The Cookbook as History

Over the holidays we all eat quite a bit so people might be interested in knowing that there is an Esther B. Aresty Collection of Rare Books on the Culinary Arts over at the University of Pennsylvania. Or you might just want to read through Eat My Words: Reading Women's Lives Through the Cookbooks They Wrote by Janet Theopano (Palgrave, 2002). She looks at cookbooks as collective memory and their use as a keeper of lineage and friendship, as women passed around recipes and passed cookbooks down generations or from relative to relative or friend to friend, and how cookbooks were indicators of class and social mobility. Really interesting stuff.

Escaping the Noose?

Crossing the Delaware a few weeks ago, I came down the stairs into the PATCO station and sat down. It was a three person bench and I took one end. A man was sitting on the other end. In between was an empty seat. On the empty seat was a man's tie, tied but loosened. "Is that yours?" I asked the man on the other end of the bench. "No, it was here when I got here," he said. "Someone must have escaped," I replied. He laughed. It does make you wonder. Had someone decided they had just had enough and weren't going to take it anymore? Maybe he remembered it was casual day. No way to know.

"Black Doctor of the Pines"

Recent residents of South Jersey and the Philadelphia are may not have heard of the Still family, but if they read the Philadelphia Inquirer, they have now. In today's issue there is an article about an effort to preserve the former location of Dr. James Still, the "Black Doctor of the Pines," in Medford, NJ. Descentdants of Dr. Still and local Medford officials are working with the owners of the land to see if some agreement can be reached on the sale price.

There is more information available on the Still family, their prominence in the area, and ties to the underground railroad. For those who prefer paper, check your local library for The Underground Rail Road by William Still. William is a character in Lorene Cary's novel the Price of a Child which was the One Book, One Philadelphia book selection in 2003.

Love, War, Fireworks, and New Years Eve

The Battleship New Jersey has a special event this New Year's Eve. Bring the family and have dinner and breakfast in the mess and sleep where the crew slept. Sparkling cider at midnight and a great view of the fireworks. Reservations must be made in advance ($59.50 per person). Or, for $7.00 per person, stop by just to see the fireworks. For more details see their website. (Information taken from an ad in the Inquirer today).

Soft Lights Do Make the Mood

The Rutgers campus looks nice in the evening; there are strands of small white lights in the planters hanging from the streetlights. The streetlights aren't on yet but the soft lights on the baskets give everything a nice glow. I wonder if they are just up for the holidays or if they will stay up longer.

We've Been Blogicized!!!

DMac at Philadelphia Will Do has taken note of our entrance to the blogosphere!

Cinderella on Campus

A few weeks ago, on Dec. 1st , I went to a wonderful program at the Paul Robeson Library (Rutgers, Camden) on the new collection of multicultural fairy tales. The library has an exhibit of some of these books up, including one case devoted to versions of the Cinderella tale. The oldest known version came from China, thus the emphasis on small feet. Interesting, yes? The December 5th Gleaner had a really nice article on the event.

Santa Claus, Last of the Wild Men?

Looking for something holiday-ish but out of the ordinary to read in the next few weeks? See if you can find:

Santa Claus, last of the wild men : the origins and evolution of Saint Nicholas, spanning 50,000 years / Phyllis Siefker. (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1997).

It is an interesting look at the origins and development of the guy who now wears a red suit and hangs out in shopping malls. Like many of our modern magical creatures, he used to be a whole lot scarier.

An Answer to the Question "Do Fish Wear Hats?"

The Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center (The Delaware River Basin's Watershed Education Center) is hosting free hands-on activities December 27-29, on what happens to the river (or streams) and the fish and other creatures in them during winter. Open to all ages, no registration required. For details visit their web site.