Hydrox cookies, introduced by Sunshine Biscuits as “Hydrox Biscuit Bon Bons” in 1908, were the original sandwich cookies in the United States. They were extremely popular and successful, virtually defining the category of sandwich cookies. Oreo cookies were introduced a scant four years later, in 1912. Through aggressive advertising and rising consumer preference, Oreos soon … Read more
The first airline meals were served up, or handed out, by Handley Page Transport on it’s flights from London to Brussels, starting on October 11, 1919. These meals were simple prepackaged lunch boxes containing sandwiches and fruit. The meals were not handed out by a flight attendant, or stewardess, but by a cabin boy as … Read more
Winston Churchill could be very demanding and picky about food. In fact, he could be downright overbearing on the subject. Some of his visits to America are legendary in regards to food, among other things, alcohol being chief (prohibition, be damned). The most famous Winston Churchill food story from America is the hilarious “white meat” … Read more
The other common name for the fruit is the makrut (makrud, magroot) lime plant, a shrub that is common in Southeast Asia. The most common name for the fruit and leaves in the West, Kaffir, is a derogatory term in South Africa, and it was once used by Afrikaaners as a racial slur against black … Read more
This is a tribute to the best song ever written, itself, a tribute to humorously bad English. It’s called Yes, We Have No Bananas. Perhaps I exaggerate, but there was a time in the 1920s when people thought this phrase, and the song it came from, was the best thing since Eskimo Pies. In fact, … Read more
I don’t go in for topping my ice cream with candy. It’s sweet enough for me as it is. But, I’m the exception. You can’t have an ice-cream shop without an assortment of sprinkles or jimmies, those little sweet candy pieces that ice cream lovers use to adorn their scoop or cone. But, what’s the … Read more