A 1917 Cookbook and More!

 I love books! I collect them, and have an antique book collection that I adore. One gem I found years ago was a book entitled, A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband. I thought it would be hilarious, and it is, but it's in reality, a cookbook! It follows a newly married couples journey (along with the wife's many recipes) and is actually fun to read. They did a reprint in 1932 and updated the recipes for "modern" readers. But still, even the revised edition makes for a fun read. 

Bettina and Bob must struggle through their interfering relatives, nosy neighbors, and of course making some new friends and hosting parties. Betinna has a recipe for all of these occasions and it's hilarious when her mother gets involved. This was a great concept for a cook book and I've not seen it done anywhere else. 

It's also a glimpse into what life was like almost a hundred years ago. From fashion to cars to different prices on things. There's even some house hold tips, such as this one for cantaloupe. Poor Mrs. Dixon, a neighbor, has bought three large cantaloupes and is lamenting to Bettina how her cut up cantaloupe is making everything in her ice box smell like cantaloupe.

"Of course they must be very cold when served," Betinna said. "But I never prepare them till just before the meal. I put them in the ice box whole, in a paper sack, taking care that the mouth of the sack is closed. They become very cold that way, and at the same time, can't affect the other food."

"I'm so glad you told me that, Bettina," Mrs. Dixon said. "I've learned a great many things from you, haven't I? Oh, yes, another thing puzzles me. I like chipped ice served in and with the cantaloupe, and I don't own any tool for preparing the ice. I do fix it somehow, of course, but I've wondered how other people manage..."

And the discussion turns to ice shavers and salt sacks. Lots of tips and tricks told in a fun conversation between two characters in the book. 

These old cook books are fun to go through, and publishers have taken old cook books and updated them for modern ingredients and ovens. So if you're feeling adventurous sometime, and happen to run across one like A Thousand Ways to Please a Husband, pick it up. They make for some fun reading!

Until Next Time

Kit