Fun with vintage advertising

30th March 2010

Fun with vintage advertising

posted in Food Culture, Food History, Rachel, vintage ads |

Hungry? You won’t be after you check out these absolutely stomach-churning vintage food advertisements.

Hold the anchovies. How about some tasty tuna pizza?

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There’s a reason why Mom’s Fish Loaf never caught on.

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This tomato soup-covered charred frisbee is somehow supposed to be a pizza?

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Radioactive mac-and-cheese, anyone?

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Child abuse, 1960s housewife-style

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If Ohio ever legalizes civil unions/gay marriage, I’m totally making this for my friend Ryan’s bachelor party.

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Answering the question of what zombies would eat if zombies ate Spam.

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Sack O’ Sauce in a Can O’ Meat? No wonder it was such an “exclusive” — and no doubt, short-lived — invention.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 30th, 2010 at 11:17 am and is filed under Food Culture, Food History, Rachel, vintage ads. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

1 On March 30th, 2010, buttercup said:

For some reason, the “sack o’ sauce in the can o’ meat” is cracking me up more than the others, though the “veg-all pie plate salad” is running a close second.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 11:29 am

2 On March 30th, 2010, Lu said:

This just solidified my new vow to give up canned/boxed food. Except for canned beans. I draw the line at this convenience food. This was a great and fun post.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 12:17 pm

3 On March 30th, 2010, RachelB said:

Those lurid photos remind me of the American Woman’s Cookbook, Wartime Edition that I used to pore over, periodically popping up to ask my grandmother, “People ate that? And survived?” There are actually vegetarian dishes in it, because of rationing, but they are on the grim rather than the joyous side, no doubt also because of rationing.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 12:19 pm

4 On March 30th, 2010, Twistie said:

ZOMG! Sack o’ sauce in a can o’ meat is beyond hilarious!

The charred Frisbee and that Veg-all pie are going to haunt my nightmares.

This is why I have a thing for vintage food ads and cooking pamphlets. They are in equal portions terrifying and giggle-inducing.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 12:23 pm

5 On March 30th, 2010, i-geek said:

Oh, that Jello salad is terrifying. It looks like it’s staring at me. *shudder*

My mother-in-law gave us a recipe box with some of her standby recipes (note that she is not known for being a good cook). One of them is “Salmon Loaf” and the ingredient list looks suspiciously like that for the “Fish Loaf” in the ad. No- we’ve never tried it. I don’t plan to ever try it. We keep the card around for laughs.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 1:15 pm

6 On March 30th, 2010, JeanC said:

Jeeze, I remember seeing similar advertisements when I was a wee lass (very early 60s) LOL!

RE: the tomato soup recipe, right after I graduated college and was only working part time and making just enough money for rent, I would live on cheap canned soup. I would occasionally make spaghetti sauce using canned tomato soup and ketchup

PS: I love Spam

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 1:39 pm

7 On March 30th, 2010, Vixen said:

Spam, spam, spam, spam
Spam, spam, spam, spam ….

(sorry; it’s an involuntary reaction)

By all that is holy, somebody please tell me those are not pimiento green olives and chunks of cheddar cheese in a lime jello mold ……

(shudder)

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 1:44 pm

8 On March 30th, 2010, Faith said:

My mother was all about the fish loaf. It creeps my sister and I out to this day. Blergh. The Jello mold full of surprises was also a “fave” in our house.

Now I collect the little pamphlets with the radioactive recipes. They are so much fun to remember!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 1:58 pm

9 On March 30th, 2010, LexieDi said:

Those Jell-O salads make me gag. Nothing should go into Jell-O except fruit, thank you very much.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 2:43 pm

10 On March 30th, 2010, Charlynn said:

Ew…the thought of Veg-O makes me gag.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 2:53 pm

11 On March 30th, 2010, Fantine said:

My mom used to make a tuna loaf with crushed saltine crackers instead of bread crumbs. It was quite good, actually. Mmmm, tuna loaf… maybe I should make one!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

12 On March 30th, 2010, Rachel said:

@Fantine: What’s it taste like?

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 3:56 pm

13 On March 30th, 2010, Rachel said:

Oh, re: the Veg-All pie… did you see where it suggests garnishing it with tartar sauce? Yikes! I’m tempted to make it just to see how awful it tastes!

14 On March 30th, 2010, twincats said:

There’s a pretty good website called the Gallery of Regrettable Food (lost the bookmark, sorry) with some of the old recipe booklets from that era.

My mom used to make a truly awful jello mold using lime jello, beef bullion, carrots and celery. AND she served it to company!!!1!one!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 4:00 pm

15 On March 30th, 2010, sannanina said:

I had to eat Jello salad once (yes, I had to… when I sat down the salad was already on my plate, nicely arranged on a lettuce leaf). It was the most disgusting thing I ever ate, but I managed to be polite about it.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 4:24 pm

16 On March 30th, 2010, Lady Di said:

Ewwwwww! This as a vegan makes me want to throw up all over myself…but it’s also strangely entertaining.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 4:30 pm

17 On March 30th, 2010, Bronwyn said:

If you like fish I don’t see a problem with the fish loaf (though PLEASE can we come up with a better name for it?)- we used to use canned salmon to make salmon burgers that were quite similar and they sorta tasted like a fishier crab cake. I liked them. Actually I’m ok with the fish pizza too- my fiance’s father raves about tuna pizza they had in Germany all the time. Spam and beans are OK as well- if you aren’t vegetarian I suggest giving spam a chance (cooked) as it makes things interesting once in a while and a dish with spam in it really makes a great conversation starter at a party. Even if only a few people eat it XD

I lol’d at the velveeta macaroni and cheese art.

What I can’t get behind are the Jello Salads. Euuugh. I’ve never had one and I never intend to, but I know people who were subjected to them and I haven’t found anyone who is truly a fan.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 4:37 pm

18 On March 30th, 2010, Twistie said:

@ Twincats: the URL for the Gallery and related food horrors is http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/

Enjoy!

Oh, and if you like that one, you should try out this blog: http://kitchenretro.blogspot.com/

It even features an article devoted entirely to the canned veggies in aspic pie.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 5:16 pm

19 On March 30th, 2010, Bree said:

The top pizza would be good if those tuna chunks were removed.

When people start to wax poetic about how better things were back in the 50′s and 60′s, I’m going to mention fish loaf, vegetable pie and jello salads. I’m sure most of them would stop talking!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 5:18 pm

20 On March 30th, 2010, GeekGirlsRule said:

As someone who grew up in the Midwest, Jell-O salads were alive and well into the 1980s.

*shudder*

Just no. Never had fish loaf, but to this day the smell of tuna casserole makes me throw up. We were poor growing up and that was a go to meal when money was tight.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 6:35 pm

21 On March 30th, 2010, montuos said:

@Vixen
No, it can’t be cheddar cheese; it couldn’t have been anything better than American or Velveeta.

@twincats
Thanks for giving me the keywords to Google; I lost my bookmark too, but now http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/ is immortalized in my Google Bookmarks!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 7:16 pm

22 On March 30th, 2010, Fantine said:

@Rachel: As GeekGirlsRule said about tuna casserole, tuna loaf is a good go-to meal when you’re poor. It’s pretty bland and tastes very much like tuna casserole, just a different texture. I made it a lot when I was single and broke–one can of tuna, some crushed crackers, and some milk to hold it together, and then bake it–and it fed me for a couple of days. Yeah, I was really really broke.

I never used anything except the salt on the saltines to season it, but I’ll bet it would be good with a little onion mixed in and a side of tomato or vegetable soup.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 8:45 pm

23 On March 30th, 2010, i-geek said:

“If you like fish I don’t see a problem with the fish loaf (though PLEASE can we come up with a better name for it?)- we used to use canned salmon to make salmon burgers that were quite similar and they sorta tasted like a fishier crab cake.”

Maybe it’s the word “loaf”. Or maybe it’s that my mother-in-law’s recipe calls for peas. She put frozen peas in so many things when my husband was a child that he refuses to eat them now.

And Vixen, I believe that those are indeed pimiento olives (staring out at us). I doubt the cheese is cheddar, though. More likely it’s Velveeta.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 10:16 pm

24 On March 30th, 2010, Jackie said:

I’m with Bronwyn’s partner’s father–tuna pizza is awesome. The kind with red sauce that is all over Germany is really tasty and the best pizza I’ve ever had hands down was near Vatican City in Italy and it was just caramelized onions and tuna with olive oil. Yum Yum Yum!

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 10:36 pm

25 On March 30th, 2010, Lisa said:

Too bad Cincinnati will probably never legalize gay marriage. Everything happens 10 years later there, remember …

Food like this haunts the pages of the vintage cookbooks my mom and aunt collect. Right after color photography came into vogue, every cookbook author strove to create the most lurid, vibrant dishes imaginable, taste be damned.

posted on March 30th, 2010 at 10:49 pm

26 On March 31st, 2010, lilacsigil said:

Tuna pizza (with sliced boiled egg and corn) is very popular in Japan!

posted on March 31st, 2010 at 12:22 am

27 On March 31st, 2010, Vixen said:

Yeah, Velveeta makes more sense, in context. Brimming over with wrongability.

I have to stand up in defense of the idea of jello salads, though. My mums made kick-ass ones, from scratch, with gelatine and fruit juice instead of “Jell-o”. You mixed chunks of fruit and/or grapes, berries, etc into it at about the half-gelled stage (this was so they didn’t sink straight to the bottom). They were yum, as opposed to any of these monstrosities with savory components.

posted on March 31st, 2010 at 12:51 am

28 On March 31st, 2010, Vixen said:

Yeah, Velveeta makes more sense, in context. Brimming over with wrongability.

I have to stand up in defense of the idea of jello salads, though. My mums made kick-ass ones, from scratch, with gelatine and fruit juice instead of “Jell-o”. You stirred chunks of fruit and/or grapes, berries, etc into it at about the half-gelled stage (this was so they didn’t sink straight to the bottom). They were yum, as opposed to any of these monstrosities with savory components.

29 On March 31st, 2010, Vixen said:

Arrgh, sorry.

posted on March 31st, 2010 at 12:52 am

30 On March 31st, 2010, Kath said:

What is with setting things in gelatin? Old ladies still do that here, it’s gag inducing!

posted on March 31st, 2010 at 11:47 pm

31 On April 5th, 2010, Sarah said:

I have a MICROWAVE Cookbook from the 70s that features delicacies like those pictured – including microwaving steak, chicken, and anything else you can think of.

Absolutely terrifying!

Sarah @ Return to Sender: A FAT Girl’s Letters to the World

posted on April 5th, 2010 at 9:59 am

32 On April 5th, 2010, Rachel said:

@Sarah: Yeah, I have some of those microwave cookbooks, too. I’m vegetarian, but even if I weren’t, the thought of microwaving meat seems so unsanitary and disgusting to me. Yuck!

posted on April 5th, 2010 at 11:24 am

33 On April 6th, 2010, AndyJo said:

Well… Old lady here… Well no, I’m 50. I will freely admit that I didn’t grow up with a lot of the things that are pictured, but I will admit a fondness for Salmon Loaf (home made by me, with either fresh poached salmon or canned salmon — depending on budget — and no soup in the mix), and some Jello Salads (I’m partial to ones with crunchy stuff like celery or carrot in them – not canned stuff). And Mom ALWAYS made real mac and cheese (with cheddar in the bechamel sauce). I NEVER ate the stuff in the boxes. No Velveeta either. Can’t stand it.

That’s not what I wanted to say, though. I’m a RAVENOUS collector of cookbooks and recipe brochures by food companies, and have a collection spanning the 1800′s through the present day. You see the ‘stuff in gelatin’ pretty steadily from Isabella Beeton through about the 60′s, with heydays in the Victorian period and in the first half of the 20th century. After the War you have a ‘spike’ in decorated and molded stuff, but it was in decline even in the 60′s with a few exceptions (the ubiquitous green bean casserole and jello salad for Thanksgiving are examples that survive). I have a booklet published by Knox Gelatin in the 20′s or 30′s (can’t check — it’s put away) talking about gelatin salads (some are quite good) that makes statements such as “men favor a savory salad”. I think what food styles, though, are more interesting for what they say about us and (frankly) about the status of women. Rachel has spoken of ‘Perfection Salad’ in previous posts (Rachel — I think it was you).

I think controlled food reflects controlled houses and home life as a metaphor for controlled womanhood. Not an especially brilliant statement that has never been made (it has — by many), but it is something that is tantalizing in how it can suggest where we have been and where we might be going.

I had a conversation about salads specifically (not feminist discussion — only a food discussion) with a friend who is a chef. He noted that food fashion was for ‘controlled’ food until fairly recently in human history. Food was considered beautiful or fancy if given a shape… Hence the gelatin and the molds (love those things, I have a BUNCH of them). Now, we favor and hold up as ‘good’ food that is closer to its natural state or ‘uncontrolled’ — big tossed salads are an example. Jello salads are hopelessly out of fashion. In my opinion, we are probably becoming more intolerant and (perhaps in some cases) snobbish with the food choices of others. Example — people like Michael Pollan and Alice Waters are (despite their considerable achievements) quite the snobs when judging the food choices of (especially) poor folks. I hope someone comes up with an updated 21st-century booklet of the 900 things you can do with Ramen noodles or how you can maximize the possibilities of powdery macaroni.

Within this context, I wonder what the food textures, tall food, and shaped foods pioneered by Ferran Adria and other haute cuisine chefs will lead to (eventually) in the home cuisine world. Adria sells his ‘texturas’ (textures) bases through some outlets. Different stuff, but ‘a rose by any other name’…

Let’s not forget tall food, and creative confections — especially confections. Those have ALWAYS been controlled. “ace of cakes” anyone?

Fun post!!!

–Andy Jo–

posted on April 6th, 2010 at 6:32 am