That's Meta Given, author of the two-volume Modern Encyclopedia of Cooking: A modern cook book, complete in every detail, brings the latest developments in home economics into your kitchen for a simpler, better and richer life (J. G. Ferguson and Associates, 1949). Kind of a tall order for a cookbook, but Meta takes it seriously. … Continue reading Meet my new friend, Meta
The Shoemaker and the Tea Party by Alfred F. Young
The Shoemaker and the Tea Party: Memory and the American Revolution. Beacon Press, 1999. In the last few years this book has become startlingly relevant, given the appropriation of the Tea Party by a vocal subset of right-wing activists. Young locates the actual event in both its original historical context, and in its reappearance in … Continue reading The Shoemaker and the Tea Party by Alfred F. Young
Year-end roundup
I started this blog a year ago - at the beginning of December 2010 - and while I can't say it's taking the Internet by storm (that would be a lie), it's kept me mildly entertained. Since I like statistics, here are a few: Top 5 Posts (excluding the home page): 1. More Vintage Cooking … Continue reading Year-end roundup
Personal Recipes of Brer Rabbit, 192?
Courtesy of my friend Kate, who picked up someone's whole life's collection of pamphlets at a tag sale, I now own this vintage 1920s example of routine belittling of non-white Americans and erasure of the unpleasant parts of their history. Well, it was advertising material, yes, but still. I can't imagine 1920s African-American sugar-cane sharecroppers … Continue reading Personal Recipes of Brer Rabbit, 192?
People are weird, 17th century edition
You never know what you're going to come across when you actually read large swaths of historical documents. For example: in 1678, eight (probably young) men were prosecuted in Albany, New York, in a case identified as "Concerning a Scandalous Tree Erected Before the Door of Richard Pretty." How can a tree be scandalous, you … Continue reading People are weird, 17th century edition
Woman’s College Fudge, etc. (1916)
I was paging through the "Choice Recipes" booklet from Walter Baker & Co. the other day and noticed that one page contains three recipes for fudge, named after three different women's colleges. Absolutely fascinating. Are these actually recipes from college cookbooks or yearbooks? I've no idea. They were contributed by someone known as Mrs. Janet … Continue reading Woman’s College Fudge, etc. (1916)
Kristen Noble Keegan, Historical Geographer 