I read in an industry book that the cosmetic industry had a ten year plan in the 1960s to lessen expensive pigments contained in face make-up. To sell the consumer to want more water in the bottles of make-up instead of the more expensive “pancake” pigments took companies 10 years of selling “the natural look” — but it worked. It worked so well that some women in the 1970s completely stopped purchasing make-up…what to do? It proably took another 10 years of marketing to bring the bottled color back. Remember how strange it looked in the 1980s when magazines were bringing color back to the faces?
My point? I’m wondering where the Natural Foods Movement got its running start, that’s all. The result? We eat less meat, more soybeans (tofu, etc)… and perhaps we spend time eating healthier foods, granted. I don’t know why I’m adamant about feeling as if we’ve been flim-flammed somewhere…but I keep thinking there was something parallel to the “10-year plan” as in the cosmetic example, above, during the 1960s-1970s, and then the adjustment in the 1980s! Maybe it is because I distrust genetically-modified [GMO] company-patented inorganic soybeans which make up the bulk of the tofu and soy products, unless the soy was grown organically– without pesticides. It is out of the scope of this little article to question the big picture of GMOs—let’s just say I prefer to avoid genetically modified foods, but it is getting difficult to discern.
We all know there were health-food movements in the 1800s and in the early 1900s. We have one book on health-promoting vegetarian recipes from 1855, and then of course Kellogg’s corn flakes originated at a health sanitorium in the 1890s. Mrs Kellogg wrote a cook book with similar recipes. Some Victorian food writers railed against pie doughs being indigestable, or non-scientific cooking, or general stuffing of oneself until the food sits in the stomach rotting and undigested–then blaming it on the food itself and not the stuffer. : ) Victorians were also concerned about adulterated foods such as sawdust, etc. that dishonest suppliers would put in ground foods such as spices, or poisonous colors to deceive the eye into thinking food was fresh.
The Food and Drug Administration [FDA] began looking into problems of chemical preservatives in foods as early as 1862. In 1874 the adulteration of milk with water and chemicals was discussed by the FDA, along with experiments on the effects of arsenic and copper pesticides on plants and the possibility of harm to humans. So the insistance on what is now called Natural Foods didn’t originate with the 1960s counter-culture. It’s been around.
Here is the list of the 40 Natural Foods Cookbooks offered for sale, shown in the above video. All the books cost $104.00 plus shipping, but we will sell you the lot of them for $ 90.00 with FREE shipping within the USA to your PayPal-verified address.
In the 1780s Oliver Evans of Delaware invented a grist mill design that was more efficient. Before this, grist mills hadn’t changed their design since the Middle Ages. He was the 3rd person to be granted a patent by the newly opened American Patent Office. Out of necessity in the 1790s many grist mill owners switched to Evan’s grist mill design to stay competitive in the marketplace.
His design included a hopper to process and dry grain, automated conveyances, and other updates.
1830s Grist mills locations unlimited to water supply
By the 1830s mills were powered by steam engines, and no longer had to be located on a river to generate power.
source:
Eating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine, by Andrew F. Smith, 2009
The Young Mill-Wright and Miller’s Guide, by Oliver Evans, 1795
Swifts Ice Cream Fountain and Luncheonette Manual no date 1 available Sold
This is a typewritten manual duplicated for luncheonette owners written about merchandising ideas, instructions on how to store stock, how to care for your ice cream fountain, which type of dishes to use with which ice cream dishes, which dishes to use for sandwiches and hot drinks in a luncheonette, Also How to Make Hot Drinks (Ovaltine, Coffee, etc.), How to Make Cold Drinks (Iced Coffee, Coffee Ginger, Flavored Milk Shakes, Malted Milk, etc.) Cold Plate Lunches, How to Serve Salads, How to Make Sandwiches, behavior of staff, cost and profit numbers of the dishes including from each scoop of ice cream to each piece of American cheese with pickle, and directions for building about 50 of their ice cream dishes!
Black and White Special
One No. 20 dipper of chocolate ice cream, on No. 20 dipper of both, cover this with marshmallow syrup, decorate with whipped cream and cherries. Serve on a banana split dish.
Hot Lunches
…Also serve sauces with plates that might fall short without them. For instance, meat loaf, fish, etc.
For Meat Loaf: Spanish Sauce
1/4 lb. butter
1/3 cup diced green pepper
1/3 cup dices onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 #2 can tomatoes.
How to Serve Fountain Drinks (including Coca-Cola)
Coca-Cola
Use 1 oz. of coco cola syrup in regular coco cola glass. Use 1 oz. finely chopped ice, fill with carbonated water, taking care to hold glass directly under spout in slanting position allowing carbonated water to run down side of glass, stir only three or four times with spoon. A common fault in making a carbonated drink is to allow it to sit on a drain pan under draft arm, running water the 10 or 12 inches into the glass. This allows the gas to escape from the water resulting in a drink that is flat and lifeless.
Strawbery Banke in NH is literally digging up accurate kitchen details of an early 1900s kosher kitchen…read about it on their website…but, really, more pictures! : )
The New York Times describes the reenactment… Worthy of note about the consumption of ice in an icebox:
“I get 50 pounds of ice [for the icebox] for 25 cents every other day…”
Meringue was popular in Europe the early 1600s and was called Italian Biscuit. More egg whites were added by the end of the 1600s [no, not to the same batch, Tom! : ) ] to make the super-light meringues.
