A Trivium of World's Fair Trivia
May. 7th, 2004 06:32 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rain_gryphonCurious facts I've dredged up about previous World's Fairs:
At Philadelphia in 1876, everyone who entered an exhibit was awarded a bronze medal, 13000 in all. This was apparently done from some republican impulse of egalitarianism, with no-one's entry being judged better than anyone else's. Despite this, the fair built an elaborate house-sized "Judges' Pavilion" to house the exhibit judges' offices.
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The Paris World's Fair of 1889 was held on the centenary anniversary of the French revolution. It was originally proposed to decorate the fairgrounds with a 300 meter tall guillotine. Sadly, good taste prevailed, and they built the Eiffel Tower instead. I think it's a pity. "Godzilla Attacks Paris" could have had the coolest ending ever with a landmark like that in place.
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Lastly, from the Official 1939 New York World's Fair Recipe Book, it's the Dinner from Hell. The sad thing is that my maternal grandmother would have made and served this in a heartbeat, especially if company was coming. She loved stuff like this, *and* her friends loved stuff like this - it wasn't just some personal quirk. The woman was an extremely capable cook (she taught me) if she could stay focussed on sane recipes that were designed to be eaten, but like most cooks who came of age in the 20s and 30s, she had this bizarre fixation with the visual appeal of her food to the exclusion of the taste and texture. It must have been a very different world back then...
Sandwich Loaf
Remove crust from loaf of sandwich bread and slice lengthwise into four layers. spread slices of bread with Troco or Dinner Bell Margarine, then spread with desired fillings. Here are some suggestions:
RED FILLING . . . Ham finely ground, mixed with chopped pimiento and Durkee's mayonnaise. Salmon may be used instead of ham.
YELLOW FILLING: Yolks of hard-boiled eggs, grated and mixed with Durkee's Mayonnaise.
GREEN FILLING: Sweet pickles, watercress or parsley, olives and nuts, chopped and mixed with Durkee's mayonnaise.
WHITE FILLING: Cream cheese, grated cucumber mixed with Durkee's mayonnaise. Tuna fish or chicken may also be used.
Put the layers together then wrap loaf tightly in damp cloth or wax paper and chill thoroughly in refrigerator. When ready to serve, cover the loaf with the following mixture:
Two packages of cream cheese softened with 8 oz. jar of Durkee's Salad Aid and one teaspoon Durkee's Worcestershire Sauce. Spread on outside of loaf as you would ice a cake. Garnish with slices of stuffed olives, tomatoes, lemon and sprays of parsley. Cut loaf into slices 3/4 inch thick and serve.
At Philadelphia in 1876, everyone who entered an exhibit was awarded a bronze medal, 13000 in all. This was apparently done from some republican impulse of egalitarianism, with no-one's entry being judged better than anyone else's. Despite this, the fair built an elaborate house-sized "Judges' Pavilion" to house the exhibit judges' offices.
*****
The Paris World's Fair of 1889 was held on the centenary anniversary of the French revolution. It was originally proposed to decorate the fairgrounds with a 300 meter tall guillotine. Sadly, good taste prevailed, and they built the Eiffel Tower instead. I think it's a pity. "Godzilla Attacks Paris" could have had the coolest ending ever with a landmark like that in place.
*****
Lastly, from the Official 1939 New York World's Fair Recipe Book, it's the Dinner from Hell. The sad thing is that my maternal grandmother would have made and served this in a heartbeat, especially if company was coming. She loved stuff like this, *and* her friends loved stuff like this - it wasn't just some personal quirk. The woman was an extremely capable cook (she taught me) if she could stay focussed on sane recipes that were designed to be eaten, but like most cooks who came of age in the 20s and 30s, she had this bizarre fixation with the visual appeal of her food to the exclusion of the taste and texture. It must have been a very different world back then...
Sandwich Loaf
Remove crust from loaf of sandwich bread and slice lengthwise into four layers. spread slices of bread with Troco or Dinner Bell Margarine, then spread with desired fillings. Here are some suggestions:
RED FILLING . . . Ham finely ground, mixed with chopped pimiento and Durkee's mayonnaise. Salmon may be used instead of ham.
YELLOW FILLING: Yolks of hard-boiled eggs, grated and mixed with Durkee's Mayonnaise.
GREEN FILLING: Sweet pickles, watercress or parsley, olives and nuts, chopped and mixed with Durkee's mayonnaise.
WHITE FILLING: Cream cheese, grated cucumber mixed with Durkee's mayonnaise. Tuna fish or chicken may also be used.
Put the layers together then wrap loaf tightly in damp cloth or wax paper and chill thoroughly in refrigerator. When ready to serve, cover the loaf with the following mixture:
Two packages of cream cheese softened with 8 oz. jar of Durkee's Salad Aid and one teaspoon Durkee's Worcestershire Sauce. Spread on outside of loaf as you would ice a cake. Garnish with slices of stuffed olives, tomatoes, lemon and sprays of parsley. Cut loaf into slices 3/4 inch thick and serve.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-07 03:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-07 03:39 pm (UTC)I always get a little tickle out of seeing gratuitous use of brand names in that manner - the more generic the product, the better.
BTW, I take it you've both enjoyed The Gallery of Regrettable Foods (http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/spec.html)?
I admit, I'm tempted to compile a gallery of "serving suggestions"; modern surrealist absurdist art at its best.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-09 08:18 pm (UTC)Snoof? You know one another?
> The Gallery of Regrettable Foods?
I look through the gallery every so often, yes. I think it's a pity that he doesn't show the recipes. In general, the whole 40s and 50s cookbook scene both horrifies and fascinates me. I can remember getting served stuff like that, and I'm sure Max can too.
The thing is that there was an entire generation, almost, who *liked* the stuff from the gallery. These were considered 'special occasion' foods. That's still kind of hard to understand, even though I was there.
no subject
Date: 2004-05-07 03:34 pm (UTC)"Godzilla Attacks Paris" could have had the coolest ending ever with a landmark like that in place.
I understand Tarantino's tentatively attached to the project, should he be successful in his 007 bid.