Hank Williams, shown in 1951, is one of the most significant singer/songwriters of the 20th century. Before his death at age 29, he recorded 55 songs which reached the top ten in Billboard’s country/western charts, including “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and “Hey, Good Lookin.” [Say hey, good lookin' - what ya got cookin'? How's about cooking somethin' up with me?]
The ‘drive-in restaurant’ concept began in Dallas in 1921 when Kirby's Pig Stand began sending bow-tied waiters outside to hop on car running boards to take customers’ food orders.That’s how we got the term ‘carhop.’ Left: A carhop pouring milk from a bottle into a glass, 1930s. Right: Carhops and owner/manager of Lund’s Drive In, Petaluma, CA, 1960.
Early space food was pureed and served in toothpaste tubes. John Glenn ate applesauce from a tube. Soviet cosmonaut Gherman Stepanovich Titov, who was the second person to orbit the Earth, also ate food from a tube, becoming the first person to vomit in space. Left: John Glenn samples barbequed boa constrictor as Scott Carpenter looks on during astronaut survival training in the Panama Canal Zone, 1963. Right: Titov at the White House with John Glenn and President Kennedy, May 3, 1962.
An Apache woman carries a pitch-covered water jar, c. 1880. These jars were made from fiber, horsehair and pitch, a natural waterproofing material made from conifers. The example on the right is in Harvard’s Peabody Museum.
Left: WInston Churchill dines with guests at his home, Chartwell. Right: Adolph Hitler dines with his mistriess, Eva Braun.
The visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth [The Queen Mother] in June 1939 marked the first time that a British monarch visited America. The visit included two days at FDR’s home in Hyde Park, NY, and featured a lunch in which hot dogs were served. Left, the King sits adjacent to FDR’s mother, Sara Roosevelt, in the big black hat. Right: Queen Elizabeth II dances with President Ford at a White House State Dinner given in her honor, July 17, 1976. The Captain and Tennille [‘Muskrat Love’] provided entertainment. Bob Hope and actor Telly Savalas [‘Kojak’] were invited at the Queen’s request. No hot dogs. The menu included lobster, veal, rice, vegetables and peach ice cream.
Someone has made a study of the term "greasy spoon" and found that the phrase has been used to describe inexpensive restaurants serving fried food since 1848. These photos were taken in 1939.
Left: President Eisenhower and his fishing buddies sit down to supper, September 1958. Right: Mamie Eisenhower’s fudge recipe, which was kept in Ike’s personal cookbook.
Left: President Nixon’s last White House meal — pineapple topped with cottage cheese and a glass of milk, August 8, 1974. Right: President Trump offers the Clemson University football team an assortment of food from McDonald’s, Jan. 15, 2019.
The famous ‘pie fight scene’ from Mel Brooks’s 1974 comedy, “Blazing Saddles,” which starred Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor and Cleavon Little.
