Editorial note: When one person complained about the plaid background making it hard to read the text, after some trouble-shooting, we decided that it was her monitor preventing the white background in the text area from showing up. But when another person recently complained, I wondered how many others were having the same trouble and just never said anything. I don’t know how to change the settings to get rid of the plaid so I will either have to install a new template/background or figure out how to get rid of it. In the meantime, I’ve installed an older background that has some issues but is easier to read. I apologize to those of you who’ve suffered through the plaid!
Chapter 1: The Well-Fed Family~ General Discussion
At the start of Chapter 1, we are told to pretend that we are visiting a home economics class where the students are pretending that they have invited their friends over for a Sunday supper and are rating menu options. The first and last menus are ranked equally high, Menu II comes next followed by Menu II and IV.
Menu I Platter of cold meats Fresh vegetable salad Bread Butter Fresh fruit in season Cookies Beverage Menu II Cheese rarebit in toasted bread cases Cucumber and tomato salad Bread and butter sandwiches Banbury tarts Beverage Menu III Cold meat loaf, sliced Potato salad Baked beans Pickles Buns Apple butter Chocolate cake Fruit gelatin Beverage Menu IV Chicken salad Bread Pickles Angel food Home-made ice cream Beverage Menu V Cream of tomato soup Popcorn garnish Lettuce sandwiches Egg salad sandwiches Ice-box cookies Pink apple sauce BeverageQuestions from the book: Do you agree with the class’ rankings? Which one of these menus would you serve on a winter Sunday evening? A summer Sunday evening?
The girls in the home ec class set up certain standards which would apply to entertaining. We’ll go over the standards they came up with in the next post but I am curious as to what you might set as standards in your own home.
Apparently, lettuce sandwiches–sandwiches made with bread, butter or mayonnaise, and lettuce, were served at fine luncheons and were a hit with young people. I guess this is isn’t as outlandish as it sounds since cucumber sandwiches aren’t really that far removed from a lettuce sandwich. Truthfully, I had never heard of such a thing but it makes absolute sense. How many of us add lettuce to our meat-filled sandwiches?
From what I can gather, Banbury tarts are an old-English Christmas-time treat filled with raisins or currants. If anyone has more information about them, please share!
The more I read about “mid-century food,” the more I realize how we’ve been influenced by the food industry regarding what we think of as “regular food.”
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A friend told me that after World War II the American menu changed, apparently influenced by travel. Before that our food was rather plain. It was interesting to see the five menus posted, and I wouldn’t expect young people today to find them inspiring.
My standards for entertaining? I try to see my house and the event through the eyes of my guests and “put my best foot forward.” Readiness is key. I want my house to be clean and orderly, and of course, that applies especially to the kitchen. I want to appear calm, collected, appropriately dressed, and in control. I want the food to please. I will have planned how to serve the meal and prepared as much in advance as possible. Hopefully, I will have done as much as possible without a “meltdown,” but I have had plenty of meltdowns trying to put on the perfect event.
Ok Kathy – I love your reply. What always strikes me when I visit someones home is a calm hostess. For some reason, I think this is the missing link for American hostesses.
My copy of the Ommibus came yesterday! I got a hard copy from amazon, and it smells nice and old.
My vote for the winter menu is III – with the meal loaf, potato salad and beans.
My vote for the summer menu is II – with all the finger sandwiches.
These menu’s do seem really simple and “doable”. I don’t think the modern american would consider these menu’s for winter because it doesn’t seem “enough”, no “wow factor”, but maybe we don’t do causual entertaining like these girls. Or, maybe the menus are designed for students so the wouldn’t be intimidated.
Ann
Hi Ann! I’m so glad you ordered the Omnibus. I was afraid I might be the only participant. I think Dr. J. is really busy right now so I’m reading “on my own.”
I like your observation — “no wow factor.” How true! With the exception of the meatloaf, the menus seemed more like one might serve at a ladies’ luncheon. I’m not sure if we established whether or not we were inviting the guys to this party.
Hey guys, I didn’t mean to abandon you all! Kathy is right–I was hoping I’d be all caught up with myself today but it looks like it will be another day or two and then I can get back to writing again.
Menu I was my mother’s default “people are stopping in on the way through town” menu. That typically happened on a Sunday evening, as we were about three or four hours from most of the relatives, so they’d go see somebody else and then stop in for sandwiches and cookies before heading home.
She also had a lasagna recipe that was a standby, because it was easy to put together on Saturday and then stick in the oven on Sunday evening. I suspect that travelers dreaded the lasagna meal, because I noticed the last time I made it that it causes terrible heartburn in people over 35.