An Authority

I came across a book at the library today: American Regional Cookery by Sheila Hibbing (1947 Little Brown & Co.). Around sixty years ago, some library worker cut of the inside flap from the dust jacket and pasted it inside the book. The flap copies stated:

The author of this cook book is an Authority.

Ahem. Well. There is no arguing with that capitalization. In her introduction to this second edition, Hibbing noted that while in the thirties she had to use all her arts of persuasion to get cooks to give up their secrets, now it was almost impossible to get them to shut up. What was worse, they were doing things like topping apple pie with marshmallows and adding raisins to puddings that should have no raisins. Modern Jiffy-mixes and ready-made products and their advertisements were making a wasteland of of our dinner tables.

Will a four-color layout for a pumpkin pie bring solace and contentment to a generation that has forgotten the trick of making a flaky crust?

Chez nous, we try to have a side of contentment at every meal, but solace is more of Sunday supper thing.