7/11/2023 0 Comments Milk toastThe comic was influential enough that the word “milquetoast,” meaning a timid and feeble person, was added to the dictionary. The blandness of milk toast actually inspired a comic strip character called Caspar Milquetoast, a mild-mannered, nervous old man. Like most comfort foods, it is made of simple, fairly inexpensive ingredients and can be customized in any number of ways. Put the bits of buttery toasted bread in the warm bowl, pour the seasoned milk over them, and walk gently to wherever you have decided to feel right in your skin.”Īlthough milk toast is no longer an item you’ll find on restaurant menus, and though the average young person today has never heard of it, milk toast has been a comfort food of sorts for generations. Season the milk with salt, pepper, and paprika if desired. Butter the toast generously and cut into cubes. Warm two cups of creamy milk, just to the simmer point. The bread should be firm and hearty but not strongly flavored as is rye or pumpernickel. To make a restful, nourishing, delicious Milk Toast, on a cold night or any time when solitude seems to be indicated, warm a generous bowl while making two slices of toast. The easiest place to eat it, of course, is at the kitchen table instead of, for instance, alone in a dining room. It seems to soothe the nerves and muscles and mind altogether. “And then there is plain old Milk Toast! It has been a source of reassurance and moral and physical strength for hundreds of years, I am sure, and like many such friends, it perhaps does its best work when eaten in solitude. And while the ingredients themselves really are that uncomplicated, the dish as a whole carries a lot more significance than I anticipated. Milk and toast? It sounds almost stupidly simple. What intrigued me most about my menu selection, however, was perhaps the most plain-sounding item listed: milk toast. In an interview with The Southern Pacific Bulletin, the international influence on his culinary style is evident he lists favorite recipes like “stuffed filet of salmon Romanoff” and “Turkish dolmas.” The head chef of the railroad company was a man named Otto Reiss, a German who was somewhat legendary for his culinary work for celebrities and royalty in major cities all over. The train was known for its high-class amenities, which ranged from quality meals to in-train barbers and manicurists. This train began its route in 1887 and ended in 1962. The menu I chose comes from the San Francisco Overland Limited, a luxury train that ran from San Francisco to Chicago, from the year 1920. The way we eat breakfast, both at home and in restaurants, has shifted a lot throughout the years. By the 1980s, chains like IHOP and Denny’s made brunch more accessible to less wealthy folk, as well as people who didn’t live in culinary hubs like New York. Then, upscale New York restaurants began to develop brunch menus. Around the 1920s and 30s, special occasion brunches, often for Easter and Christmas, had become regular. College students (which, at the time, were wealthy white men) often ate a leisurely meal on days when they woke up late. Since the late 1800s and early 1900s, wealthy men have enjoyed a “hunt breakfast” or late post morning hunting trip meal. The modern idea of brunch as its own meal, separate from breakfast, took a little longer to hit the scene. On a given weekday, people want something they can eat quickly that doesn’t involve much preparation or cleanup. Today, Americans still prioritize convenience when it comes to breakfast 40% of millennials say that cereal is “inconvenient” because of the cleanup involved. In the 1930s, Bisquick pancake mix and waffle irons entered the cooking scene, which timed nicely with the post Depression/early WWII-induced increase of women in the workplace. Around the same time period, toasters became more popular, and breakfast was suddenly incredibly convenient. John Harvey Kellog’s invention of the cornflake changed breakfast again. Later in the 19th century, as a result of this normalization, breakfast became stylish for the very wealthy, some going so far as to construct rooms specifically for breakfasting, which tended to be an elaborate, multi-course affair. It wasn’t until the industrial revolution of the 19th century that breakfast became more normalized, as factory workers needed the energy. In the Middle Ages, eating too early in the day was considered to be an act of gluttony, and was thought to be sinful. Whether your idea of breakfast involves inhaling a granola bar on the way to class in the morning or sitting down for homemade pancakes and bacon, the modern concept of breakfast is very different from how it once was.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |