I just went down to our local thrift store to grab some cookbooks from the 1950s and early 1960s. As far as I can tell, these faithfully represent the gastronomic landscape of of the United States during this period, and were the principal competitors of Julia Child.
As they do now, the cookbooks then had a theme, and that theme was COMMERCE. They were principally published by specific foodstuff vendors, or were giveaways by corporations with tangential relationships to the food industry.
Here is a comb-bound offering from Southern Union Gas Company in which they provided the favorite recipes of local winners of the national Mrs. America Contest.
Walking Stew -- a gastrointestinal disorder, or a family favorite of the beautiful Mrs. Tucumcari? You be the judge:
Mrs. Monahans hangs her head in shame near her recipe for "French Style Chicken" made with margarine and on the facing page a pillbox-hatted sourpuss demonstrates a method of ruining a perfectly good cut of veal:
Carnation cottage cheese provided instructions for creating pastel colored party dips.
The Rice Council created Miss Fluffy to bring delicious rice-based recipes to America's homemakers, including this sampling of diseased lady parts.
You were wondering what the life insurance companies had to offer the 1950s cook? MetLife reminded its policyholders there's always a bad egg, and that they would shit on them when they were down.
Each of these cookbooks stretched the limits of its theme. Here 7up argues their product is not just for drinking, it's for eating,
or a wholesome dietary supplement for your children.
(2) sitting on the floor, waiting to toss her man's salad.
whether it be the "he-man favorite",
or a wholesome dietary supplement for your children.
Here's a kitchen contraption which seemed to be modeled on the alien ships from 1953 War of the Worlds film (except I don't remember the Martian vessels vomiting slaw):
Can you guess which of the four facing recipes match this Saladmaster creation? My guess is the steamed chocolate pudding.
The makers of Southern Comfort reminded the Mid Century woman of her two main duties: (1) mixing drinks for her man when he got home from work, and
(2) sitting on the floor, waiting to toss her man's salad.
3 comments:
These recipes kind of make me want to vomit slaw.
I actually enjoyed that post at least as much as Julie and Julia (which I enjoyed a great deal, despite its occasional blunders, though not as much as my mother, who annoyingly applauded after it was done. Mom, the cast and crew aren't here, and they can't hear you).
Thanks for a post that was worth the price of admission. Now be a dear and mix me a cocktail.
The Chamber's stove and recipes for it pose another major example in contrast to Julia Childs. Chambers promoted the "Idle Hour". By using a highly insulated oven and well the cook who didn't like to cook could cook with the gas off for the last hour while she got all elegant. It was necessarily hands off. Ironic isn't it that the vintage Chamber's stove is now a sort of gourmet icon.
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