Menu from 1918

[Reanm8er]

Morning all and Happy Holidays!

At this time of the year I think about my ancestors and relatives I've lost as I'm sure many of you do also. I have some old pictures and papers from the past and like to go thru them a bit and thought I'd share this one.



My Granddad was drafted into WW1 in 1917 and wound up in 313th Field Artillery stationed at Camp Lee, Va. . He sustained some kind of an injury and was scheduled to be shipped home. He begged and pleaded to stay so they put him in the kitchen. He could cook a bit so they busied him with all kinds of kitchen tasks. When the Spanish Flu raged through the camp in 1918 many soldiers died and granddad had ever increasing responsibilities.

Here is an invitation to the officers of the regiment for Thanksgiving of 1918. Looks like a pretty good spread.

In the column listing the "First Cooks" his name is listed at the top.

He claimed he never got the flu because he ate a concoction of raw onion, garlic and honey. Those happen to be the main ingredients in what was known as the "Thieves Formula" during the Great Plague of 1350. It was widely used by looters as well as well as those who brought out and buried the dead. We have no idea how he knew about that unless it was family home remedy.

Best wishes and thanks for looking.

 

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[cudamark]

Attachment doesn't work.......

 

[A2coins]

Best wishes also Thanks for sharing

 

[Red James Cash]

Onions and garlic both contain natural antibiotics if eaten raw,cooking kills that quality.

 

[Argentium]

I got a message about invalid attachement ..

 

[Reanm8er]

OK guys I did a re-do. Now the image should open spontaneously. I had originally sized it up to medium because the image is type on the old budget paper that has the wood chips in it and is badly faded. Best wishes!

 

[smokeythecat]

Red James Cash is correct. The flu itself didn't kill the people, it was mainly the secondary bacterial infections that did them in.

 

[Professor of Engineering]

Great piece of history, thank you for sharing!

 

[Reanm8er]

Roger that Red and smokey!

Honey also has some great health benefits. I understand that some also made it with figs in the mixture. I believe it works by flooding the mucous membranes with fluid. When your eyes and nose are running like crazy the pneumonic pathogens can't stick to the tissues where they would be absorbed into the body. So, it's not a curative but a preventative. I don't know if the figs had any medicinal properties or if it was there just to help you get it down. My Granddad was so hard core he'd carry an onion in his pocket and take a bite if he felt the need. I'm sure when they were serving in the chow line they must have encountered lots of soldiers that had the bug but weren't symptomatic yet. Thanks for your input and Best wishes!

Addendum: I researched the fig aspect and found that figs contain a plethora or medicinal properties including stabilizers for the digestive tract, anti oxidants, appetite enhancing effects and quite a few others that might help someone experiencing multiple symptoms.

 

[dansalata]

very cool...thanks for sharing

 

[Possum]

Thanks for sharing... "D"

 

[ANTIQUARIAN]

Thanks very much for sharing some of your family history with us Phil, it was an interesting read!

This sounds similar to a drink/soup my wife likes to make herself, "concoction of raw onion, garlic and honey."
She then wonders why I don't want to get close to her for a few hours afterwards?
Dave

 

[Doc Arey]

Thanks for sharing this!

 

[Reanm8er]

Dave, I suppose if you're up to your hocks in bodies that's probably the last thing you'd think about. Po, Po folks. The social reactions caused by the plaque are also very interesting.

 

[Reanm8er]

I suppose in case of a pandemic I'd bonus up like this but I'm a firm believer in Chicken/Turkey soup. I've always been an outdoor cooking smoking kind of guy but a few years back I decided there was entirely too much bad soup on the market. I've always heard that cooked onions and garlic have no benefits but I've seen this stuff practically raise the dead. My daughter's a teacher down South and she's always getting sick. This time of the year I'll cook several Turkeys and save the carcasses and trimmings. Right before Christmas I'll cook them down and seal them into 1/2 quart concentrated packets. We'll send them home with the daughter so she has a few chances to bounce back. The packet, a quart of broth and the noodles of your choice.

It reminds me of an old joke about an elder woman who spoke out at a funeral and suggested they give the deceased some chicken soup. The minister said why, he's dead. To which she replied, well it couldn't hurt!

I also have knock out recipes for Ham and Bean, Gumbo and Beef Veg.

In light of the fact that most of us are outdoor hunter gatherer types there must be a lot of us that cook indoors outdoors and otherwise. I thought I'd seen a cooking forum when I joined a few months back, but I can't find it now. Perhaps there should be one. I expect we could stay busy on deer jerky for 2 yrs or so!

Thanks all!

 

[Digger Pop]

Good stuff! Thanks for sharing

 

[Lanny in AB]

How interesting!

Nicely done, and all the best,

Lanny