A great-grandmother’s YouTube channel highlighted the meals she prepared during the Great Depression.
Although the Great Depression occurred almost a century ago, the current cost of living crisis, marked by rising electricity bills and stagnant wages, has led many to seek ways to economize. One woman’s cooking channel has become a timely resource for many looking to cut costs.
The YouTube channel, Great Depression Cooking with Clara, features the author, cook, and great-grandmother sharing stories of her childhood during the Great Depression while preparing meals from that era.
Filmed by her grandson, the channel ran from 2007 to 2012, starting when Clara was 91 years old.
In the first episode, Clara demonstrates how to make “the poor man’s meal,” a dish she ate during the Depression made of “potatoes and hot dogs.” As she peels the potatoes, she reminisces about having to “quit high school” because she “couldn’t afford socks.”
“Couldn’t afford anything to wear, but we survived,” Clara said. “We all survived. We were all fat from eating potatoes.”
She added: “My father used to buy a sack of potatoes and we ate potatoes every day. Potatoes with pasta, potatoes fried, potatoes with eggs.”
Clara includes a bit of onion with the potatoes, adds a drizzle of oil, and fries the hot dogs together with them, noting that they would “stick in anything cheap.” The video has attracted numerous comments from viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-GVl7scrYE
One YouTube user shared: “Me watching these videos in 2019: So relaxing. Me watching these videos in 2020: Aggressive note-taking.”
Another commented: “In this harsh economy, I just made the poor man’s meal again for my family and they loved it! It’s January 21, 2024 and all these years later, Clara is still in our hearts.”
A third person wrote: “When you think about it, it’s really incredible. Clara passed away seven years ago and her videos are needed now more than ever. It’s almost as if Clara was preparing us for the hard times we would face in 2020 when she wouldn’t be here to help in person. God bless this wonderful lady. She is missed very much.”
Clara passed away in 2013 at the age of 98. However, her channel states: “She left us with her recipes and stories and hoped that they would continue to entertain and teach you and your future generations.”
If you’re interested in more of her money-saving recipes, you can purchase her book, which is filled with recipes, wisdom, and memories, from Amazon and B&N.