Ahhh... the 1950's were a gourmet's delight!!!

[MiddleFingerMom]

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[raccoon]

1. In those days, nobody worried about fats, calories, cholesterol, etc.

I don't think HFCS even existed.

People chowed down on a great big steak with no thoughts of calories or fats.

In that respect, those were the days.

[rurallib]

3. made me curious. My mother used a lot of Karo syrup in the '50s

which is made from corn.
I went to their site and they claim 0g HFCS.
Looks like HFCS was discovered (first made?) in 1957.

[jmowreader]

28. HFCS and "corn syrup" are different

Corn syrup is made by adding two enzymes to corn starch and water, one after the other. HFCS has been treated with a third enzyme to convert glucose to fructose.

[meegbear]

2. I have a Joy of Cooking bok from the 1950s ...

when you make brownies (or anything else for that matter), be sure to coat the pan heavily with lard.

[Odin2005]

4. We have a hardcover and paperback version of that book at the thrift store.

I'm surprised somebody hasn't boughten them yet.

[MiddleFingerMom]

5. "Joy of Cooking' has always been a good resource -- and has updated itself as the years pass.

.
.
.
What were horrendous were some of the magazines that put out hard-cover cookbooks
filled with things like "fancied-up Spam"... sometimes nothing BUT "fancied-up
Spam".
.
.
.
There's some nasty-looking stuff out there from that era --- and I find it hard to
believe that it even looked good THEN.
.
.
.

[digonswine]

12. Yeah--and it was f-ing good!

Ever had cracklins? MMMM

[TheCentepedeShoes]

19. My late FIL

Had a Betty Crocker Cookbook from somewhere way back
I was paging thru and alot of recipes called for lard
I think crisco became the new lard

[Blue_In_AK]

55. I've got my stepmom's that she received as a wedding present

in 1955. I hardly ever use it, but it's fun to look through.

[Denninmi]

6. Best cookbook ever from that era -- the "Golden Fluffo Cookbook".

I have a copy. I think it came out in 1948, so its just slightly pre-1950's. Golden Fluffo was a vegetable shortening competitor to Crisco.

Who knew you could make things like chip dips, sandwhich spreads, and fillings out of shortening with a little flavoring added?

Yum, yum, yum.

[jmowreader]

29. You mean this?

http://www.amazon.com/Creative-Cooking-Made-Easy-Cookbook/dp/B000O84H98

[Blue_In_AK]

56. Eskimo ice cream...

Now made with Crisco in the modern age. I've had it made with wild blueberries. Not too bad, actually.

The native people of Alaska have a distinct version of ice cream. It's not creamy ice cream as we know it, but a concoction made from reindeer fat or tallow, seal oil, freshly fallen snow or water, fresh berries, and sometimes ground fish. Air is whipped in by hand so that it slowly cools into foam. They call this Arctic treat akutaq, aqutuk, ackutuk, or Eskimo ice cream. Akutaq is a Yupik word that means mix them together.

This is a delicacy that Alaska Natives have thrived on for thousands of years. This recipe was made by Natives a long, long time ago for survival and was used as a special traveling food. When hunters went out to go hunting, they brought along akutaq.

Akutaq can also be made with moose meat and fat, caribou meat and fat, fish, seal oil, berries and other Alaskan things. Women traditionally made akutaq after the first catch of a polar bear or seal. Traditionally it was always made for funerals, potlatches, celebrations of a boy's first hunt, or almost any other celebration. It is eaten as a dessert, a meal, a snack, or a spread.

Today, Eskimo ice cream is usually made with Crisco shortening instead of tallow and with raisins and sugar sometimes added. The region of Alaska lived in usually determines what berry is used, and each family usually has their favorite recipe for Eskimo ice cream. It is said that your choice of berries used in making Eskimo ice cream is a lifetime decision. It is okay to eat any flavor made by others, but if you are caught making more than one kind, you will lose all social standing.

The people of the Arctic love to serve their favorite dish to cheechakos (newcomers in Alaska). When guests are willing to try their favorite foods, the Inuits feel pride at sharing their culture. At first, the host might be shy to offer any of their food for fear of rejection. If you are a guest and are offered some (you will probably be served first as a guest), at least try a small amount. Please do not express any "yucks" or other words of ridicule. If you really cannot bring yourself to eat this unusual food, accept the serving and find the oldest person in the room and offer the food to him or her. This will show that you have good manners, if not good taste, and that you respect your elders. Then quickly grab a plate and fill it with things that you can eat. Most people who try Eskimo ice cream say it is delicious!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

7. Check out "The Gallery of Regrettable Food."

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

:rofl:

[Denninmi]

8. Too funny.

I did ok during the first couple of sections. I about spewed my lunch all over the screen when I got to "Meat, Meat, Meat" -- that was hilarious.

[GoCubsGo]

16. That was so gross!

Especially the dish with the lima beans and cheese. I have no idea what kind of meat was buried under it.

[sarge43]

10. Bleached, washed, plucked Scalp of Klingon.

:spray:

[progressoid]

13. Yay!! They've added to that website since the last time I saw it.

:spray:

[Odin2005]

21. We have severa of those books at the thrift store!

:rofl:

[Duer 157099]

25. LOL, that's a funny site. Look at this one

http://lileks.com/institute/gallery/10PM/2.html

the author missed one of the most obvious jokes--notice how many objects are sticking up in that food photo!

And it's for Strictly Stag Night! LOL :rofl:

[pacalo]

26. Better eat the franks & beans within 4 hours.

I've been at that site for the last 15 minutes; funny descriptions!

[Duer 157099]

27. I'm busting a gut laughing, especially at the 10pm one

Especially this one, the purply cabbage-cream-pie with the hand made sand crust, YUM!

[pacalo]

30. I'm on Bar-B-Trix...

Manly food at its best: pull off the burgers with your hands, get into an argument, then either stab your opponant with the skewer or use the ceramic-knuckles helpfully attached to the coffee cup.

[Gold Metal Flake]

38. I want to go to the parties you go to.

:loveya:

[BrendaBrick]

51. That's funny!

[Odin2005]

31. This one is LULZ:

"Uh -

Errr . . .

Did they mix up some pages at the printers with the Satanic Sacrificial Rituals at Home book? "

[trackfan]

35. That reminds me of a recipe from a cookbook I have.

It's a Mexican cookbook which actually has some pretty good recipes. There is a section on feasts for particular holidays, and one holiday, by tradition, calls for a roasted goat. The first instruction in the recipe is:

The night before the feast, kill the goat.

[Arugula Latte]

44. I have to say, I'm impressed with that salad. Is that frisee I see?

No iceberg in sight. :)

[hifiguy]

39. The photos from those old cookbooks

seem designed to make the er, "foodstuffs" look as terrifying as possible. And everything looks like it was cooked about four times as long as strictly necessary. I don't know whether to :rofl: or :puke:.

[geardaddy]

45. That would be great, but I can't get past that it was written by Lileks.

Ewwww.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

49. He's a right-wing douche, no question. But the book is damn funny.

[KamaAina]

9. Those look disturbingly like rows of tiny little elves' boots

:scared:

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

11. With elves' feet still in them.

:scared:

[krispos42]

33. !

:spray:



Very true!

[LiberalEsto]

14. Don't forget Jello molds

-- those quivering "salads" filled with miniature marshmallows, canned pineapple, canned cherries, sliced celery, Coca-Cola and heaven only knows what else. I think at the time they were the Fifth Food Group.

[idiotgardener]

20. I remember those...

any salad based on boiled horse hooves should be stricken from our collective conscious.

[elleng]

15. What's that between its toes, BROCCOLI???

:wtf:
:rofl:

[Paper Roses]

17. I thought you were going to picture a TV dinner.

As a young kid, I thought these disgusting things were the bee's knees.
We fought with Mom to buy then. Didn't take long to realize they were awful.
Have not had one since the '50's. Maybe they are better now. I see they are still on the market.
That hot dog thing turns my stomach.

[trof]

18. Rotisserie Bologna

It's a long story that I may post later, but in the early 60s I found a recipe for Rotisserie Bologna.
A WHOLE bologna (not SLICED) on a spit, tricked out with brown sugar, pineapple rings, and cherries (held on with about a thousand toothpicks) like a ham.
It swelled up like a sponge and tasted about the same.
:eyes:

[BiggJawn]

24. Thick-sliced baloney

I mean THICK, like 1/2" slabs of it
Zeb's used to roast it in the smoker, slather it with "Mambo Sauce" (I liked the "mild") throw it between 2 slices of Wonder Bread and call it a "Roundhouse"...

[trof]

37. 'Baloney Biscuits'

On a recent trip to north Alabama I found that Baloney Biscuits are a popular breakfast item.
Like sausage biscuits, but with baloney instead.
Didn't have the opportunity to try one, but I'm game.

[jmowreader]

42. Interesting name...

Most sandwiches are not named after a punch in the mouth...

[rug]

22. I haven't had a good chicken fricassee in decades.

[Arkansas Granny]

23. And what could be more delightful to accompany that lovely roast than. . . . .

The Pear Half Bunny Salad

[zanana1]

58. Hey! Those are cute! nt

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

32. My mom used to make these "candle salads."

She stopped making them after we became teenagers and one night at dinner my dad commented drily that they seemed a bit racy. My brother and I cracked up, and mom looked all shocked said "Oh! You kids!"

We never saw candle salads again after that. I don't think she ever thought about what they looked like before that evening.

[bluesbassman]

34. I think those'll still get you arrested in a few states!

:rofl:

[sarge43]

36. Gives a different slant to food porn. n/t

[texanwitch]

50. You Mom was ahead of her time.

Looks good.

More innocent times back then.

[monmouth]

52. OMG, I'm dyin' here. My mother was like that, clueless when it came

to stuff like that. One time my brother told me one time he thought mom get preggers by sitting on the toilet. We were both screaming with laughter and couldn't tell the parents why we were laughing. You just reminded me of that.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

40. Obscene.

I still make Jello salad with lots of yummy fruit in it! NO COOL WHIP! That is an abomination!

[zanana1]

41. Isn't it strange that 1950's food was full of fat, carbs and sugar, but....

The obesity rate was much lower? Can we blame all of this on lack of exercise?

[Arugula Latte]

43. A few things:

-People didn't snack as much between meals. My impression was that it was breakfast, lunch and dinner and maybe dessert, and that was about it.
-Portion sizes were smaller.
-Kids drank milk daily, soda occasionally.
-Fast food, if it existed where you lived, was an occasional treat, not a meal plan.
-Although the 50s saw the rise of the TV dinner later in the decade, people cooked from scratch more, and so avoided a lot of processed food.
-Corn products were not put into everything like they are now.

There are probably some other things I'm not thinking of ....

[zanana1]

57. Kids got exercise! They didn't have to be driven everywhere. nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

46. I have a cook book with one of those weinerfest pictures in it.

but the bottoms are not split to look like feet. The goo in the middle has sauerkraut in it. Yuck.

[quakerboy]

47. In context, I think Gourmand

is the better word choice.


Anyway, looks good, except for that green crap around the edges.







Well, and the stuff in the middle...








And the toothpicks...







And the hotdogs...











Nope, no more, that is all.

[MilesColtrane]

48. "Luncheon Sausage in Jelly"

:puke:

[Manifestor_of_Light]

54. Blarrrgggghhhhh.....

[Old Troop]

53. I hope you're feeling OK MFM