EVENT BULLETIN:: NOVEMBER

Hello November! Are you ready for it? It's the month for class and intellect. Check out the latest spotlighted events happening this November.

'What's On the Menu?' A Look at Vintage Menus

Earlier this month, we stopped by an estate sale and discovered a small collection of vintage menus and mementos. The prices were a little steep and bargaining didn't help as much as we had hoped, but we snapped up as many as we could. I did a little research to see if some of the places are still around and tried to find a photo of what the restaurant looked like inside. A tall order (no pun intended), but I had to try!

 

Welch's of Long Beach

Who can resist a vintage kid's menu?! I was surprised to see this among the other menus. This certainly brought back memories of ordering from the "fun" kids menu. But there was never prime rib or sole fillets on my menu!

 

 

Maynard L. Parker, Courtesy of The Huntington Library, San Marino, Calif.

 I tried to find out more about this restaurant, but kept getting photos. Click this link to see more pics of the inside!

 

The Hotel Statler

The Hotel Statler company was one of the earliest hotel chains in the U.S.. Catered to travelling businessmen and tourists, it was founded by Ellsworth Milton Statler in Buffalo, New York in around 1907. Looking at the design, graphics, I'm assuming this menu is from the 1950s. Some of their locations have since been demolished, but others still exist and are being used as offices, apartments, or as another hotel. Apparently, the Los Angeles location where this menu is from was demolished in 2011 and is the site where the Wilshire Grand Tower will be built.  Click here to see which ones are still operating hotels!

 

I can just imagine myself sipping a "Sunnybrook" highball next to this lovely pool under a bright yellow umbrella-after all, it's only 75cents!
 

Hotel Pere Marquette

 The 14-story Pere Marquette was built in 1926 in downtown Peoria, Illinois. It is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel was recently closed for an entire year in 2012 for extensive renovation and expansion into a full-service, upscale Mariott hotel.  The year I found for this menu is 1942. I love this blue-on-blue color for a menu!

I didn't realize how terrible this pic was--sorry!

Here's a close-up of the "Plate Luncheons" section

 

I really like looking at them for authentic design/color ideas. I was suprised that the owner managed to keep them in a safe place. Paper usually somehow gets damaged.

There are a few more coming, so keep an eye out!

-Viola



"Where's the Pocorn?"

If you went to the theater in the 1920's you would be asking that very question. Ever wonder why the movies instantly equals popcorn? This ingrained tradition is practiced by millions but never given a moment's thought. This raises the question: when did popcorn start being served at movie theaters?

In 1885 the invention of the first portable popcorn machine increased the popularity of popcorn dramatically; vendors saw a money-making opportunity and sold their popcorn outside of the movie theaters. The costumers loved it, but the mess and the smell it left behind irritated the high-class movie theater owners.

Then the 1930's came along, the time of the Great Depression. Many used to flock to the theaters but people were pinching pennies and their trips to the theaters began decrease, leaving them nearly empty. Now theaters competed for audiences, the movies had to become more than just seeing a picture, which only appealed to one of the consumers' five senses. What was going to get people back into the movie theaters? The once annoying popcorn vendors no longer seemed inferior to the big shot theater owners, so they began to offer popcorn inside the theaters. It was said that when they started popping fresh popcorn you could smell it from blocks away, which appealed to the sense of smell and then the sense of taste when people ate the popcorn.

Something so simple as that worked! People began to flock back to the movie theaters to get away and enjoy themselves with their families. So the tradition began, whether we're at home or in the theater there is almost always someone who asks, "Where's the popcorn?"

How about trying a 1930's movie for your next movie night?

Here are some ideas...

It Happened One Night 1934

The Awful Truth 1937

The Mad Miss Manton 1938

Nancy Drew Detective 1938

Vivacious Lady 1938
A Slight Case of Murder 1938

Nancy Drew Reporter 1939

Midnight 1939

Sincerely, Vera



The Recipe Archives: Fruit Salad 1945

Classic Fruit Salad

From Searchlight Recipe Book (1945)

1 Cup Diced Pineapple

1 Cup Diced Pears

6 Maraschino Cherries

1 Cup Diced Marshmallows

1 Cup Seeded White Grapes or Cherries

1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts

Fruit Salad Dressing

Combine pineapple, marshmallows, pear, white grapes or cherries and nuts. Moisten with salad dressing. Arrange on crisp lettuce. Garnish with maraschino cherries. If desired, diced peaches, bananas, oranges or other fruit may be used in preparing the salads. Serves 6

Fruit Salad Dressing
1/2 Cup sirup from Canned Peaches
1 Tablespoon Sugar
2 Egg Yolks, Well Beaten
1/8 Teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Juice
1/8 Teaspoon Paprika

Heat peach sirup. Combine egg yolks sugar, salt, and paprika. Add peach sirup slowly, stirring constantly. Cook over hot water until thick and smooth. Remove from stove. Add lemon juice slowly. Mix thoroughly. Chill. If desired, other fruit juices may be substituted for the peach sirup. Sweeten to taste.

* I wonder when the spelling of sirup was changed to syrup? *