THE MUSEUM IN MY KITCHEN: TRYING WWI RECIPES

A Muse Bouche | Dominica Tang and Lindsay Chisholm

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The National WWI Museum and Memorial launched the online exhibition “War Front: From the Home Front to the Front Lines,” in 2014. To compliment the exhibit, it features a 1918 cookbook entitled “Win the War in the Kitchen,” and invites the audience to re-create war-time recipes. With the support of the Woodrow Wilson government, the United States Food Administration originally published this cookbook to further inspire women to “take up arms” and mobilize certain skills on the homefront.

                 

National WWI Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, United States. Source.

Blogs and news outlets have rediscovered this exhibit to provide the public with ideas on how to adapt their meals to the increased food shortages and to support their audience emotionally during this time of extreme stress. The increase of food shortages are brought on by mass hoarding of resources and a shortfall of agricultural labourers. The exhibit is finding relevance and purpose in a COVID-19 context, and we aim to find what new meanings have emerged because of it and the differences between cooking historic recipes in the museum and our homes. Lindsay and I chose two recipes to make and eat with our families at home and shared our experiences with each other.

Dominica: I chose to make potato bread and poultry with peas because their flavours were complementary. They also shared quite a few ingredients, which kept my grocery list nice and short.

Potato Bread  [Left] and a Poultry with Peas dish [Right]. Photographs courtesy of Dominica Tang. 

Lindsay: I made a scalloped cabbage dish and a tomato and bean stew, akin to a “Meatless Monday” menu. The United States became a major contributor for food supplies for the frontline when they joined the war. Meat consumption was restricted on the home front so that the meat could be exported for the frontline.

Scalloped Cabbage dish [left] and Tomato and Bean Stew [Right]. Photographs courtesy of Lindsay Chisholm.

Dominica: My family had trouble purchasing fresh meat, especially at the beginning of the lockdown. The number of dairy products that customers can purchase are also being limited in many grocery stores. So how did you find cooking and eating these dishes?

Lindsay: My prior experience in museology and food stems from the realm of edible archaeology. The key to unearthing stories from the past is through the systematic study of the archaeological record. It was this mindset that restricted any creative decision-making during cooking. It took every morsel of my being not to doctor up these recipes and alter the steps of seasoning to retain historical credibility. The lack of aromatics [onions, garlic, and herbs] made the food bland. For instance, without browning your butter first, it lacks a nutty richness and a pleasant aroma. This blandness may be accredited to the food shortages during the war. Did you have similar sensory issues?

Lindsay put on a cute, frilly apron for the occasion! Photograph courtesy of Lindsay Chisholm.

Dominica:  I actually used the recipe more as an inspiration than as a strict guide and as such, I took a creative licence in “recreating” the historic recipes. To the poultry and peas recipe, I added MSG, bacon, parsley, and garlic to add more flavour and colour. Both recipes called for bacon fat, so it made economical sense to also add the meat and not waste it. The mashed potato kept the bread wonderfully moist and fluffy, but the bread was extremely bland. I generously coated each slice with salted butter.

Slices of potato bread toast paired with a hot cup of coffee. Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang.

Lindsay: Did you find your cooking was drastically altered when experimenting in your at-home kitchen rather than within a historic kitchen at a house museum?

Dominica: Yes! I have made potato bread before from a 19th century recipe in Mackenzie House’s historic kitchen, where I bake in a wood-fired iron stove and followed the recipe to a tee. An unofficial exception of the museum and our visitors was to recreate the recipe as accurately as possible. At home, I was free to incorporate and accommodate for my personal tastes and my family’s dietary preferences. My family was more interested in trying something new, rather than sampling food from a specific historic period. All the extra ingredients were still historically accurate to the period and location, MSG can be found naturally in products like cheese, and cooks have always altered their recipes to suit their diners.

Dominica's potato bread loaf in the historic oven at Mackenzie House museum [Left]. The bread tasted delicious with a bit of butter, jam, and marmalade [Right]. Photograph courtesy of Dominica Tang. 

Lindsay: That’s very true. By tracing histories from the past through food, we can make similar comparisons between how we examine recipes of the early 20th century to that from ancient societies. In “Win the War in the Kitchen” and Roman culinary sources, like Apicius, both lack detailed information on measurements, amounts of foodstuffs, and cooking times. The writers expected the audience to be experts in their field who would have taken liberties with their art. Dominica, you interpreted the record like a chef from the past by adding your own fixings! We were both able to incorporate museum based-programming for at home use. It is through creativity and connection that a person can figuratively leave the confines of their home isolation and be transported into a past world of exploration.

Digitizing and sharing these historic recipes with the public gives the audience control over their edible museum experience and provides access to them when people need it most. We chose to write about “Win the War in the Kitchen,” because it became a COVID-19 relevant project through public interest instead of the museum's. People are interested in museum programming that distracts them but also helps make sense of the world. Being a community-centered museum and appealing to an audience during COVID-19 goes beyond providing online education, entertainment, and emotional support. In times of crisis, museums should, as Nina Simon argues, serve the needs of people who are most vulnerable to the social, mental, and physical consequences of the pandemic. The Brooklyn Museum, for example, partnered with Campaign Against Hunger and donated their parking space to serve as a free food-pick up site. Will museums continue this type of community work in a post-lockdown world? We sure hope so.

FURRY FRIENDS ON THE FRONTLINES

Throwback Thursday | Emma Puddicombe

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In Canada, November is a time to remember the brave soldiers who gave their lives in the First World War. Their stories teach us about sacrifice and duty and speak to the bravery of humans in wartimes. Additionally, there are many other stories that can speak to the heroic acts and bravery of animals in wartimes. Thousands of animals have served in militaries all over the world, while their stories are not always well-known, they are remembered. Here are three furry friends and the stories of their times on the frontlines.

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Sergeant Billy

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At the start of the First World War, the Canadian soldiers of the 5th Infantry Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force were traveling through Broadview, Saskatchewan, where they encountered a young girl with her goat, Billy. Believing him to be a good luck charm, the young girl, Daisy Curwain, gave the soldiers her permission to take Billy with them to Valcartier Camp, in Quebec. It was during this summer that Billy not only became a cherished mascot for the battalion, but also a recognized soldier (complete with the title of Private Bill!). He trained with the soldiers, pushing them forward and boosting morale until it came time for the troops to make their journey overseas. Unfortunately, mascots were not permitted to go to the front lines, meaning Billy would have to remain in Canada. The soldiers, however, had a different plan. They smuggled their beloved mascot onto their ship and then again to the front lines in a wooden crate. While the troops’ colonel was none too happy to have the farm animal onsite, Billy proved his worth multiple times throughout his service. In one act of heroism, Billy head-butted three Canadian soldiers out of the way before a shell exploded right where they had been standing. In another, he cornered three enemy guardsmen at Ypres. These actions resulted in his promotion to Sergeant Bill. Billy’s value was not only in his heroic actions, though. His moral boosting abilities were needed more than ever by the homesick soldiers who took comfort in his presence. That is not to say that Billy wasn’t above discipline. The goat was imprisoned at one point for treason after eating very important and secret documents. Fortunately, all was forgiven once the colonel realized how important Billy was to the soldier’s mental well-being.

Billy returned to Canada in 1919, a decorated war hero with three medals, where he lived out the rest of his days with Daisy on the Saskatchewan plains.


Simon

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During wartime, cats were highly valued on warships for their rat-catching abilities and many felines were brought aboard ships to fight against rodents who would spread diseases and infest the crew’s rations. In 1948, a black and white cat named Simon was brought aboard HMS Amethyst by George Hickinbottom. By October of that same year, he had become the adoring mascot of the ship and its crew. The affection towards the feline is represented by Lieutenant-Commander Bernard Skinner, who upon taking command of the HMS Amethyst, also took a great liking to Simon. Commander Skinner granted Simon many additional privileges, including unrestricted access to most areas of the ship and the permission to sleep in the commander's cap.

Also at this time, China was in the midst of a civil war between the communist insurgents of Mao Tse Tung’s People’s Liberation Army and the ruling nationalist (or Kuomintang) Party of Chiang Kai-shek. The HMS Amethyst was sent to protect the British people on the Yangzte River. While sailing to its destination in April 1947, however, the ship fell under enemy fire and was stranded. During the attack, Simon, unfortunately, was wounded by a Chinese shell blasting a hole in a nearby bulkhead. Four shrapnel hit his back legs, his face was burned and whiskers and eyebrows singed. The doctor on board was able to remove the shrapnel, but Simon was still very weak. While recovering, Simon was instrumental in the recovery of his fellow seamen in the sickbay. He would sit on the crew’s bunks and knead his paws and purr while tending to his own wounds, which helped the sailors relate to him and boosted their morale. The HMS Amethyst was stranded for over three months, during which time rats began to breed rapidly and infest the ship. Despite his injuries, though, Simon still rose to the challenge of hunting the vermin and managed to significantly diminish the issue within two months.

After 101 days, the crew managed to escape and return safely to Hong Kong where Simon was met with fame for his actions. Simon’s bravery and strength was rewarded with multiple medals, including the Amethyst Campaign Medal, A Blue Cross Medal for animal bravery and Heroism, the Naval General Service Medal, and the extremely prestigious Dickin Medal, the highest award any animal can receive whilst serving in military conflict (It is recognized worldwide as the animal’s Victoria Cross).

Unfortunately, Simon's heart was too weak after his ordeal and he passed away in November 1949. He was buried by the Amethyst crew with full Naval honours, in a pet cemetery near London, England.


Unsinkable Sam

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In 1939, a black and white cat was brought aboard Bismarck, a battleship built for Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine. It was here that the furry feline started the first third of his naval career (yes...catching rats). Bismarck launched in February 1939 and two years later met the HMS Prince of Wales, a British battleship, in battle where it was badly damaged and eventually sank. The cat was later found by the homeward-bound British destroyed, the HMS Cossack, floating on a board in the water. He was picked up and given the name ‘Oscar’, after the International Code of Signals flag called Oscar which denotes “man overboard”.

Cat: 1, Battleships: 0.

The second third of Oscar’s naval career was spent aboard HMS Cossack (yes...again with the rats). This ship was responsible for carrying out convoy escort duties in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic until October 1941 when it was sunk to the west of Gibraltar. Once again, Oscar was found clinging to a floating board, where he was rescued and brought to land. It was at this time that his name was changed to ‘Unsinkable Sam’.

Cat: 2, Battleships: 0.

A little while later, HMS Ark Royal was sent out. This ship was ironically instrumental in sinking the Bismarck and had gained the reputation of a ‘lucky ship’ after surviving several near misses at sea...Enter Oscar. The fortunate feline (sort of), was now starting the final third of his naval career aboard the ship. Unfortunately, his time aboard was short-lived as the ship was torpedoed and sunk by a U-boat in November 1941. For a third time, Oscar was found floating an a plank in the water, his rescuers describing him as “angry, but quite unharmed.”

Cat: 3, Battleships: 0.

It was at this point that Oscar was finally relieved of his naval duties and transferred to the mainland where he spent the next years of his life hunting mice in the building of the Governor General of Gibraltar. His final days were spent in a home for sailors in Belfast UK.

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Animals have always held a special spot in our hearts, whether they are our own pets or animals from the stories we hear. They have proven time and time again their worth in the most difficult of times and have shown us their value as morale boosters, brave fighters, and kind friends. While their stories are not always the most well-known, they are still worth remembering.