The Gallery of Regrettable Food

More about the book

WARNING: This is not a cookbook. You won't find enticing recipes here, unless you consider Boiled Cow Elbow with Plaid Sauce a delicacy. Instead, this work serves as a public service, helping you identify and regard questionable dishes with skepticism. It humorously critiques culinary trends of the past, suggesting that curries are a Communist plot and urging caution against shivering liver molds. The good news? Laboratory tests show that this collection AMUSES as much as it informs. Four out of five doctors recommend it for its generous portions of hilarity and ghastly images from retro cookbooks. You’ll ponder the culinary choices of the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, when starch reigned supreme and pepper was considered exotic. Author James Lileks has dedicated himself to uncovering the worst recipes and food photography from this era, providing acerbic commentary on dishes that defy logic. His journey began with a vintage recipe book from his mother’s cupboard, revealing that these so-called recipes were often just ads for food companies, featuring their products in bizarre combinations. The ghastly images—where Italian dishes resemble surgical mishaps and casseroles evoke janitorial duties—are matched by the cheerful postwar spirit of homemaking. Yet, many dishes may trigger unsettling childhood memories, making this exploration of culinary history both amusing and cringe-worthy.