00:17:55.871 but they’ve never actually gone away. 00:17:55.954 --> 00:17:59.708 So whether you prefer swords, sabers, or carving knives, 00:17:59.792 --> 00:18:02.252 the ’80s served up a feast of fantasies 00:18:02.377 --> 00:18:04.713 that let us take a break from the everyday 00:18:04.797 --> 00:18:06.507 to really eat well. 00:18:06.590 --> 00:18:08.926 While some of those vintage treats we loved 00:18:09.051 --> 00:18:10.886 blew up with the Death Star, 00:18:10.969 --> 00:18:14.723 it’s still worth your while to try and track them down. 00:18:14.807 --> 00:18:16.225 Just remember: 00:18:16.308 --> 00:18:18.227 Do, or do not. 00:18:18.310 --> 00:18:19.353 There is no try.