History Through Food

Eighteen months and a dozen estate sales later, here I am. There’s a backlog of material to share, including my first beaded 1920s purse, an accidental eelskin and a rolling wooden bar cart. However, today I’m going to introduce a new series of posts inspired by my husband’s desire to learn everything there is to know about regional American cuisine for R&D. A consistent effort has been made while perusing estate sales & flea markets to take a second look at books. Our collection of regional American cookbooks welcomed 3 new additions this weekend. Well, they’re not precisely “new”, but they are new to us and we are excited about the snapshot in time that they’ll provide. That brings me to the official introduction to this exploration of local palates, regional food systems and the historical context of the creation and propagation of certain recipes. Welcome to History Through Food.

In this series I’ll be looking beyond the copyright date to explore the content at face value while examining the historical climate surrounding that regional publishing. For instance, take a look at this cover-less copy of the American Women’s Voluntary Services Cookbook (c. 1942). A book for wartime living is as applicable today as it was 74 years ago.

A book for wartime living . . .

A book for wartime living . . .

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Remembering the Greatest Generation

Yesterday was a day was filled with reflective moments. I popped in and out of this live stream of the 70th D-Day Anniversary celebrations.

So many sacrificed so much. And I was reminded of that fact while hearing the stories of four American soldiers that were well enough to make the trip back to Normandy. Truly powerful stuff. You can watch the full episode here.

Earlier this year I happened upon a birding book from 1902. When I opened the cover I found a yellowing piece of paper tucked against the crease. Based on the outlines that pamphlet left on the inside of the cover and title page, I imagine the thing had been left untouched in there for a significant amount of time. That little piece of paper happened to be a rubber & gasoline rationing pamphlet from 1942.

I have yet to scan this document, but here are some rough shots. Also of note, the cover of the pamphlet has an illustration of a Japanese soldier by Edmund Duffy. That’s for a later time as I need to research how best to preserve this piece of American WWII ephemera.

Rationing pamphlet, Office of Price Administration, 1942

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Rationing pamphlet with illustrations by Edmund Duffy, 1942