I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
American dishes

http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

"idugall" > wrote in message
...
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
ever be on my table.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
> "idugall" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>> American dishes
>>
>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>>
>
> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those
> will ever be on my table.

And I'm so sick that I feel like I want to try at least one of them. I
have this weird fascination with recipes that look AWFUL but end up in
cookbooks, with pictures even.

I've got a small collection of these sorts of cookbooks. Sometimes I
think about starting a blog that just reviews the recipes from them.

Serene

--
"I tend to come down on the side of autonomy. Once people are grown up,
I believe they have the right to go to hell in the handbasket of their
choosing." -- Pat Kight, on alt.polyamory

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:11:02 -0700 (PDT), idugall wrote:

> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

(OMG, it came back after it's introduction!)

So, Idugall, what made you choose that phrasing in your message when
you intruoduced yourself? What book or guide ld you to post that
message and how to word it? We're curious.

As for your appropriate and interesting post,

I think I've had things similar to #19. They're not bad. You can
still find them on cheap salad bars in the South as a dessert dish.

-sw

"idugall" > wrote in message
...
>I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php




Is it just me, or do most of these 'dishes' look pre-eaten and partially
digested?
-ginny

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:10:38 -0500, Sqwertz wrote:

> I think I've had things similar to #19. They're not bad. You can
> still find them on cheap salad bars in the South as a dessert dish.

and the Cream of Celery with swiss cheese isn't bad either.

-sw

Serene wrote:

>>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>>
>> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
>> ever be on my table.
>
> And I'm so sick that I feel like I want to try at least one of them.

I thought the reuben chowder was an idea I might like trying, but I wouldn't
use the recipe given.

Bob

On Sun, 14 Mar 2010 19:57:37 -0700, Serene Vannoy
> wrote:

> I've got a small collection of these sorts of cookbooks. Sometimes I
> think about starting a blog that just reviews the recipes from them.

That would be a fun read!

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
>
> "idugall" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>> American dishes
>>
>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>
> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
> ever be on my table.

I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.

This, of course, brings me back to this infamous web site:

http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/

Jill

idugall > wrote:
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes

> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

I don't know, the "Circle Pups" is fairly innoucuous, especially
if made with decent kraut. Seriously, it's just a hotdog and bun
with kraut in an open face sandwich presentation.

The beef bake seemed sort of OK, in a cheap throw-something-together
kind of way. Though, I admit most of the others were hard to believe.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

idugall wrote:
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>

Some of these are certainly bad dishes, but others are just just bad
recipes. Several of these I like; cheese balls, fruit cake cookies,
franks & sauerkraut, although I may not like those specific recipes.


Becca

"Serene Vannoy" > wrote in message
...
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>
>> "idugall" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>>> American dishes
>>>
>>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>>
>> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
>> ever be on my table.
>
> And I'm so sick that I feel like I want to try at least one of them. I
> have this weird fascination with recipes that look AWFUL but end up in
> cookbooks, with pictures even.
>
> I've got a small collection of these sorts of cookbooks. Sometimes I think
> about starting a blog that just reviews the recipes from them.
>
> Serene
>
> --
> "I tend to come down on the side of autonomy. Once people are grown up, I
> believe they have the right to go to hell in the handbasket of their
> choosing." -- Pat Kight, on alt.polyamory

do it, Serene, I'd send you copies of any I have in my vast cookbook cave.
-ginny

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "idugall" > wrote in message
> ...
>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>> American dishes
>>
>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>
> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those
> will ever be on my table.

Truly appalling.

On Mar 14, 6:11*pm, idugall > wrote:
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...holy_recipes_d...

I actually started to gag when I saw the picture of the vienna sausage
shortcake..... yikes!!

"idugall" > wrote in message
...
>I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php

The Treet cooked in marmalade bears a strong resemblance to the Spam cooked
in pineapple juice and marshmallows that was on the menu in my first grade
cafeteria. And we had to eat it all before we were excused.

Paul

"ImStillMags" > wrote in message
...
On Mar 14, 6:11 pm, idugall > wrote:
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...holy_recipes_d...

I actually started to gag when I saw the picture of the vienna sausage
shortcake..... yikes!!

The first picture of the aspic hot dogs reminded me of a dish on the
Japanese Iron Chef. It was jellied fish roe served in an aspic soup. The
judges slurped it off a spoon in long, sticky threads. I almost tossed my
dinner watching that one.

Paul

On Mar 15, 12:14*pm, "Paul M. Cook" > wrote:
> "idugall" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> >I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> > American dishes
>
> >http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...holy_recipes_d...
>
> The Treet cooked in marmalade bears a strong resemblance to the Spam cooked
> in pineapple juice and marshmallows that was on the menu in my first grade
> cafeteria. *And we had to eat it all before we were excused.
>
> Paul

child abuse!!!

I am very impresssed that the original blogger didn't just make fun of
old cookbooks, but made the stuff. A perverse Julie and Julia project
that I could see myself doing.

About the aspic - I've mentioned the cookbook from White Castle. My
favorite picture, not from a real recipe, was a slider suspended in a
classic dome-shaped jello mold. Some of the real recipies were almost
as bad.

And drifting - I know some people, mostly Polish immigrants, who
really like aspic and head cheese. I don't get it. Do you eat this
stuff? I'll make aspic once in a while, but for soup dumplings, and
then when it is done, it is not aspic anymore, it is soup. Is it a
salad? A condiment?

B

On Mar 14, 9:11�pm, idugall > wrote:
> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> American dishes
>
> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...holy_recipes_d...

I thought the author's attempt at sarcasm was rather pathetic.

jmcquown wrote:
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
> >
> > "idugall" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> >> American dishes
> >>
> >> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
> >
> > I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
> > ever be on my table.
>
> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.
>
> This, of course, brings me back to this infamous web site:
>
> http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/
>
> Jill

We have two similar cookbooks which contain 'favorite recipes from
Progressive Farmer readers'. One is for 'salads and appetizers' and the
other is for desserts. Weird stuff in there like 'Congealed Meat Salad'
and its relatives. Contains: canned beef consomme, lemon gelatin and
canned corned beef. *Not* gonna happen in my kitchen LOL. For dessert we
can have: Oatmeal pie or fakey strawberries rolled in strawberry
gelatine.

Personally I confess to being a fan of kitsch cooking, although it
wasn't kitsch at the time was it?

"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
...
On Mar 15, 9:38 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:

> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.

My mother would make a gefilte fish ring for holiday parties at a
friend's house. They would ask for this.

IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
why I mention it here.....

maxine in ri

"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
...
On Mar 15, 9:38 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:

> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.

My mother would make a gefilte fish ring for holiday parties at a
friend's house. They would ask for this.

IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
why I mention it here.....
+++++++++++++++++++++++
Sorry about that. My local Fresh Market just started carrying "Atomic"
brand horse radish. Ah, this is spectacular, huge, powerful; maybe
not enough to overcome lemon gelatin, but awfully good. I had been
subjected to the lemon gelatin/gefilte fish thing many years ago; OMG
terrible. Thanks for the memory, I guess.

Meanwhile, if you ever see Atomic Horse Radish (as featured, of course,
on some silly Food Network program) go out of your way to buy it.

pavane

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:59:02 -0700 (PDT), maxine in ri
> wrote:

> IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
> and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
> radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
> why I mention it here.....

The first time I ate gefilte fish, it was made by a friend's
grandmother and... oh man, it was *wonderful* stuff. I've never had
anything like it since.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 23:26:35 -0400, "pavane"
> wrote:

>
>"maxine in ri" > wrote in message
...
>On Mar 15, 9:38 am, "jmcquown" > wrote:
>
>> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
>> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
>> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
>> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
>> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.
>
>My mother would make a gefilte fish ring for holiday parties at a
>friend's house. They would ask for this.
>
>IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
>and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
>radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
>why I mention it here.....
>+++++++++++++++++++++++
>Sorry about that. My local Fresh Market just started carrying "Atomic"
>brand horse radish. Ah, this is spectacular, huge, powerful; maybe
>not enough to overcome lemon gelatin, but awfully good. I had been
>subjected to the lemon gelatin/gefilte fish thing many years ago; OMG
>terrible. Thanks for the memory, I guess.
>
>Meanwhile, if you ever see Atomic Horse Radish (as featured, of course,
>on some silly Food Network program) go out of your way to buy it.

The "HOT" versions of prepared horseradish are goosed up with the
addition of mustard oil. I think it detracts from the horseradish
flavor and there's a long lasting unpleasant after taste. When horse
radish is fresh it's plenty hot enough. The addition of mustard oil
also extends the 'best used by date'.

Some brands list "mustard oil" some just say "Flavoring".
http://www.cosmicchile.com/site/atomic-horseradish.html

Gold's doesn't show the ingredients list at their web site... you need
to read the label, the hot version lists "mustard oil". I'd not buy
the hot version again, had I read the label at the store I'd not have
bought it... I have no one to blame but myself, I should have known
better (for hoseradish to be hotter than horseradish it would have to
contain some unwarrented ingredient). My parents and grandparents
usually grated their own fresh, it'd take the top of your head off.
Golds always made a good product but their hot version is a loser.
http://www.goldshorseradish.com/new/about.htm

On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:40:03 -0700, sf > wrote:

>On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:59:02 -0700 (PDT), maxine in ri
> wrote:
>
>> IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
>> and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
>> radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
>> why I mention it here.....
>
>The first time I ate gefilte fish, it was made by a friend's
>grandmother and... oh man, it was *wonderful* stuff. I've never had
>anything like it since.

You probably never ate gefilte fish. Gefilte means *stuffed* >>>
stuffed fish... the seasoned ground fish mixture is stuffed back into
it's own skin and then cooked in a very rich fish stock. The fish
balls people make are NOT gefilte fish nor do they taste anything like
or have the texture of the real thing.

Arri London wrote:
>
> jmcquown wrote:
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> "idugall" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>>>> American dishes
>>>>
>>>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>>> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
>>> ever be on my table.
>> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
>> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
>> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
>> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
>> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.
>>
>> This, of course, brings me back to this infamous web site:
>>
>> http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/
>>
>> Jill
>
> We have two similar cookbooks which contain 'favorite recipes from
> Progressive Farmer readers'. One is for 'salads and appetizers' and the
> other is for desserts. Weird stuff in there like 'Congealed Meat Salad'
> and its relatives. Contains: canned beef consomme, lemon gelatin and
> canned corned beef. *Not* gonna happen in my kitchen LOL. For dessert we
> can have: Oatmeal pie or fakey strawberries rolled in strawberry
> gelatine.
>
> Personally I confess to being a fan of kitsch cooking, although it
> wasn't kitsch at the time was it?

A fan as in actually making and consuming such dishes, or you like
reading them? I confess that I sometimes do buy books just
because the recipes seem so awful by today's standards. I will
also confess that as I get older, some of the old-time dishes have
an odd kind of appeal, but that seems not to translate into making
them!

I think back to my step-grandmother's congealed salads, which
always appeared when she hosted holiday get-togethers. There was
a kind-of love-hate relationship with them. Come to think of it,
they were better than most of the rest of the dinners, so maybe
that accounts for the love to some degree.

--
Jean B.

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently
opposed. Third, it is accepted as being
self-evident. --Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

On 3/15/2010 3:14 PM, Paul M. Cook wrote:
> > wrote in message
> ...
>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
>> American dishes
>>
>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>
> The Treet cooked in marmalade bears a strong resemblance to the Spam cooked
> in pineapple juice and marshmallows that was on the menu in my first grade
> cafeteria. And we had to eat it all before we were excused.

Did you have to keep it down?

J. wrote on Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:01:07 -0400:

> On 3/15/2010 3:14 PM, Paul M. Cook wrote:
>> > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of
>>> the worse American dishes
>>>
>>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
>>
>> The Treet cooked in marmalade bears a strong resemblance to
>> the Spam cooked in pineapple juice and marshmallows that was on the
>> menu in my first grade cafeteria. And we had to eat
>> it all before we were excused.

Not that I could bring myself to eat Spam with or without sweet sauces
but I would point out that ham steaks are often served with rather sweet
toppings. One involving canned or fresh pineapple is not at all bad.

Chinese fried pork or chicken with sweet-sour pineapple/chili sauce is
pretty good too. That's the sauce that is often tinted red.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"Jean B." > wrote in :

> I think back to my step-grandmother's congealed salads, which
> always appeared when she hosted holiday get-togethers. There was
> a kind-of love-hate relationship with them.

With respect to this, I recommend reading Perfection Salad, Women and
Cooking at the Turn of the Century, by Laura Shapiro, published by Modern
Library in the Ruth Reichl series. It is a particularly enlightening book
on the whys and wherefores of the Boston School of Cooking (founded 1879)
which developed the "sanitary" processes of cooking that were so popular
until recently: use chafing dishes, never taste food (if prepared according
to instructions it should always taste the same), make your salads with
jello (the aforementioned perfection salad) and many more suggestions. Out
of this also came prepared foods and prepackaged foods, with concomittant
increased sweetness, although not in exactly the form we see them in today.

Oddly enough, it was one of the school's later mistresses, Fannie Farmer,
who broke the mould (as it were) and encouraged people to taste food.

--

"The officer corps will forgive anything they can
understand, which makes intelligence the only sin."

Carnell, Blakes 7 episode 16

"brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...

| ........
| The "HOT" versions of prepared horseradish are goosed up with the
| addition of mustard oil. I think it detracts from the horseradish
| flavor and there's a long lasting unpleasant after taste. When horse
| radish is fresh it's plenty hot enough. The addition of mustard oil
| also extends the 'best used by date'.
|
| Some brands list "mustard oil" some just say "Flavoring".
| http://www.cosmicchile.com/site/atomic-horseradish.html
|
| Gold's doesn't show the ingredients list at their web site... you need
| to read the label, the hot version lists "mustard oil". I'd not buy
| the hot version again, had I read the label at the store I'd not have
| bought it... I have no one to blame but myself, I should have known
| better (for hoseradish to be hotter than horseradish it would have to
| contain some unwarrented ingredient). My parents and grandparents
| usually grated their own fresh, it'd take the top of your head off.
| Golds always made a good product but their hot version is a loser.
| http://www.goldshorseradish.com/new/about.htm
|
I'd never heard about the mustard oil. Thanks for the info.

pavane

"Jean B." wrote:
>
> Arri London wrote:
> >
> > jmcquown wrote:
> >> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> >> ...
> >>> "idugall" > wrote in message
> >>> ...
> >>>> I thought this was kind of funny....it talks about some of the worse
> >>>> American dishes
> >>>>
> >>>> http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gut...shes_so_aw.php
> >>> I was hoping to find at least one that I'd try. Yuck, none of those will
> >>> ever be on my table.
> >> I picked up a set of Southern Living Cookbooks cheap (around 95 cents each)
> >> from a used book store. Published in the late 60's, early 70's. They all
> >> contain really disgusting recipes. But they're very amusing. Did people
> >> really cook these things? The one that really got to me was the lime jellow
> >> combined with canned tuna. Ewwwww! The photos are fun.
> >>
> >> This, of course, brings me back to this infamous web site:
> >>
> >> http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/
> >>
> >> Jill
> >
> > We have two similar cookbooks which contain 'favorite recipes from
> > Progressive Farmer readers'. One is for 'salads and appetizers' and the
> > other is for desserts. Weird stuff in there like 'Congealed Meat Salad'
> > and its relatives. Contains: canned beef consomme, lemon gelatin and
> > canned corned beef. *Not* gonna happen in my kitchen LOL. For dessert we
> > can have: Oatmeal pie or fakey strawberries rolled in strawberry
> > gelatine.
> >
> > Personally I confess to being a fan of kitsch cooking, although it
> > wasn't kitsch at the time was it?
>
> A fan as in actually making and consuming such dishes, or you like
> reading them?

Reading more than making them But might consider one of the more
edible recipes. Some of the biscuit/cookie recipes in the dessert book
came out fine though LOL

I confess that I sometimes do buy books just
> because the recipes seem so awful by today's standards. I will
> also confess that as I get older, some of the old-time dishes have
> an odd kind of appeal, but that seems not to translate into making
> them!

Since I didn't grow up with that sort of food, those dishes won't ever
have any appeal to me. Other than for a little light relief.

>
> I think back to my step-grandmother's congealed salads, which
> always appeared when she hosted holiday get-togethers. There was
> a kind-of love-hate relationship with them. Come to think of it,
> they were better than most of the rest of the dinners, so maybe
> that accounts for the love to some degree.

Could be. We seem to like the foods of our youth, even when they weren't
very good sometimes.

sf wrote:
>
> On Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:59:02 -0700 (PDT), maxine in ri
> > wrote:
>
> > IIRC, it was lemon gelatin, with gefilte fish patties suspended in it,
> > and when she unmolded it, she'd top it with the beet-colored horse
> > radish. Very pretty, but if you ever tasted gefilte fish, you'll know
> > why I mention it here.....
>
> The first time I ate gefilte fish, it was made by a friend's
> grandmother and... oh man, it was *wonderful* stuff. I've never had
> anything like it since.
>
>

I like gefilte fish too. But the brain is rebelling against the lemon
gelatine though :P

Michel wrote:

> Oddly enough, it was one of the school's later mistresses, Fannie Farmer,
> who broke the mould (as it were) and encouraged people to taste food.

There's at least one culture where food isn't allowed to be tasted until
it's served. I forget exactly which one it is, but I think it's one of the
northern Indian ones.

Also, Muslims who cook during the daylight hours during Ramadan are not
supposed to taste as they cook.

Seems weird to most, but perfectly normal to them.

Bob

"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote in news:4ba0b8c9$0
:

> Also, Muslims who cook during the daylight hours during Ramadan are not
> supposed to taste as they cook.
>
> Seems weird to most, but perfectly normal to them.

That is because Ramadan is the month of fasting during daylight hours.
Tasting would be considered breaking the fast. It is of course permitted
for children, pregnant women and travellers.

--

"The officer corps will forgive anything they can
understand, which makes intelligence the only sin."

Carnell, Blakes 7 episode 16

Michel Boucher wrote:
> "Jean B." > wrote in :
>
>> I think back to my step-grandmother's congealed salads, which
>> always appeared when she hosted holiday get-togethers. There was
>> a kind-of love-hate relationship with them.
>
> With respect to this, I recommend reading Perfection Salad, Women and
> Cooking at the Turn of the Century, by Laura Shapiro, published by Modern
> Library in the Ruth Reichl series. It is a particularly enlightening book
> on the whys and wherefores of the Boston School of Cooking (founded 1879)
> which developed the "sanitary" processes of cooking that were so popular
> until recently: use chafing dishes, never taste food (if prepared according
> to instructions it should always taste the same), make your salads with
> jello (the aforementioned perfection salad) and many more suggestions. Out
> of this also came prepared foods and prepackaged foods, with concomittant
> increased sweetness, although not in exactly the form we see them in today.
>
> Oddly enough, it was one of the school's later mistresses, Fannie Farmer,
> who broke the mould (as it were) and encouraged people to taste food.
>

I have that book, and need to settle down and read it (as vs
skimming through it for salient points).

--
Jean B.

Arri London wrote:
>
> "Jean B." wrote:
>> A fan as in actually making and consuming such dishes, or you like
>> reading them?
>
> Reading more than making them But might consider one of the more
> edible recipes. Some of the biscuit/cookie recipes in the dessert book
> came out fine though LOL
>
> I confess that I sometimes do buy books just
>> because the recipes seem so awful by today's standards. I will
>> also confess that as I get older, some of the old-time dishes have
>> an odd kind of appeal, but that seems not to translate into making
>> them!
>
> Since I didn't grow up with that sort of food, those dishes won't ever
> have any appeal to me. Other than for a little light relief.
>
>> I think back to my step-grandmother's congealed salads, which
>> always appeared when she hosted holiday get-togethers. There was
>> a kind-of love-hate relationship with them. Come to think of it,
>> they were better than most of the rest of the dinners, so maybe
>> that accounts for the love to some degree.
>
> Could be. We seem to like the foods of our youth, even when they weren't
> very good sometimes.

Yes. Light relief. That is a nice way of putting it, and I guess
the gelatin salads served that function.

Funny that I do think of them, but I haven't given in to cooking
any of them in decades--except for tomato aspic, which isn't the
same thing at all.

--
Jean B.

Bob Terwilliger wrote:
> Michel wrote:
>
>> Oddly enough, it was one of the school's later mistresses, Fannie
>> Farmer, who broke the mould (as it were) and encouraged people to
>> taste food.
>
> There's at least one culture where food isn't allowed to be tasted until
> it's served. I forget exactly which one it is, but I think it's one of
> the northern Indian ones.
>
> Also, Muslims who cook during the daylight hours during Ramadan are not
> supposed to taste as they cook.
>
> Seems weird to most, but perfectly normal to them.
>
> Bob

Yes, that does seem odd to me. There goes cooking to taste.

--
Jean B.

"Jean B." > wrote in :

>> Also, Muslims who cook during the daylight hours during Ramadan are not
>> supposed to taste as they cook.
>>
>> Seems weird to most, but perfectly normal to them.
>>
>> Bob
>
> Yes, that does seem odd to me. There goes cooking to taste.

As I explained elsewhere, Muslims do not taste food during Ramadan as it
would break the fast which forbids having food pass the lips during the
daylight hours. Of course, they could always move to Nunavut when Ramadan
occurs in winter :-)

--

"The officer corps will forgive anything they can
understand, which makes intelligence the only sin."

Carnell, Blakes 7 episode 16

Michel Boucher wrote:
> "Jean B." > wrote in :
>
>>> Also, Muslims who cook during the daylight hours during Ramadan are not
>>> supposed to taste as they cook.
>>>
>>> Seems weird to most, but perfectly normal to them.
>>>
>>> Bob
>> Yes, that does seem odd to me. There goes cooking to taste.
>
> As I explained elsewhere, Muslims do not taste food during Ramadan as it
> would break the fast which forbids having food pass the lips during the
> daylight hours. Of course, they could always move to Nunavut when Ramadan
> occurs in winter :-)
>
Yes, I understood the initial reference to Ramadan. However, I
didn't realize there was a culture that prohibited taste testing.

--
Jean B.

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently
opposed. Third, it is accepted as being
self-evident. --Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

"Jean B." > wrote in :

> Yes, I understood the initial reference to Ramadan. However, I
> didn't realize there was a culture that prohibited taste testing.

It's not prohibited at other times, so you can't say the various cultures
of the Muslims prohibit it. It is a religious observation during a
specific time of the year, the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the
Islamic Calendar, and only during daylight hours. Tasting, indeed eating,
is allowed before sunrise and after sunset.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan

--

"The officer corps will forgive anything they can
understand, which makes intelligence the only sin."

Carnell, Blakes 7 episode 16