Cooking in Style?

One of my all time favorite thrift store finds is old cookbooks. I will admit to harboring quite a collection. (and this isn’t even all of them. I’m not sure if that’s more awesome or awkward)

It all started when long ago I came across James Lilek’s Gallery of Regrettable Food (http://www.lileks.com/institute/gallery/) and not long after that, happened to stumble upon one of the cookbooks he writes about. That sparked a never ending interest in the world of culinary ridicularity (is that even a word? if not it should be!) that one can only find in a collection of cookbooks from an era of housewives who dabbled in the the art of olive and pimento art arrangements and gelatin mold sculpture. I should note that having “researched” this topic extensively, I have learned that gelatin is apparently an amazing and all purpose ingredient that can be used in almost anything including such horrifying creations such as this--

Or these--

See! Even the ham in the background looks like it's screaming! I may never eat Jell-O again!

Lisa thinks: This could possibly be the NASTIEST thing I've seen in a long time. . . and that doesn't say much considering my 5 year-old just got over the flu. Corn? Cabbage? In a mold with gelatin holding it together. I'm pretty certain that thing in the front resembles something I've seen in a cat food can. . . wow!

SASQUATCH!!

Apparently there is a mythical Yeti type creature here in small town Minnesota who has been donating his gently used goods to this thrift store. Improbable, you say? Yes. Probably even impossible but how else do you explain these crazy huge boots? Ice fishing clowns?? Doubtful. My money is still on the big hairy guy.

The pictures hardly do these boots justice. Seriously, they were some of the the biggest boots I've ever seen!

Kim says: These are the prettiest size 26 boots I’ve ever seen! I’m sure the person who owned them felt so pretty and dainty while wearing them – NOT

Lisa thinks: The side view of these suckers makes me think they should have been much taller. . . I mean, they probably only made it a couple inches over his ankle. Most human boots go quite a bit further up the leg. . . of course, if it was a sasquatch wearing them, his hairyness probably kept him warm enough.

Open marriage…!

Kim says: Oh – yeah…the very first place I’d go for marriage advice is my local Goodwill store… No – even better!!! I’d be shopping at my local Goodwill store, come across this book and think “HEY! This book is just what we need to add some spice to our lives?!” Geez!

Carmen's take:  I'm just wondering to myself how the whole open marriage thing worked out for the original owner of this book seeing as it ended up here at the Goodwill.  

Demon bird-knick-knacks from hell…

Kim says: Really – who ever thought red-eyed birds would be a good idea in the first place! Who was shopping the first time around and saw these birds and thought they were cute?!

Carmen's take: I'm afraid that their little beady red eyes would follow me around the room or glow red in the dark. These look like they are supposed to be doves. Aren't doves supposed to be the symbol of peace and not the poster doves for demonic possession? Maybe Hitchcock had these sitting around when he dreamed up The Birds.


Lisa thinks: These birds must be the ones from the Prince song. . . you know, "When Doves Cry". Clearly their eyes have been irritated (EXTREMELY irritated) by the shedding of tears due to the loss of a lover. Poor things. . . someone needs to shell out the $1.48 and take them home and give them love (or just pry the red things out and let them live as normal, pure white doves). -"How could you just leave me standing alone in a world so cold?"-

The Haunting!

If you’ve ever seen the 1999 horror movie The Haunting, a remake of debatable quality, you will understand the reference to these pictures. I’m pretty sure the carved faces in the woodwork were modeled after these figurines!!


Check out 2:02 in this vid and you’ll see what I mean.

(shudder)

Lisa thinks: Maybe it's wrong of me, but these two make me laugh. . . I'm not sure why, but they do. I agree with Carmen on their resemblance to the wood faces in The Haunting, but for some reason they always catch me off guard and make me laugh. My first thought is that they are watching the most horrific thing two little kids could be watching. . . dead body floating down the river, deadly horse & buggy accident, walking in on mom & dad. . . well, you know (the list goes on and on). Or maybe it's this simple- they're sitting on the shelf above Prince's evil red-eyed doves.