I enjoy looking at cookbooks. I don’t really know why since I rarely follow a recipe other than for baking, but something attracts me to them, especially vintage copies. It is so fun to see the suggestions for dishes, how the recipes were described, and what ingredients were listed. Many food companies like General Foods distributed small cookbooks to homemakers for free (those days are gone) in hopes that it would encourage the sale of their products. 1 teaspoon of Calumet baking powder, or 2 cups of Swans Down Cake Flour, what a great marketing tool.
I guess part of the reason I page through these fragile gems, is the idea of discovering an old favorite that lies waiting to be reborn. The other reason I am crazy about flipping through these classic beauties, is the images. I have seen some of the most interesting, curious, and even odd old photos and illustrations. It is often humorous to see how the styles and trends have changed. I am sure that 50 years from now, people will be having a similar reaction.
My sister Jennifer is a purveyor of relics. “Vintage Wares”, (located on Ceresco, booth #154) at the Aardvark Antique Mall in Lincoln Nebraska, features all kinds of reusable antiques for the home. Quite often sister comes across old cookbooks and shares them with me. I am not in the habit of collecting cookbooks, but I sure do enjoy seeing them before she finds a suitable owner.
Times really have changed………………………….or have they really?
